Archive for Parenting
Keeping Celiac Kids Gluten-Free at School
Posted by: | CommentsUpdated September 7, 2011
My kids are back in school this year. Every year, I write letters to my kids’ teachers to introduce my kids and let the teachers know about their food restrictions. I give the letters to the teachers at the school open house, the week before school actually begins. I’ve revised some things with my letters this year:
- First, I added the principal to the distribution. In the past, I’ve only given a copy to the teachers and school health nurse.
- Second, I added field trips to the list of activities to be concerned about.
- And finally, I enclosed a copy of my son’s individual health plan. I didn’t think that was necessary to do, since it was created with the school nurse and on file at the school. But, I found out last year, that the teacher and principal didn’t know it even existed. So, I’m hoping that my letters this year close a few gaps in the communication chain.
I also wrote a letter directly to the school nurse and principal that expressed concern about how the “specials” teachers would be informed and made aware of the food restrictions. Occasionally, the kids will be offered rewards in the form of candy, popsicles, popcorn, etc. from other teachers (art, music, PE, etc.). We never had a problem with it last year, but our school has quite a few new teachers this year. And, I want to limit (as much as possible) the chance of my kids getting sick from gluten. You may want to put this into the letter to your teachers, instead of writing a separate letter.
This year, I’ve put the letter into a document that you can open and review. Just click on the letter image below. I know your family has different kids, teachers, and school systems that will require you to personalize your own letter. I hope that by sharing my letter with you, I have given you some ideas of what to write in your own letters. And, if you think of something that you feel I should add to mine, please share your thoughts in the comments.
____________________________________________________________________________
Original post September 8, 2009
It’s Back to School Week at Celiac Family. My son starts Kindergarten today! We’re all pretty excited about it. But, being the mother that I am, I’m a little nervous, too. He’s been gluten free for more than four years, and is very good about making sure foods are gluten-free before eating them. But, this is the first time I won’t be walking him into the classroom. When he was in preschool, I could see what activities were planned for the day, check the snacks in the classroom, and the teachers could ask me any questions about craft products they were using. I know it’s time to let go of some of the control, but it’s hard to let go when it’s about his health.
Not knowing the Kindergarten teacher or the school, I didn’t know what the typical day would be like or what kind of student activities might be an issue for us. So, I wrote a letter to the teacher to express my concerns. I also enclosed with the letter some more detailed information about Celiac Disease. (It never hurts to raise awareness about Celiac Disease, right?) We found out who my son’s teacher would be a day before Open House, so I hand delivered the letter to the teacher. We got to speak briefly about it, but she was busy meeting the other new students and parents. Even if you get a chance to speak to your child’s teacher at length, I think it’s a good idea to put your concerns in writing. That way there’s less chance of miscommunication. Plus, it gives the teacher something to refer to later. I also gave a copy of the letter to the school nurse.
I’ve copied my letter below for you to use for inspiration. When I sat down to write the letter, I did a quick search online to find some sample letters. I knew there were some out there, but couldn’t find one at the time. After I took the time to write the letter, I did find some other great resources to help prepare yourself and your child for the new school year.
- “GF Letter for School” at Gluten-Free is Life
- Form letters to schools/child care providers at Dallas R.O.C.K.
- “Back-to-school checklist for celiac families” at The Savvy Celiac
- “Back to school tips for gluten-free and food allergy kids” at Sure Foods Living
- “Navigating the School System” at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness – This addresses the issue of getting the school to accommodate the gluten-free diet. Be sure to scroll down the page for information about a 504 Plan, a letter to educators and a physician’s letter.
______________________________________________________________________
September 3, 2009
To: Teacher
CC: School Nurse
Re: Student’s name
Our son is so excited to start Kindergarten in your class at WS Elementary. We have completed all the required forms and paperwork. You will notice in the health forms, that he has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by ingesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley (malt), rye and sometimes oats. Our son is actually very healthy, but he must manage Celiac Disease with a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. It is very important to his health that he remains gluten free.
Since he has not yet started Kindergarten, we are not familiar with the procedures for activities and snack time in your class. So, I am providing this information to you in order for our son to avoid any possible contact with gluten.
We will provide our son with a gluten-free snack everyday. He is aware of his condition, and has been instructed not to trade snacks or eat any other food without first confirming with an adult that it is gluten-free. He should also avoid any contact with other classmates’ snacks, or crumbs of snacks, that contain gluten.
In addition to snacks, our son should also avoid contact with craft products that contain gluten. Of most concern to me is play dough, pasta, hay/straw, fingerpaints and paper maché, since they are products that almost always contain wheat and/or are likely to get under his fingernails. Other products that may contain wheat are glue, paint, and ink. To be clear, our son does not get a reaction just from touching gluten, however if it gets on his hands and fingers it could be transferred to his mouth. I would be happy to review the ingredients of any craft products in the classroom to determine if they do contain gluten. If they do, I will be happy to provide a suitable substitution.
