The teachers quickly see the effects a good or a bad lunch has on the student’s ability to concentrate and perform in class. Fortunately, most Birralee children are provided with a healthy lunch each day.
In order to support your child’s learning and well-being, it is important that you do not send the following items in a regular lunch pack: candy, chocolate, cookies, potato crisps, sweet fizzy drinks, mellombar, “Aunt” Marbel’s Muffin, etc.
How We Spent Our Lunch Time at Birralee
The Norwegian Health Authorities recommend that students have a minimum of 20 minutes for their lunch. At Birralee, the students in all classes have 30 minutes. In addition, we facilitate students to eat a healthy snack earlier during the day to help them bridge the gap between breakfast and lunch.
Having a meal together is about more than just eating. Meals also have a social function. As meals are part of the students’ break time, students are given a reasonable amount of freedom to decide what they are doing during and after their lunch.
In general, we are reluctant with watching TV on the smartboard during lunch. Watching a show together like Supernytt (the Norwegian news for children) during the start of lunch might happen in certain circumstances or in certain periods. It is up to each teacher to decide when this is necessary, but it is never our first go-to option.
In many IPC classes, the teacher will start lunch by reading from a book to calm everyone down and settle into the lunch routine. In other classes, the students converse with their classmates while eating their lunch. Towards the end of lunch time, when most students have finished their food, the students often draw, play together or find a board game to play.
Mrs Alenga reading Roald Dahl to Year 2 during lunch.
Get the Simple Things Right: a Healthy Lunch
It is easier to perform better and keep up your concentration, mood and activity level when you eat regularly and healthy. For children and young people who are growing and developing, it is particularly important to get the nutrients and energy their body needs to function well.
Meals at school are a significant part of students' daily intake and your child’s packed lunch therefore has a lot to say for your child’s overall diet.
The eating habits your child acquires when they are young will last for a long time. Healthy eating habits are therefore very important for your child’s health, both in the short and long term.
To ensure that your child gets a variety of nutrients, their school lunch should contain foods from three different categories according to the Norwegian Health Authorities:
Whole grain bread, wholegrain products, oatmeal, potatoes or wholemeal pasta
Vegetables, fruit or berries
Protein source such as fish, vegetarian (lentils, beans, chickpeas and other peas), cheese, eggs or meat
Practical Advice for Your Child’s Packed Lunch
The following tips are provided by the Norwegian Health Authorities:
Cut up vegetables and fruit to include in the lunchbox. Try cucumbers, peppers, carrots, lettuce, apples, nectarines or berries.
Whole grains keep you full for longer. Therefore, choose whole grain slices of bread (fullkorn) rather than white bread (loff)
There are many good toppings to choose from, for example fish, vegetarian options such as hummus and bean paste, lean meat toppings such as chicken and turkey, cheese or eggs. Fruit and vegetables are also good as toppings.
Make a salad, preferably the day before, and take it with you in a box.
Leftovers from dinner can be school food the next day.
Remember to drink! Low-fat milk, low-fat milk with added vitamin D and skimmed milk are good accompaniments to the packed lunch.
Fancy some cold water? Fill a bottle with 1/3 water, freeze and pour more water the next morning.
Bad time in the morning? Make the packed lunch the night before and put it in the fridge until the next day.
Comentarios