Comments on: Recess First!

By: Only 7 Billion and counting, fast, very fast…… « Toast.ie

Only 7 Billion and counting, fast, very fast…… « Toast.ie — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:23:37 +0000

[...] 96 BILLION pounds of food every year, although some argue that this is old data and [...]

By: Candace

Candace — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:06:21 +0000

I teach in an elementary school, and have required lunchroom duty. It breaks my heart when I see entire trays being dumped. Unfortunately, beige trays, brown ‘chicken’ fingers, mashed potatoes, snickerdoodle cookie, aren’t all that appetizing. Yes, students want to get out to recess, but there’s no point making them sit and stare at a boring tray they haven’t touched in 20 minutes. 10 more minutes won’t make a difference. Plus, the pre-school kiddo’s are given the same amount of food that the 6th graders are served. No way can a 3 or 4 year old eat the same amount of food as a 12-year-old boy!

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:55:32 +0000

My daughter is in Kindergarten, and a bit of a “dilly dallier”. I know that she will be one of the last into the lunch room, and she pokes around helping her friends. A couple weeks ago, they had a new lunch monitor who made sure that the kids who had a packed lunch brought all their leftovers home. Inside were all of my daughter’s things, except maybe half of the small cheese square I had sent.

So in doing more research, I have learned this: as soon as the kids are “done”, they are allowed to leave the lunch area. So, when the first kid goes out, most kids want to go out, and merely throw the rest of their food away.

And, of course, the lunch room monitors don’t have to do as much work if they just let the kids leave early, sad as that is to say. Because once the kids are outside, they are someone else’s responsibility.

I will be forwarding your links to our school superintendents.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:56:19 +0000

Mike, how has Orfalea created a disaster with the School Food Initiative? I don’t know much about them…

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:20:24 +0000

Orfalea need to give their money to schools. They hired employees who have zero experience with the school system. Nobody wants to say that Orfalea has created a disaster with the School Food Initiative because of the money they give to the community. Let educators do their job and educate. Orfalea should do their job and give money and stay away from schools.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:02:04 +0000

When my son was in elementary school, sometimes I would have lunch with him. Not only did they not give them enough time for lunch, but if they bought lunch they were encouraged to take fruits and vegetables, so the kids would load up their trays with stuff, and then the recess bell would ring, so the kids would be made to throw away their food and go outside.

They probably would waste less food if they were actually given time to eat their lunch, and not told what to take. Recess first would probably allow them more time to eat their lunch after recess.

By: Katrina

Katrina — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:07:50 +0000

Jonathan – a lot of kids go home for lunch around here but from what my little brother has told me kids are encouraged to trade things they don’t like with other children. They also receive “Gotcha bucks” school dollars they can spend in their school store for finishing lunch and for bringing well-balanced lunches to school.

By: Eye opening statistics on food waste | Guy Goes Green

Eye opening statistics on food waste | Guy Goes Green — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:09:31 +0000

[...] Americans waste 96 BILLION pounds of food every year, although some argue that this is old data and underestimated. [...]

By: Katy Wolk-Stanley

Katy Wolk-Stanley — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:29:14 +0000

My kids rush through eating their home packed lunches so they can get out to recess. Today I threw away/composted from their lunches:

- One half of a lovely french/Vietnamese barbeque sandwich, (this one killed me)
- Half of a ham and cheese sandwich
- Half of an apple
- Pretzels that got smashed up against the pork sandwich which had sat out at room temperature for 10 hours.

This is hard, as sometimes they eat the whole thing, so I don’t want to pack them less than they need.

-Katy

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:31:49 +0000

But Kristen, is homeschool recess before or after lunch??

William, you’ve hit on another cause of school food waste–too little time. That can be a real logistical problem. And glad to hear you’re making use of restaurant foods…even not your own!

Katrina, I think we’re on the same page. Where I grew up–in Massachusets–we had a morning recess (as you mentioned) and then a post-lunch recess. It’s the latter I’m talking about here. If kids have from 12 to 12:30 to eat, do you know how they tend to do in terms of wasting food?