If our son does accidentally come into contact with gluten at school, I ask that you immediately have him wash his hands thoroughly. He does not have an allergic response, such as anaphylaxis, so no medicine nor medical attention is required. I would simply request that you make me aware of the contact with the gluten (through a note sent home with him and/or a phone call/email) so that I can monitor his health. And, we can determine how to avoid it in the future.
If you allow students to bring in birthday treats to share, I ask that we be made aware of it a day or two in advance. Cupcakes and cookies, unless made with special alternative flours, are not gluten-free. If notified in advance of what will be brought in, our son can bring a gluten-free alternative in order to celebrate with the other students. If it works for you, I can also provide you with a box of safe, gluten-free treats to store for our son in cases of surprise treat occasions.
For your information, I have enclosed documents that provide detailed information about Celiac Disease. Please feel free to call or email me anytime with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
[Be sure to provide your name and contact information here.]
Enclosures:
“What Is Celiac Disease?” (I copied several pages from Danna Korn’s “Kids with Celiac Disease“)
“Unsafe Gluten-Free List”
“Safe Gluten-Free List”
Quick list of gluten-free snacks
Gluten-Free Treats and Snacks in the Classroom
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Earlier this month, I mentioned in my review of Mi-Del cookies that I give my kids’ teachers a small care package of gluten-free snacks at the beginning of the year for them to store in the classroom for my kids. These are not meant to be the snacks that my kids get to eat everyday. (I send my kids to school each day with gluten-free snacks and lunch.) The snacks in this care package are there for backup reasons because sometimes snacks and treats are offered in the classroom that aren’t gluten-free. And having these in the classroom makes sure that my kids are not left out of any last-minute activities involving gluten. For example:
- Probably the most common situation: A classmate brings in cupcakes, cookies, or treats to share with the class for their birthday. My son chooses a package of cookies out of his gluten-free package.
- The class earns a reward (popcorn) for good behavior or reaching a class goal, but the teacher isn’t sure if it’s gluten-free. My son gets a bag of popcorn or chips out of the gluten-free package.
- The teacher creates a project that involves building something with pretzels or crackers, but forgets to tell us in advance. My daughter gets out her gluten-free pretzels or crackers to use instead.
- My daughter’s snack or lunch didn’t make it to school and the cafeteria doesn’t offer anything gluten-free. My daughter can eat from her GF care package if I’m unable to bring it to school.
- It is perhaps unlikely, but should an emergency situation arise and the school is on lock-down, I know my kids will have something they can eat without getting sick.
What’s in a Gluten-Free Care Package? I like to choose self-contained, single-serve, small packages of gluten-free items that won’t spoil in the teacher’s cabinet or desk. I also try to present it to the teacher in a small container that is easy for them to store. A large zip-style bag, or medium size plastic container clearly labeled Gluten-Free for my son or daughter seems to work well. Here are some items that we have used for this purpose:
Sweet Treats:
- Midel, S’mores cookies
- Pamela’s 2-Count Cookie Packs: Chocolate Chunk Pecan Shortbread
and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Pebbles Treats Fruity Pebbles variety
and Cocoa Pebbles variety
- Schar Chocolate Hazelnut Bars
- Schar Sandwich Creme Cookies (2 cookies in each package) Vanilla Creme variety and Chocolate Creme variety
- Surf Sweets Gummy Bear Snack Packs
Salty Snacks:
- Ener-G Foods Pretzel Rings
- FoodShouldTasteGood Multigrain Tortilla Chips
- Glutino Pretzel Twists Snack Packs
- Pirate’s Booty
- Schar Gluten Free Snack Crackers
These come in a box of 6 individual packs. Each pack contains 8 crackers.
- Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn
(Be careful! We have not experienced any problems with this product, however it is not guaranteed gluten-free. According to Frito-Lay, there are no gluten ingredients in this product. Unfortunately, they do no currently test these for traces of gluten.)
Fruit Snacks:
- Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Fruit Snacks
- Ocean Spray Craisins 100-calorie Packs
- Simply Fruit Fruit Rollups
Rice, Granola, or Energy Bars:
- Bakery On Main Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Can Do Kid Bars
- EnviroKidz Peanut Choco Drizzle Crispy Rice Bars
Communicate with the teacher! It’s been my experience that most teachers are familiar and comfortable with this arrangement. However, I strongly suggest that you discuss it with the teacher before sending a small care package of food to school. This may not work in all classrooms or for all teachers. Along with the package of food that I provide to the teacher, I like to attach a brief note to remind the teacher what it is for, and to please let me know if at any time during the year it needs to be replenished.
