To think a 'hunger banquet' is a bizarre way to teach children about food inequality in the western world?

[electra]

I can't really put my finger on why but I don't really want my child to participate. It seems like a psychological experiment and on that basis inappropriate for children.

I will, however be donating money for Haiti.

Feel free to tell me I'm over analysing!

Whats a hunger banquet btwn

What is a "hunger banquet"? I'm guessing it's no food at all?

Apparently half of the children will be given really appetising food, the other half barely anything at all and the object is for the second group to get upset / annoyed enough about it that it starts a 'debate'

I guess it depends on the age of the child involved. I remember being involved in a "rich-man/poor man" lunch when I was about 14, and it was fun (as we helped prepare all the food), then there was a kind of raffle, after which about a fifth of the class went to a top table and had all the nice things and the rest of us had a plate of rice and beans. It did kind of demonstrate to us the extent of the inequality in the world when it comes to food distribution, and we enjoyed it. But maybe your child is a bit younger, and less likely to understand?

I'd feel the same as you about it.
A school that my DH works in regularly have a 'hunger day' where there's no lunch. He never knows when it's coming and struggles to work through the afternoon without some food in the day. (He takes snacks now, just in case).

We had this at my high school. It was called a Rich man, poor man supper.

80% had just bread,cheese and water while the other 20% percent had a three course meal.

I don't think it was very effective,particuarly as the majority just went to the vending machines afterwards.

Yes these kids are 7ish - paisley that is awful imo!

I think it would need to be handled really, really well. Do you think your school can do that?

It certainly wouldn't be appropriate at all in primary school IMO, but perhaps - with expert handling - for those aged 14/15+

I don't really think of having to eat bread and cheese and water for one meal as a hardship.

That said the first time I participated I got a rich man ticket,and the second I picked a poor man ticket but a rich man meal was auctioned off and I bid for it and won.

god, how awful.

we used to have starvation lunches at school (they were prob called something really PC, but that's what we called them!) where "all" we would have was a bowl of soup, bread roll and a piece of fruit (we normally had really fab food - main dish plus salad (inc rice salads/pasta salads/loads of veg - couuld load up as much as you wanted) and really yummy puds.

the difference between what was normally spent on lunch, and what was spent on starvation lunch was donated to the school charity of the term.

BUT a) we were older - 12+, and b) we were all in th esame boat (and it was clearly marked on the week's menu when it would be!)

there's no way I'd let a 7 year old take part in what you describe!

Bread cheese and water is my normal lunch!

electra i agree it sounds a bit iffy, the bit abour trying to get them all worked up about it, when they are so young.

Thought provoking maybe to teens but for 7 year olds is very unfair. And I know how grumpy I am if I'm hungry - I wouldn't want to have to try and teach that class for the afternoon

Never had this at school, never heard of it before now but it sounds completely pointless, rather like Jane Elliott's ridiculous blue eye experiment. How on earth can you simulate hunger in a cosy little school in the suburbs (generalising but YKWIM). Is that really the only way that teachers can get a debate going?

It just sounds really naff and facile. As most of these 'role play' type exercises seem to be. Agree there are better ways of generating debate.

Never had this and never heard of it before, but I think it's ridiculous.

we used to do exactly what silverfrog did at school too - except in the winter it was soup and roll, in summer some cheese and a roll.

And those doing it went down to the chapel to eat it, to make it more obvious that it was being done for a worthy reason (other than trying to get out of eating lunch which was pretty good as school food goes but there were always a few people that didn't want to eat properly or getting out of lunch quickly as it was very quick to eat otherwise).

7 sounds too young. It would work quite well with teenagers.

Are the teachers participating in it?

I am glad this wasn't just me! I also think there must be more inspiring ways to explore the very real problem of some people not having enough food than this crass exercise...

I have a nearly 7 year old. I'd remove him for lunch time, to be honest. It's a fucking idiot thing to do to a small child.

I think it is a powerful way to get an important message across to a yong child.
Great idea.

We need to teach them about domestic violence too so let's beat the crap out of them.

Not enough time these days to teach them to read, but enough time to plan out stupid crap like this.

I would have thought it was a good idea til I had foster dd who spent the first six years of her life picking food out the bins.

This exercise would make her anxious even though she would understand. If it happened I would have to prepare her beforehand.

Used to be bread and cheese with the difference going to charity (organised by the head of RE). The irony was that most of us volunteered because the meal was nicer than the school dinners. I think that there is a place for this sort of thing but it might be lost on 7YOs.

I think is grossly oversimplifies a very complex problem.

I'm not sure what point they are trying to make. Surely most children of 7 know there are people in the world who dont have enough to eat, but they are way too young to start debating the possible solutions at any meaningful level.

What are they going to say after lunch?

"This house believes that the elimination of trade barriers in agricultural products is a prerequisite to the reduction of poverty in the poorest countries. Right Jimmy, off you go."