COVID-19 - the good, the bad and the good

A week ago, the schools shut down in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus and life as we parents knew it, stopped (or radically changed). I’ve spent a week reading news stories, following it on Twitter and worrying.

parentsDeirdre DoyleMarch 19, 2020covid19, coronavirus, pandemic, virus, global health, crisis, St Patrick's Day, self isolation, worried

Food education in schools - a missed opportunity

I believe that food education is essential in schools. Recently, the The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment announced some proposed changes to the primary school curriculum.

parentsDeirdre DoyleFebruary 28, 2020The Cool Food SchoolNCCA, school curriculum, childhood obesity, childhood obesity in ireland, food education, food education ireland, the daily mile, well being, over-weight children, obesity, Sapere, sensory food education, Nelson Mandela

The Obesogenic Environment - Part 1

The work of The Cool Food School is centred around children - mine and yours. Our

children are very important to us - nobody disputes that. We cherish them from birth,

and as they grow, their little world expands and they are introduced to more of everything - people, toys, experiences and food.

parentsDeirdre DoyleJanuary 28, 2020obesogenic environment, obesity, childhood obesity, childhood obesity in Ireland

10 Christmas gifts for your little foodies and environmentalists!

It’s that time of year again when we all go into a frenzy of list writing and google searching for the perfect gifts for our loved ones.

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 26, 2019sustainable, gift list, gift guide, sustainable gifts, gifts for young chefs, foodie kids, giy, giy allmanac, kids cookbook, kiddies food kutter, safety food peeler, johnny magory, gifts for environmentalists, food lover gifts, christmas gifts

Why I keep saying no.....

I say no to my children a lot. I buy petrol, I say no. I’m grocery shopping and I have to say no. I bring them to the barber and I say no. We’re waiting to collect someone from swimming and I have to say no to sweets, jellies, ice cream, crisps. It’s wearing, frustrating and stressful.

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 13, 2019obesity, childhood obesity, childhood obesity in Ireland, food companies, obesogenic environment, Irish Heart Foundation, toxic environment, Childhood Obesity Manifesto, No, health and wellbeing, personal responsibility, junk food

Dealing with the halloween stash!

So Halloween is over but the stash of sweets, jellies, lollipops and other trick-or-treat “goodies” is still hanging around. My #givecashnottrash initiative was popular with all the kids who called to my door but what about my own kids?

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 5, 2019halloween, trickortreat, sweets, candy, trickortreat stash, ellyn satter, food on the edge, treat food, junk food

Give Cash not Trash this Halloween

October means it’s all about Halloween in my house. Along with the costume debate (who’s going to wear what, where can I possibly get a costume for a dead teacher/bus conductor/hedgehog?) goes the chat about the trick-or-treat haul. How many sweets did you get last year?

parentsDeirdre DoyleOctober 3, 2019Halloween, trick or treat, dressing up, Moam, single use plastic, give cash not trash, healthy kids, jellies

Using the environment to get our kids to eat better!

My daughter begged and begged me for a packet of Dairylea Dunkers in the supermarket recently. It is not the kind of thing I would ever buy for my lot as the list of ingredients reads like a chemists shelf (polyphosphate, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, citric acid, paprika extract..)

parentsDeirdre DoyleSeptember 30, 2019reccling, recycling, environment, greta thunberg, climate change, processed food, dairy lea dunkers, packaging, reduce reuse recycle

School lunch boxes - tips, tricks and musings!

Oh summer, where have you gone? How is it back to school time already? Back to routine, early mornings, uniforms, home work and the dreaded school lunches

parents, school lunch boxesDeirdre DoyleAugust 18, 2019back to school, school lunch, lunchboxes, school lunch boxes, food jagging, sandwiches at school, fussy eaters, lunch box tips, kids won't eat school lunch, sandwich options, school lunches are boring, teach your kids to make their own lunches, food education, teach kids independence, variety in the lunch box

Picnic food, tips and advice!

