If you remember eating school lunches, then you probably think of pizzas, hotdogs and lots of applesauce. What if instead these lunch items were called Cowabunga Pizzas, Rocket Dogs, and Cinnamon BAM Applesauce? Would you be more likely to try them?
It takes a village to raise a child, or so they say. Even though there is a lot of planning that goes into school meals and hours of hard work from cafeteria staff, sometimes kids just don’t want to eat their school lunch. But what if they were serving up Moondrops and Carrots or some Mixed Stars? Studies have shown that serving up creative names for regular menu items keeps kids engaged, and effectively and persistently increases healthy food consumption in elementary schools.
This week at Lincoln Elementary School, I transformed the lunch menu to with creative names for common foods. Students were eager to find out what Curly Alien Antennas were all about and giggled their way to the front of the line. While standing in line, kindergarten through fourth graders were reading off the menu board and getting excited for their turn to choose their plate. For this age group, choosing what they want to eat for lunch is a big deal. And choosing the item with the awesomest name? That’s a no-brainer.