They say that March comes in roaring like a lion and USDA certainly plans to start the month strong by doing something we’ve never done before. We have helped connect 28 schools in the United States and the United Kingdom that are leading the way in promoting healthy living to celebrate the very first International School Meals Day.
We believe that good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are as important to a child’s overall success as the curriculum that our schools teach every day. Making a sort of “classroom connection” between schools across the Atlantic makes sense. Because when it comes to encouraging good nutrition and physical activity, both nations face similar challenges and have experienced similar successes. The idea of an International School Meals Day emerged as a way to raise awareness.
The inaugural International School Meals Day is set during School Breakfast Week in the United States. USDA’s annual School Breakfast Week is an opportunity to remind everyone how important it is that every child starts the day with a nutritious breakfast. The classroom connection between schools in the U.S. and U.K. will also focus on topics related to school food, whether it be how best to learn about food in the classroom or tips for maintaining a school garden.
The good news is you don’t have to be a selected school to celebrate the Day. In fact, we’d love to have any interested school visit the International School Meals Day web site and use some of the ideas presented. Then log onto twitter and join selected schools in sharing plans and activities @IntSchoolMeals and using the #ISMD13 hashtag.