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Jazzy Food and Nutrition Bulletin Board Ideas

Division of Nutrition Assistance

Welcome to the Cafeteria

Directions for Design
As the symbol of hospitality, pineapples are used to create a welcoming message to the students.

Suggested Materials

Illustrations of pineapples in large and small sizes
Lettering for title and subtitles
Your school name in the title, if possible

Learning Activities
Note to the teacher: Learning should not be suspended during mealtime. Mealtimes should be pleasant, relaxed, unhurried, enjoyable times to relax from the classroom, to visit quietly with friends, and to enjoy nutritious foods. Students who know what is expected of them during mealtime and who feel good about themselves are more likely to act cooperatively and follow directions. Discuss with students that the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.

1. Establish student rules for cafeteria behavior.
Acceptance of rules or expectations is easier if students have an opportunity to “buy into” or create their own list of rules. Have a class or a Nutrition Action Committee (NAC) for the school cafeteria create a set of student rules. Begin by asking what type of behavior is best when eating in a cafeteria. Ask students to state the rules in positive ways, if possible. Some acceptable answers are wash hands before eating, speak quietly, enter and exit in an orderly manner, walk inside the cafeteria, keep your hands to yourself, practice good manners, carry trays to the clean up area. Review the suggestions and ask for a show of hands on each suggestion if students agree that the suggestion is important. Some rules may overlap. At the end of the session, there should be between five and ten rules. It is easy to follow a small number of rules. List the rules on the bulletin board and in a flyer or newsletter.

2. What are good manners?
Manners are the ways in which we behave around other people. Have students make a list of what they consider to be good manners. Some possible answers include the following:

Wash hands before eating.
Walk to the cafeteria and table.
Stand quietly in line.
Place hands in lap when not eating.
Place a napkin and the hand not being used for eating in lap.
Keep elbows off the table.
Use a napkin to wipe your mouth and hands.
Sit up.
Take small bites.
Chew food with your mouth closed.
Talk quietly at the table.
Say please and thank you.
Pour liquids and pass food carefully.
Take a bite of every food selected or placed on the tray (Say "no thank you" instead of "yuck").

3. Read and surf (search) the Internet.
Younger students can read these books:

Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners, Jan and Stan Berenstain
Monster Manners, J. Cole

Older students can search the Internet for the history of table manners or etiquette. One web site is The Gentleman's Page.

For more bulletin board ideas:
Page 1 ~ Page 2 ~ Page 3
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