No wonder childhood obesity rates are on the rise

So, the little guy started senior kindergarten last week. Instead of each kid bringing a snack they will be having a"communal snack," aimed at teaching the kids about sharing etc... In principle, I support the idea. And from a practical standpoint it's great that I only need to provide a snack once a month instead of every day. But the reality is (and I speak from experience) that most parents make bad snack choices.

When the little guy was in nursery school there was also a communal snack. Virtually every day, he was fed a big pile of sodium-packed goldfish crackers. If it was once in a while, I wouldn't care but every day? Hubby did a a little research on goldfish crackers the other day and discovered that Dorito chips actually have more nutritional value. Even though parents would also send some cut up fruit, a lot of the kids would only eat the goldfish. It's all about the goldfish when you are a toddler.

On the first two days of school the little guy came home reporting that they had goldfish crackers for snack (surprise, surprise). Hubby and I thought, "Oh great, here we go again." Instead of sitting back idly, we spoke up immediately and suggested that parents be provided with some "snack guidelines." The teacher thought it was a great idea, and put us in charge of the project. I've happily taken on the task and am preparing a hand-out for parents that includes some simple, fun, and wholesome snack ideas. I also plan to include information on "snacks to avoid", how to read nutrition labels, avoiding overly processed foods etc... I'm hoping that other parents take the advice to heart.

Nutrition is only half the problem. The other half is that kids don't have enough opportunities to run and jump at school. The little guy only gets gym for 20 minutes, twice week. How pathetic is that??? Thankfully, he goes to nursery school after school and plays outside for a full hour before his caregiver picks him up. We also take him to the park every day to play on our way home. And in the fall, winter and early spring he is enrolled in sports programs a couple of times a week. The onus really is on parents to make sure that their kids are fit, because our schools are really letting us down.

Thoughts?