Go WILD for School Lunch with #NSLW21

Date: September 22, 2021 Posted by Linnea Mail Twitter Facebook

Recent research shows children are getting their healthiest meals at school, so let’s celebrate this undeniable fact! We invite you to join schools nationwide in celebrating National School Lunch Week (NSLW) this October 11-15. It’s a prime opportunity to promote the value of your school lunch program to parents, students, staff, and your community. 

This year’s “Wild About School Lunch” jungle theme is full of fun activities, event ideas, and engaging visuals. Grab a jungle vine and swing into School Nutrition Association’s free downloadable toolkit full of pages and pages of ideas for you to use to draw your kids and parents into the power of school lunch, whether lunch is served in the classroom, cafeteria, outdoors, or at home.

Here are a just few of SNA’s wildly creative ideas to consider:

• Play a different popular animal-themed movie during lunch periods during NSLW. Use your cafeteria monitors, or if you’re serving outside, set up a projector.  Don’t worry about not being able to show the entire movie—students will still enjoy short scenes and clips of some of their favorites, like Madagascar, The Lion King, or Happy Feet.
• Break out creative costumes—for your students and your team! Be sure to provide maximum flexibility to dress like any animal—or any wildlife explorer. Go with an even-broader interpretation by simply suggesting that everyone goes “wild and crazy” in their costume choices.
• Tie nutrition messages into your celebration. You can use positive attributes of certain animals to connect kids to the nutrients that are packed into school meals, as well as to other messages about healthy eating. Here’s some ideas:
  • Carbs give you the endurance of a cheetah racing across the grasslands
  • Protein can make you as strong as an elephant
  • The crunch of an apple can give you a crocodile’s smile
  • Stay hydrated like a camel to get through a long day!

While your school meal program undoubtedly looks different from years’ past, it’s no less important to celebrate the victories and achievements the National School Lunch Program has accomplished during the pandemic and the last 75 years since Congress established the program. However you choose to celebrate the occasion, be sure to post photos on social media with the hashtag #NSLW21. Drop us a note or tag us (@menufreedom on Instagram or fb.com/nutristudentsk12) to share your celebration as well!