Senior Member
There was a huge article about this in The Press last year (Googled but can't find it). Apparently in school assemblies they hand out McD's, Burger King, KFC and Domino's Pizza vouchers as prizes (what happened to a good book/voucher?!), McDonalds sponsors road safety programmes, school dentists, health education materials etc etc.
Any form of advertising should be removed from schools - it's not the place. Oh, and from children's TV too while we're at it......
Member
Just found another reference to the AntiChrist..
From the Religious Education Programme for Catholic Primary Schools Activity Workbook ..
"SHARING BREAD
People eat bread with
Fruit salad
Sausage
Jam
McDonalds
Casserole
Tomatoes
Soup
Ice Cream
Jelly
Yoghurt
Eggs
Pizza
Chicken
Honey
Cornflakes
Peanut Butter
Circle the foods you eat bread with and draw your favourite way to eat bread .."
Given all the other foods are pretty basic I think it is more than a little odd to have McDonalds in the list and I wonder how many kid's favourite ways to eat bread had them eating a hamburger! Maybe I need to have a word with the Bishop!
Just heard from daughter that she hadn't circled McDonalds when she did her work but then was told to by the teacher. .... I am going to be watching like a hawk from now on.
Dawn
Last edited by willowshouse; 14th May 2007 at 05:00 PM.
Member
This will probably backfire at me, but I have to say, I am not upset about Mc Donalds sponsoring stuff.
It is true, the kids doing the road safety patrol at school wear safety vest sponsored by mcD but the logo is barely visible on the back. The whole road safety is taught by police officers a few times over the year and kids certainly don`t get McD vouchers for that. At soccer matches, the player of the day gets a certificate with a voucher for a burger or something from McD but surely it is up to the parents to allow their kids to use it or no.
There was a lot of talks about consumeurism on another thread on the forum. I think if you can resist all the temptations that s thrown at you all day long (Tv , circulars, etc..), it shouldn`t be such a big job to teach the same to your kids. Despite living not far from a McD and getting vouchers, our kids never ask to go there because they know we will say no (and they know it s bad food, etc..). On the same wavelenght, they haven`t got a playstation because they can use the ones at the library and because they don`t need it. They can amuse themselves in plenty of other ways. I don`t wear designer clothes at all because I couldn`t care less. We don`t feel we need plenty of stuff to be happy and I guess that along the way, we teach our kids to know what s good/ necessary to them and what s not (and they all have friends who do take away or get more stuff than them)
Saying that, we went to Oxford last weekend and had a lovely meal at Jo Seagars ` place, and the kids know it was real healthy food.
Well, that`s it...
Laura
Junior Member
Agree completely. I find the idea of promoting fast food as a reward disturbing.Originally Posted by Moorf
Member
Did you know the Golden Archs are the most recognised logo in the world, even among children who are unable to read? There is a reason they do that .. it's securing their consumers of the future.
It isn't the giving of vouchers that is the problem .. it the exposure of the name. Anyway, the police did not give my school's road safety talk - Ronald McDonald did!
I respect your right to have a different opinion to minehowever for me, McDonalds sponsorship is as bad as cigarette company sponsorship .. it has no place in our school system.
Always Right
Well, I would be livid if my children had any McD stuff at school, even though I know they wouldn't really be swayed by it, it's the principle. There will be lots of children who do take it on board, it's insidious and definitely part of a wider plan by McD to infiltrate the minds of our young!!
More than that, nothing makes me more angry/emotional than when something goes on at school that I don't agree with. It makes me feel powerless as I don't want to seem like an overreactive mum and it is hard to tackle these things without seeming so. We should have the right to expect better of schools than to promote big corporations, fast food or unhealthy food.
I feel a bit dubious about some of the stuff at school at the moment. Sorrel sings this song "fish and chips, fish and chips, makes me want to lick my lips" it then goes on about other rotten unhealthy foods that she is supposed to love and says about how "mum" makes them, and how she wants them for "breakfast dinner and tea"!!! Where do I start - it promotes the wrong foods, her Dad does the cooking, grrr grrr grrr. What's the point of it??
