The end of the bake sale?
Categories: Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Eating & Nutrition
It's a traditional, and often delicious way for schools, PTAs, and student groups to make money -- the bake sale. Parents chip in by contributing their favorite goodies, and students chip in by buying them. Win/win, right? Wrong, says California, whose strict nutritional requirements on foods sold in schools have effectively banned bake sales. So is California on the right track, or are they being too strict? Supporters say that their tactics help kids unlearn the "food as reward" mentality. Critics think that by banning these foods altogether, kids aren't learning how to eat them in moderation. I can see both sides of this argument.
I live in a state with very high obesity rates, yet at my daughters' school, the PTA sells treats every single Friday. And let's not get me started on the state of their hot lunch program. Even the beloved Box Top program promotes the use of highly processed, salty foods. Yet ask any kid in the school what they'd like as a reward and they're likely to answer "extra recess." Why we keep throwing unhealthy foods at healthy, active kids, is beyond me.
Yet, banning sugary foods altogether? I don't know. Cupcakes exist, even if we like to pretend they don't. So is it better to hide them away from kids, or to teach them that a treat is an occasional indulgence? What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rob O. 11-10-2008 @ 10:46AM
Moderation is the key. Don't deprive kids of those simple pleasures while they're too young to have to worry about body image and that adult baggage. Instead, there are plenty of easy ways to boost the nutritional value of even fairly-decadent baked goods.
And why not encourage more healthy eating habits by overhauling kids' favorites so they get their cake and still eat it too?
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Kathy 11-10-2008 @ 11:13AM
When the 6th grade class at my daughter's California elementary school wanted to run Friday afternoon snack sales to raise money, they sold healthy food to encourage good habits. It worked, and they raised more than they dreamed.
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Jenni 11-10-2008 @ 12:00PM
Everything in moderation. We used to have ONE bake sale a year usually around the holiday season where baked goods are a special treat and part of what was going on. Now a days, there are bake sales/candy sales/etc... at least monthly if not weekly in some schools. This is TOO much! It should be an special event, not a regular thing.
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LS 11-10-2008 @ 2:29PM
Wait... I think I am missing something... are these people holding bake sales IN the schools? Selling stuff to the students???
'Cause around here (I'm in Iowa), the bake sales take place in conjunction with things like fun fairs, craft bizarres, and occasionally the stand-alone bake sale, but outside school... perhaps in front of the local bank, or even Wal-mart.
I don't see any problem with those types of bake sales, where the products are offered to the public. It's much nicer all the way around: kids aren't going door-to-door with overpriced, underquality crap/food that nobody wants anyway; you can score Miss Martha's Secret-Recipe Blueberry Pie for a decent price, and you know the money goes somewhere worthwhile.
I might have a problem, though, if they were selling the stuff daily or weekly IN the school, to the students.
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Jenni 11-10-2008 @ 4:27PM
Yep, lately (and I mean in the recent few years) they have them regularly in the schools, during school hours, for the students to buy at lunch and stuff. Not, like you mentioned, in a public affair (field days, craft fairs, etc...).
connie 11-10-2008 @ 4:21PM
It really bothers me that my son can't have birthday cupcakes @ his school because of other kids weight problems. My son plays baseball,surfs,skates and races karts. The only time he watches tv or plays video games is when its too dark or the weather is too bad to be outside. When he was smaller we spent alot of time outdoors instead of in front of the tv. He is very healthy and not overweight @ all. Maybe parents should look @ themselves when wondering why their kids are overweight and lazy. I am not talking about kids w/ legit medical problems. I am talking about kids that watch tv and shove oreos in their mouth all day. They most likely learned their bad habits @ home.
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Jenni 11-10-2008 @ 4:35PM
You're right, it's sad. The thing is that, when you and I were younger, sweets and things were for special occasions and were limited for just that; today, treats are an everyday things and there is no moderation. For us, it was, "It's your birthday, let's have cake/cupcakes/candy" For today's children it's, "It's a day that ends in Y, let's have cake/cupcakes/candy."
LS 11-10-2008 @ 4:43PM
Gotta say, I think I'd be against "bake sales" in school, daily or weekly. First off, what is the school doing trying to raise money off of the students? Aren't we paying taxes for that? If the budget is so poorly organized that a bunch of fifth graders have to buy chocolate chip cookies, we're in BIG trouble, people.
Second, unless the kids are in high school, I'd say there is a concern about eating properly. My son (and granted, he's a five-year-old tornado) would eat cake and cookies all day long, if I let him, and if he had a buck in his pocket and wanted that cupcake, he'd go for it, quickly pitching the nutritious lunch I've made for him.
Keep the bake sales where they belong - out in the public, where the school can interact with the neighborhood that it's in. It works as more than just a money-making endeavour - it also fosters a sense of ownership amongst the neighbors.
Leave the junk-food pushing to me - I give him plenty at home. I don't need him getting sugared up and then in trouble because he can't sit still during math class.
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