Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club

HAPPY FEET LUNCHES
School Lunch Program, Story and photos by Carol Goodrow
kids

Healthy Lunches

For printable footprint charts and Happy Feet Lunch blanks, T-shirt design, and sample of a Happy Feet ribbon, please go to The Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club page.

Cafeteria staff with Happy Feet aprons

November 9
What an exciting day! The school cafeteria served "Happy Feet Lunches" for the first time. The choices were a "RED FEET" bag lunch or a "GREEN FEET" bag lunch.

Each lunch included: a vegetable, fruit, sandwich with whole-grain bread or bun, low-fat milk, and pretzels. The lunch bags were stamped with feet: kid-feet, bird-feet, and doggie-paws. The children were having fun signing: "I love Happy Feet Lunches!".

signs

WHAT'S NEXT?
On November 21, we will have another Happy Feet Lunch day. This lunch will include vegetable soup, fruit cups, and pizza with whole-grain crust. Something else very special is planned for that day. It will be the "deadline" for our Happy Feet Kids' Lunch Contest.

OUR CONTEST
All first and second graders will be giving the opportunity to design a special Happy Feet Lunch in school or at home. We will select one student lunch to be served as a December Happy Feet Lunch. The lunch will be named after the winning child. That child will receive a free Happy Feet Lunch, a Happy Feet T-shirt and book along with other prizes. See our contest entry blank.

happy kid

AFTER THAT?
Possibly a classroom participation contest with a traveling trophy or healthy eating symbol for the class buying the most happy feet lunches each month or week along with a free lunch for the teacher of that class.

MAKING IT FUN
Healthy eating can be a lot of fun. If you believe kids will eat healthy foods they will. Why not try it at your school?

And more: soon we will line the cafeteria walls with photos of the teachers, school principal, superintendent, and other faculty members eating Happy Feet lunches.

And if you can't buy a school lunch? You can just make your own. Just follow the formula: fruit, vegetable, water or milk and at least one other VERY healthy food (ex: whole-grain, low-fat dairy, or lean protein).

"Happy Feet Lunches" are an attitude - an attitude of health, fitness, and well-being for ourselves and for our kids. An attitude that makes "healthy" - FUN!

Signing in ASL

"I"

"love"

Happy

"Happy"

To sign "Feet" - point to your feet

lunches

"Lunches"

kid

This program is a partnership between the school lunch program and the Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club. I would like to thank Jackie Schipke of the school lunch program for working with me on this project.

We started with 2 lunches in November and plan to expand to 3 in December. Hopefully as the year goes on we will continue to expand this program with special days and special activities celebrating healthy habits and healthy eating. I would also like to thank all of the people who have helped me learn a little signing: Susan Parvenski, Linda Mondschein, and Bev Vaida.

cafe staff