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I can't remember the last time my kids went to a school allowing cupcake birthday parties. We don't miss them. They're typically only an elementary school phenomenon anyway. They have one party at the end of the year withall the junk food.
Yes. My children have that policy and I love it. The teachers love it too. I have a few teacher friends and they all hate cupcakes as it takes away from the day and is a huge mess. All of that food coloring is really bad for their behavior and cupcakes are just bad for their health in general. This is not a once a year time for consumption. There are over twenty five children in their class so that would be twenty five cupcakes over the school year.
In my opinion, that's what birthday parties are for.
It really bothers me that we have a huge childhood obesity epidemic going on right now and so many parents are against trying to combat it. While your child may not have a problem what about the other overweight children in their class? Twenty five cupcakes over the year could have a major influence in their health if they are not being fed well at home. I know what you're probably thinking and that's that it's not your problem that other parents choose to feed their children junk.
Think about this though. Childhood obesity typically stems from parents not being educated about nutrition. .
Takes away from the day? What, a couple times a month? There are LOTS of things that "take away from the day" EVERY day that the teachers are guilty of themselves. Not every minute is productive. A treat a couple times a month isn't going to be the determinate factor in the success of the school year. Honestly.
TWENTY FIVE CUPCAKES IN ONE YEAR???????OH, NO !!!
Twenty five cupcakes over the year isn't going to have any influence on their health. Trust me.
Childhood obesity comes mainly from inactivity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life
At our school, with the old policy, when you tabulate all the birthdays (including the summer b'days, which are celebrated in April) kids were getting cupcakes or Krispy Kreme donuts twice a month!
This is what I remember from my elementary school in the 1970s. ... Moms never came to the school then unless you were sick.
Twice a month? Are you joking??? A cupcake twice a month never killed anyone.
Ah, the good old days when mothers never went to the school unless their child was sick. Wish we could go back in time simply for that. Mothers have no place in the classroom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cleasach
Food doesn't have to be part of something to make it a celebration. That's why we have so many obese people in this country.
Food is traditionally a part of every celebration. The obesity doesn't come from the cupcake twice a month, it comes from moms picking up fast food just because it's easier, kids sitting in front of the TV with snacks, late dinners, no running, climbing and playing every day, etc..
We celebrated birthdays in school with cupcakes, or sometimes a real birthday cake brought in, always home made. We celebrated every holiday with each child handing out the treat he or she brought. It was our delight to see the pile of goodies we collected on our napkin, i.e., candies, homemade cookies, popcorn balls, pieces of cake, etc.. We ate a couple things, then took home what was left in a paper bag or our lunch box.
There were no obese kids in our school, and only a handful that were not stick skinny. Hmmm. We had a swingset, four teetertotters, and one slide for k-6th grade. We played crack-the-whip, red rover, tag, jump-rope, softball, kickball, and everything else we could come up with. We ran and played for an hour EVERY DAY at school, and went home and did some more, and we NEVER ate anything after dinner that was on the table at 5:30-6 every night.
Instead of worrying about a cupcake a couple times a month, maybe you should worry about how very little kids actually run, jump, climb and play, and what and when kids eat at home.
Thank you. And while it doesn't HAVE to have food to be a celebration, again I say name me one celebration which doesn't have food. Even and especially at funerals and sad times we bring food as a gesture of good will.
ETA: I always brought those tiny little mini cupcakes cause quite frankly I've never seen a kid eat a whole regular sized cupcake.
Also the rule about only store bought food is disturbing. God only knows what is in commercial food but we do know it is not healthy. I use very few processed foods (if any) in my family's diet.
You're welcome! That "you don't need food to celebrate" is an old Weight Watchers tag line. But really, there are few events that every culture, and I mean every one, does not celebrate with food. Oh, they may not celebrate Halloween in Kenya, but you can be sure they have their eating holidays as well.
Regarding the store bought food, I was a public health nurse for many years. Lots of Hepatitis A is spread through pot-lucks. I do agree with the packaged foods being crap, though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cleasach
But then you have a situation in which some kids will be sitting there gleefully eating cupcakes/candy or treats and others get to sit and watch and wish they could have some. Some might get very upset-- especially younger kids-- if the teacher says "Billy, your mom sent a note that you can't have cake in school so you won't be getting a cupcake today, so just sit tight." Yikes. If kids wan't to make goody bags for their friends, there are plenty of places like Geddes, where you can order erasers in the shape of ice cream cones, erasers that break apart to be a puzzle, etc. The stuff is great. Think Oriental Trading for school kids. That stuff lasts longer than a cupcake and is cool to boot.
The events and celebrations that were mentioned are in un-contained locations: 4th of July bbqs, birthday parties that kids were invited to, other holidays. No one has to eat anything that they do not want to eat and if they do not particularly care for the offerings, there is usually something else available.
We are talking about a contained environment in the classroom with young kids who can't pick something else if they aren't allowed to have a chocolate cupcake, or leave the room and go hang out with other kids that aren't having any. They get to sit and watch everyone else get a treat and they don't get one either because they're not allowed, they can't eat a particular ingredient, or they just don't care for whatever flavor is there. Big difference.
Others' experiences are the opposite of yours. As someone who has taught in middle school classrooms for many years, mine certainly is.
Oh, the old "that's different". I just gave a few examples. It was not meant to be an exhaustive, definitive list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JustJulia
I can't remember the last time my kids went to a school allowing cupcake birthday parties. We don't miss them. They're typically only an elementary school phenomenon anyway. They have one party at the end of the year withall the junk food.
Takes away from the day? What, a couple times a month? There are LOTS of things that "take away from the day" EVERY day that the teachers are guilty of themselves. Not every minute is productive. A treat a couple times a month isn't going to be the determinate factor in the success of the school year. Honestly.
