This week my year 3 son’s teacher left because she was offered a job closer to home. A class party was in order to wish her well.
Rainbow Platter of Fruit Demolished
Some people think that kids need loads of food, usually packets of chips and lollies, to have an enjoyable party. That’s not really true. This Rainbow Platter Class Party made them pretty happy. They all had fun. They stopped class work, they ate, they chatted and gave the teacher lots of cuddles. There wasn’t even any comments about there being no chips, lollies or cakes.
Now here is the thing. It is true, if there had been chips, lollies and cakes on offer, along with this delicious rainbow platter, many children would have gone for the processed food first. Why wouldn’t they? Processed foods are made using science to create flavours and tastes which make even the most astute consumer tempted to eat them. But if you simply don’t offer the choice, they don’t notice it and it certainly doesn’t stop them from having fun. One of the most fun things about a class party is getting out of doing class work and being with your friends. The food is a bonus.
I wanted to share this because sometimes it is our own adult perception of what kids expect or want that drives the choices we make. Party food doesn’t need to be laden with sugar and additives such as colours and flavours for kids to have fun. Some people think that real food is more expensive but this delicious array cost $38 which is about $1.50 per student.
What if you want to provide chips, lollies and cakes for a class party?
If you really believe these sorts of foods are needed for a class party, then it is suggested you consciously choose the packet foods by asking What’s In My Food? Turn the packet around and read the ingredients. Choose packets which are not likely to cause an energy burst (and subsequent slump) or trigger behavioural issues.
Here’s some tips for you. Choose:
- plain chips or crackers over flavoured – many of the flavour enhancers are linked to behavioural issues, asthma or eczema
- plain chocolate over flavoured chocolates – the darker the chocolate, the less sugar content
- homemaking a cake where you control the level of sugar in it
- lollies that use natural colours rather than artificial colours