to be annoyed that my dds school has been giving out certificates to children who bring in healthy packed lunches?

[spudmasher]

Today she took in a ham roll, four cherry tomatoes, a few slices of cucumber, some fresh pineapple and a small apple pie.

She was not given a certificate because she had the apple pie in her lunch!

When I was making her lunch tonight she asked me not to put a little cake in because it was unhealthy and she would not get a certificate.

I thought it was unreasonable to reward a child, or deny a reward on the basis of decisions made by the parent.

I also feel that six is too young an age to bear the responsbility of deciding what they should eat. Surely the child should be carefree and just trust the parents to know what is healthy?

I also thought that a little fat and sugar occassionally, will not be harmful to a child.

I also felt that they are encouraging children to deny themselves small pleasures - could lead to eating disorders imo.

Thanks. Feel better now.

Am I over reacting?

Have sent snotty e mail to school........

3andnomore: wholemeal is actually well known for being one of the causes of toddler diarrhoea as is a low fat diet or lots of squash. To be fair, eldest is pretty much growing out of it now but because youngest still has (sorry for tmi) rather soft motions at the best of times we are still on white.

hmm yes I remember an idiot woman telling me how stupid her HV was because she'd told her that brown bread had too much fibre in it for toddlers.

For once I was on the HV's side!

sorry I haven't read the whole thred but I have a similar gripe about certificates awarded for children who have full attendance during the term at our school.

Now while I see it may encourage children to attend what if they are genuinly ill and can't go in? When the scheme was introduced I remeber my ds being quite put out when I kept him off school with a sickness bug as he would not get his certificate.

Everything seems to have gone certificate crazy!

I suppose...i.e. fiber overload...suppose depends on how much you give otherwise...or if ther eis an intolerance to a cetain thing...
apparently they used to use a lot less wheat or not wheat in the olden days but made bread of millet, and I have heard of it, but have not tasted that bread yet!

spud, you are not being unreasonable.

I would go further. I would object to the whole certificate/reward thing for "healthy eating" in schools.

Object. object , object

I used to give home made 4 parts white 1 part granary and that was enough to set him off. Although to be fair, they love toast and sandwiches so probably get at least 3 slices a day.

oh, and white breas sdoes have one plus , it tends to have ore calcium in it! However, white wheat is really like pooring sugar in once system and something like rye bread or wothe grains might work for your child!

Nah, we're happy with the white thanks, and I don't think sugar is evil either.

Much better than aspartame which triggers my asthma, but that's a whole other story.

They do love certificates, it's very motivating for children.

They also give certificates out for walking to school at our school. In some ways I can see that it's not fair on the children because they're not in control of their means of transport, but otoh the pester-power does force lardy parents into walking when they think they're incapable of doing so, the lazy gits.

pointydog...what do the Kids have in your neighbourhood in their lunchboxes...honestly, i know it's hard to imagine that someone mihgt think a sausageroll is a healthy lunch option, but really many people do think that!

agree abou tthe aspartame
but sugar in large doses does cause diabetis...and now we have more then ever diabetis incurring in very young people

(I should say, that the dses actually do get a pretty balanced diet and very little processed foods! It just annoys me when everything is portrayed as so black and white - diets can and SHOULD vary to suit individual needs and holding up certain foods as "evil" sends completely the wrong signals and can backfire, imo.)

Of course we wouldn't have these problems if the school food wasn't so shite. Wouldn't it be nice if they could have some homemde soup, healthy sandwichs and fruit with homemade biscuits or cake once or twice a week. Schools don't seen to be able to manage that though.

A good quality organic pork sausage roll with good pastry, served on a bed of organic lettuce with sunblushed tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar and cold-pressed virgin olive oil...

Ooh, I should go and get meself a job as a Marks and Spencer food dept copywriter...

... I'd buy one of them, LittleBella!

Add some baked sweet potato crisps as a garnish and you'd be made

"It's not just food, its Little Bellas food"

LOL

lol...sorry organic and good doesn't actually make a sausage rlll a healthy food...however, they are dellicious...but taht is a whole different point!
In school they want to simplify the system for those that need symplifying...obviously not the mumsnetters...b ut really sadly those individuals do exist that believe a bag of crisp, a chocolate bar and a sausage roll are a good balanced meal!

maybe they should give, over a week, or so, points for each healthy food, (schooldinner or lunchbox) eaten by a child and then base their sertificates around that!

That would be better, you can't judge a healthy diet on one meal. Plus they might think that they have got a biscuit so are not going to get a certificate so they might as well have 8 bags of crisps and a diet coke. Be hung for a sheep so to speak.

Yes...but don't punish the child

hm...but the childre will also be made aware of this...and so will their parents, so the shcoool isn't the bad bod...it's only the executing one,

I spent a very happy term opening yogurts and pretending to steal children's strawberries as a volunteer lunch-helper at our school.

I had a quiet giggle at the mum who had written in indelible marker on the outside of her son's lunch box, 'Judge not lest you be judged'.

certificates, points, stamps for healthy lunches I think is only motivating in a wrong way. Just because they are motivated by a piece of paper doesnt make it a Good Thing.

3andnomore - I don't know what children have in their lunch boxes at dc's school. Do you mean certificates might come in useful?