And apparently Poppy and the rest of her class were told by their teacher that they shouldn't do poos at school, "it's home business"!!!!! Talk about a recipe for constipation and toilet phobias. I have restrained myself from firing off long angry letters each time, but I wouldn't be able to hold back on the McD issue Dawn, I feel so strongly about corporate sponsership and advertising to children.
I'm behind you 100%!
Senior Member
At least it's not promoting brands... there was a huge uproar when schools tried to ban this song on a PC "it's promoting the wrong foods" basis and it made the main TV news... as far as many were concerned fish and chips are Kiwi institution and the banning of this was ridiculous. I tend to agree...I feel a bit dubious about some of the stuff at school at the moment. Sorrel sings this song "fish and chips, fish and chips, makes me want to lick my lips" it then goes on about other rotten unhealthy foods that she is supposed to love and says about how "mum" makes them, and how she wants them for "breakfast dinner and tea"!!! Where do I start - it promotes the wrong foods, her Dad does the cooking, grrr grrr grrr. What's the point of it??
Fishy Story
Reporter: Kevin Milne
The pupils of Room 4 (10-11 year olds) from Miramar Central School, Wellington, complained to Fair Go that the Ministry of Education was withdrawing the song, "Fish 'n Chips", from a cd of songs to be used in classrooms around the country. The Ministry considered the song did not sit well with the Government's good food campaign.
The children really liked the song, especially because it's composer, Claudia Mushin, works at their school. They thought it was silly that the Ministry should think that it made them eat more fish n chips.
They were each writing to the Ministry and circulating a petition among local schools to have "Fish 'n Chips" reinstated on their song menu.
The Ministry of Education confirmed to Fair Go that the song was being withdrawn. But a follow-up letter said the Ministry had changed its mind.
"Fish and chips is almost an iconic kiwi take-away and it would be a shame if we could not have a fun song about it. I think we made a mistake when we looked at withdrawing the song. We have now fixed the mistake by including the song," said the Ministry's letter.
Fair Go congratulated the Ministry for reacting to the complaint. We believed the children from Miramar Central received a valuable consumer lesson: sometimes you have to kick up a fuss to bring about change.
Senior Member
Sam, I would be moving very fast to complain about this, worse than the McD poem imo, because the potential damage it can cause the children is pretty enormous. That has to be one toilet phobic teacher and just can't be school policy!!!!Sam B:
And apparently Poppy and the rest of her class were told by their teacher that they shouldn't do poos at school, "it's home business"!!!!! Talk about a recipe for constipation and toilet phobias.
Always Right
Actually, fish and chips are ok, quite ok for kids in small quantities, but breakfast, dinner and tea?? And wobbly jelly and all the rest in the song? Can't they sing about "fruit and veg, fruit and veg, makes me want to sniff the hedge" or something? .... well, I'm working on the lyrics, it's a work in progress. And yes, lupin, you're right about the poo thing, but I'm worried that Poppy got the wrong end of the stick (although that is most unlike her), but can you imagine the conversation? Er Excuse me, I heard you told my child she can't poo at school ....
Senior Member
RE The Fish and Chip song...I don't actually have a problem with that because it's not branded and schools need to be a place of fun where children can relate to "the school experience" as well as somewhere to learn, so singing a silly song about fish and chips probably fosters a sense of "oneness" with the staff etc. There has to be a space for nonsense and fantasy, free from "shoulds" and the imposition of "teaching" for the children to develop a bond with the teacher and school.
About the silly poo instructions....I'd be having pretty much that conversation with her teacher Sam, but perhaps from the angle of trying to ascertain whether your daughter got the wrong impression from a comment (to give the teacher benefit of the doubt). Good luck....I have had similarly awkward conversations with teaching staff in teh past, so know how you feel!!!
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