TWENTY FIVE CUPCAKES IN ONE YEAR???????OH, NO !!!
Twenty five cupcakes over the year isn't going to have any influence on their health. Trust me.
Childhood obesity comes mainly from inactivity.
Twice a month? Are you joking??? A cupcake twice a month never killed anyone.
Ah, the good old days when mothers never went to the school unless their child was sick. Wish we could go back in time simply for that. Mothers have no place in the classroom.Food is traditionally a part of every celebration. The obesity doesn't come from the cupcake twice a month, it comes from moms picking up fast food just because it's easier, kids sitting in front of the TV with snacks, late dinners, no running, climbing and playing every day, etc..
Yeah, well, things have changed. Much as I'd rather sit around eating bon bons all day, the public schools in our district actively campaign for the parents to volunteer at school. It seems to make the difference between whether a school is high performing or barely scraping the barrel. The budget cuts are deep and the schools need the parents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pearly6
We celebrated birthdays in school with cupcakes, or sometimes a real birthday cake brought in, always home made. We celebrated every holiday with each child handing out the treat he or she brought. It was our delight to see the pile of goodies we collected on our napkin, i.e., candies, homemade cookies, popcorn balls, pieces of cake, etc.. We ate a couple things, then took home what was left in a paper bag or our lunch box.
There were no obese kids in our school, and only a handful that were not stick skinny. Hmmm. We had a swingset, four teetertotters, and one slide for k-6th grade. We played crack-the-whip, red rover, tag, jump-rope, softball, kickball, and everything else we could come up with. We ran and played for an hour EVERY DAY at school, and went home and did some more, and we NEVER ate anything after dinner that was on the table at 5:30-6 every night.
Instead of worrying about a cupcake a couple times a month, maybe you should worry about how very little kids actually run, jump, climb and play, and what and when kids eat at home.
I agree kids are not active enough. It's all very nice to reminisce about days of old. A lot of parents aren't home by 5:30/6, let alone able to have dinner on the table every night by then.
Let the kids out to play and somebody will call CPS on you. Hell, we had a thread here a while ago where people were aghast that anyone would let their 8 year old walk to the park.
Somebody called CPS because kids were unattended in a next door vacant lot. It's lunacy. Meanwhile, employers expect parents to be glued to their email and phones literally 24/7, if you want to keep your scarce job. Things are not the same as they were in the good old days.
But then you have a situation in which some kids will be sitting there gleefully eating cupcakes/candy or treats and others get to sit and watch and wish they could have some. Some might get very upset-- especially younger kids-- if the teacher says "Billy, your mom sent a note that you can't have cake in school so you won't be getting a cupcake today, so just sit tight." Yikes. If kids wan't to make goody bags for their friends, there are plenty of places like Geddes, where you can order erasers in the shape of ice cream cones, erasers that break apart to be a puzzle, etc. The stuff is great. Think Oriental Trading for school kids. That stuff lasts longer than a cupcake and is cool to boot.
We are talking about a contained environment in the classroom with young kids who can't pick something else if they aren't allowed to have a chocolate cupcake, or leave the room and go hang out with other kids that aren't having any. They get to sit and watch everyone else get a treat and they don't get one either because they're not allowed, they can't eat a particular ingredient, or they just don't care for whatever flavor is there. Big difference.
Others' experiences are the opposite of yours. As someone who has taught in middle school classrooms for many years, mine certainly is.
Well, isn't that really an issue between Billy and his mom though. Billy's mom can certainly provide other "healthy" treats. Why should other parents be told they should order some stuff from OTC because someone else has decided this is more appropriate? I've seen OTC stuff suggested numerous times before.
No offense to you, but the ice cream cone shaped erasers don't get used and eventually end up tossed. If a parent wants to send that stuff fine. I myself don't see the message of sending in trinkets made overseas as any better than cupcakes.
The situation between Billy and his mom might be that Billy reacts to food dyes or can't have anything made with eggs. Not necessarily that the mom doesn't want her kid eating sugar.
For those that think it's fine and dandy to send in cup cakes, I suggest you volunteer in the classroom for the hour post cup cake consumption, and see what the teachers have to deal with. 20 to 30 little people bouncing off the walls ain't pretty.
Our school highly encourages alternative treats on birthdays, but does not prevent people from sending cup cakes if that is what they choose to do.
******Mods---please do not move this to education forum as i would like to get reactions from parents, not specifically educators. many thanks*****
My daughters came home from school with a New Wellness Guidelines. They(local school board) have decided no more birthday cupcakes or cakes celebrations at school!!!! Only non-food celebration will be allowed.
I don't like this at all. I'm not talking about allergy problems. I'm all for that. I'm not talking about candy as rewards--I'm against that. I'm the Mom who strictly regulates all sugar consumption, especially at holidays. I'm the Mom who has never included cookies or chips in a school lunch. BUT I'm the Mom who looks forward to baking and decorating mini cupcakes for the whole class to help my daughters celebrate a birthday. Parents were told to coordinate with teachers so no 2 kids brought on the same day or even 2 days in a row.
We always have family celebrations and my girls are so proud of the cupcakes and sharing.
This policy has nothing to do with being inclusive. (kids whose Moms might not be able to bring treats to school feeling "less than".)It is all about Wellness. bah humbug!!!!
Name me one celebration, holiday or societal event which does not include food?
Does your child's school have such a policy? How would you feel if they did?
My daughter's elementary school (mid-90s to mid-00s) did not allow parents to bring in cupcakes for birthdays, either, which surprised me, because I grew up in that same town and was jealous because I never got to have a birthday party in school since I'm a summer baby.
It didn't affect us because my daughter is also a summer baby, but I wondered what the reasoning was behind the ban.
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A cupcake twice a month never killed anyone. 