Summer is drawing to a close but there is still time to take advantage of the long days and get out and about with your kids.

parentsDeirdre DoyleAugust 8, 2019picnic, healthy picnic, picnic ideas, picnics for kids, beach, beach picnic, sandwiches, trail mix, healthy muffins, healthy options, healthy kids, division of responsibility in feeding, hungry kids, active kids

Our French food adventure

I’m just back from a couple of weeks in France and already missing the weather, the wine and the holiday way of life. But the food?

parentsMcKenna CreativeJuly 22, 2019eating in France, eating with kids in France, food chain, food in France, France, French food, frites, mussels, OECD, oysters, pain-au-chocolat, Sapere, sensory food education, snail

My Bloom Highlights 2019

I visited Bloom, the Bord Bia garden and food event, in 2018 and thought, what an amazing event, I would really love to bring my workshops here. Fast forward to 2019 and there I was, on the stage in the Kidz Zone.

parentsMcKenna CreativeJune 7, 2019Bloom, Bloom in the park, Bord Bia, food education, JP McMahon, Mick Kelly GIY, Neven Maguire, Scientific Sue

5 ways with tomato sauce

If you only teach your kids to cook one thing, let it be a homemade, tomato sauce.

parentsMcKenna CreativeJune 5, 2019cooking, cooking from scratch, get kids cooking, homemade tomato sauce, kids in the kitchen, pizza sauce, teach kids to cook, tomato sauce Comment

5 reasons why our kids should be cooking

I know, I know, I know. Cooking with kids is a messy business…

cooking for kids, parentsMcKenna CreativeMay 7, 2019balanced diet, benefits of cooking with kids, cook from scratch, cooking, cooking with kids, encourage kids to cook, healthy kids, kids in the kitchen, life skill, life skills, messy kitchen, varied diet, why should kids cook

Food Jagging - tips for fussy eaters

Bet you’ve never heard of “food jagging” before? Well, if you have a fussy or picky eater, you are more than likely to have experienced it.

parentsMcKenna CreativeMarch 4, 2019food jagging, food jags, fussy eater, limited diet, picky eater, tips for fussy eaters, tips for picky eaters

5 easy tips for a healthy birthday party for your kids!

My children and yours I’m sure, have gone to and will continue to go to, countless birthday parties over the years. They come home all sugared up

parentsMcKenna CreativeFebruary 5, 2019fizzy drinks, healthy, healthy birthday party, Kiddies Food Kutter, party bags, sugar fre

5 books for fussy eaters in the class or at home

Have you a fussy eater at home? Or do you just want to encourage your children to eat more fruit and veg?

parents, TeachersMcKenna CreativeJanuary 14, 2019educational books, fun activity with kids, fussy eater, getting kids to try new foods, growing vegetables with kids, healthy food for kids, irish books, too much of a good thing

Selection box be gone....

New Year, new you - or at least new you once the selection boxes/Roses/Quality Street/Christmas cake/other Christmas chocolate is all gone.

Chocolate detoxMcKenna CreativeJanuary 7, 2019chocolate, get rid of temptation, healthy habits, obesity, Quality Street, Roses, selection box, temptation

5 tips for keeping your kids healthy over Christmas!

Healthy - at Christmas? Sure that’s not the point of Christmas at all! It’s a time to let loose, eat chocolate for breakfast, mince pies for dinner and watch tv for days on end. Isn’t it? Isn’t it?

healthy Christmas tipsMcKenna CreativeDecember 22, 2018better snacking, fizzy drinks, Grinch, healthy children, healthy children over Christmas, healthy habits for children, popcorn, reduce sugar for children, veggie platters, veggies

9 + 1 Christmas gifts for foodie kids!

Where did Christmas come from? Seriously, I know we all know it’s coming and it’s the same date every year but does it not feel like someone’s stolen half of November and a week in October?

UncategorizedMcKenna CreativeDecember 2, 2018

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