Parents Page
Project Healthy Schools welcomes you to the Parents’ Page! On this page look for an easy, nutritious recipe, timely, healthy lifestyle information and links to give you more detailed information on the the same topic.
Food and celebrations seem to go together especially at this time of year. Today there are lots of celebrations and lots of food at those celebrations. Let’s see there are birthdays, award ceremonies, recognition days, kickoff parties, holiday parties, open houses, family gatherings, work celebrations and the list goes on and on. Therein lies the problem! Occasional parties and a little extra food aren’t much of a worry but when we are celebrating something every other day and over-indulging regularly many of us gain weight.
November and December are two months that this happens a lot – in school and at home. A little forethought and planning can prevent that weighted down, sluggish feeling that results from overeating!
Help your children by planning ahead. Find fun activities to do at parties rather than making food the main focus of the event. Work physical activity into party times by including fun games that include lots of movement. Think about sending healthier snacks to their school celebrations. Suggest birthdays be celebrated on one day each month.
Trail Mix is a fun food to make at a classroom party or at home. Students can add what they like to their baggie of trail mix. You can change ingredients to suit your tastes or what is on sale at the grocery store.
Encourage you child’s teacher to give non food classroom rewards. Teachers tell us erasers and pencils are popular classroom rewards. Remember if you give your child’s teacher a holiday gift they may appreciate a non food item, too!
Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti schools have Wellness Policies in place. Inquire at your school to find out how you can help make it a healthier place to be.
Here’s a great, easy to make healthy snack, if you eat it in moderation.
- MFit Trail Mix (PDF)
More Tips
- School Solutions (PDF)
- Healthy Celebrations (PDF)
- Food as Rewards (PDF)
September
September’s topic is Healthy Eating. It is back-to-school month so it’s time to get back to school lunches. School hot lunch programs are required to meet national nutritional standards.
Look over the lunch menu (web links below) with your student and provide some guidance about what are the better choices. In Ann Arbor schools, start with the Balanced Choices lunch selection. These meet more strict nutrition guidelines on a day to day basis. Balanced Choices aren’t labeled on the school menus in Ypsilanti, so follow the suggestions below.
Everyone can find the healthier menu options. Burgers and pizza are ok occasionally, but have your children try some of the other hot lunch entrees every week. Don’t forget to urge your student to include plenty of fruits and vegetables. They add a lot of color, are rich in nutrients and are low in calories. Encourage your child to drink milk at lunch, too. Three glasses of milk (that can include milk from cereal) every day is recommended!
If your child prefers a lunch from home, to have him/her pack their own lunch. Outline the ‘must have’ items:
- a fruit
- a veggie
- a whole grain food that could be whole wheat bread, pita or tortilla; brown rice, whole grain pasta, or whole grain crackers like Triscuits or graham crackers.
- a protein food like meat, beans, nuts or a hard boiled egg.
- a dairy food such as milk, yogurt or cheese.
Then let your student choose one food from each of those categories to include in his/her lunch. Hummus along with tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce on whole wheat pita, a kiwi and a carton of milk makes a fast, easy lunch that has one food from each of the ‘must have’ categories above.
Check out this month’s lunch recipe. It’s a different kind of roll-up sandwich!
More Tips
Find out more:
- Ann Arbor Schools menus
- Ypsilanti Schools menus
- National School lunch program information
- School Nutrition Association information about hot lunch
- Tips on packing healthy lunches from Nemours Foundation
- Fun ideas for cool lunches
More Information for Parents
If you want to learn more about PHS at your child’s school, choose the Participating Schools tab at the top of the page.
Please contact the Project Healthy Schools wellness coordinator, below, who works with your child’s school if you have questions or concerns.
Clague and Forsythe Middle Schools, Ann Arbor Open School
Susan Aaronson, R.D., M.S.
734-975-3032
susaaaro@umich.edu
Scarlett and Tappan Middle Schools
Lindsey Mitchell, M.P.H.
734-975-7440
lseyfert@umich.edu
Slauson, East and West Middle Schools
Cathy Fitzgerald, R.D., M.A.
734-975-3060
cfitz@umich.edu