Make it easy on yourself. Our family is fortunate to live in an area with gluten-free snack items available at our grocery stores. If this isn’t the case for you, you can order some items online. A single box of the Schar sandwich cookies with your student’s name clearly written on it would do the trick. Or, perhaps a small bag of your child’s favorite candy would work for you.
More occasions to use a gluten-free care package. All of these items would also be great gluten-free additions for a gluten-free lunch, a gift to send to college students, and for a travel pack.
Do you do something similar? Please feel free to add any other ideas in the comments.
Rainbow Cake, gluten-free
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Part of my busy schedule last month included my daughter’s birthday. She didn’t seem intent on any particular theme for her party, so I suggested rainbows. Seems like an easy cake to make, right? Right. I made it a little more interesting by adding some dimension to the rainbow.
For the base of the cake, I used three Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mixes
For the rainbow on the cake, I baked one 9-Inch Round Cake
For the frosting, I made a Buttercream Icing. Rather than using a dye to mix into the frosting, I sprayed the frosted cake with blue Spray Color. I thought the uneven coloring would look more like sky and clouds. Plus, it was faster and left fewer bowls to clean up. I used the same buttercream icing for the trim, clouds, and rainbow on the cake. Then, I sprayed the back of the rainbow cake with red coloring.
For the front of the rainbow I simply used different Colored Sugars
So there it is. Another cake decorating idea that you can do yourself, but still wow the kids.
Supplies I used:
- 2 Pyrex 9×13 Baking Dishes
- 1 Round Cake Pan
- 3 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mixes
- 1 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 tub Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 1 recipe Buttercream Icing
- Color Mist Food Color Spray
(blue and red)
- Frosting Bags (I like to use Wilton’s Disposable Decorating Bags
, but you can easily use a plastic bag and snip off a corner.)
- Decorator Frosting Coupler and Tips
- You really don’t have to use these. But I have them, so why not put them to use? I used a simple open round tip for the clouds and an open star shape for the cake trim.
- A variety of Colored Sugars
More Rainbow Cake Ideas I found Online:
- This six-layer Super Epic Rainbow Cake at Whisk Kid is a rainbow on the inside!
- These rainbow Colorburst Cupcakes at Our Best Bites are just as colorful.
- The Super-Duper Rainbow Cakes – in a Jar at off the (meat) hook would make beautiful table decorations, party favors, or gifts to give!
- A variety of decorating ideas for rainbow-theme cakes can be found at Coolest Birthday Cakes.com.
New Children’s Book and Holiday Giveaway Galore (Giveaway CLOSED)
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Scroll down for the details about the Gluten Free Holiday Giveaway Galore x10. But first, I want to tell you about an exciting new children’s book.
Explaining Celiac Disease to a child (and even adults!) can be difficult. So, when I was recently introduced to a new children’s book that explains Celiac Disease, I was anxious to read it and see how the author approached this subject with her own child. My son was so young (18 mos) when he was diagnosed, that I didn’t need to tell him a lot about it in the beginning. His knowledge about Celiac Disease has grown gradually, as he got older and was better able to understand it. It gave me time to understand it myself, and think about how to approach the subject with him. By the time my daughter was born, a few months later, we had already switched our household to being completely gluten free.
As my kids got older, we did have conversations (and still do) about Celiac Disease, gluten, and how to deal with school, friends, restaurants, and other outings dealing with food. For us, the acceptance and understanding of being gluten free was a natural process because we dealt with it as new situations were presented to us. My children don’t know any different. We don’t lament over it, we just deal with it as a natural result of our intolerance to gluten. They are not embarrassed or uncomfortable about it. And I’m happy to say that they feel confident enough to tell friends about it and to ask about the gluten content in food before eating it. So, I don’t think that part of being diagnosed has been difficult for us.
I have, however, known other families who were diagnosed when the kids were older. They had already developed favorite foods – favorite gluten foods. Before the diagnosis, they were able to eat any snacks, lunches and treats at any party, event or restaurant without having to question the ingredients. For these kids and their families, I think the transition is more difficult. The parents are often overwhelmed by the experience. They are immediately forced to face it all: explaining it to family members, teachers, friends, cafeteria, restaurants, etc. This new book may be the first step to helping families accept the diagnosis and treatment, and see it as a happy alternative to an otherwise unhealthy life.
“Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease?” by Katie Chalmers is a children’s book that is beautifully illustrated and written as a dialogue between a mother and daughter. And to be honest, at first I was a little uneasy with the dialogue format. I read so many books to my children, that I guess I was expecting a story book. But, instead, I found this book to be a thoughtfully written suggestion of how to introduce and explain Celiac Disease to a child. Perhaps it will help you and your family members better understand Celiac Disease. It includes questions and answers about what Celiac Disease is, what gluten is, what it does to the body, and what that means for the family. As I read the book, I was drawn in by how the mother creatively explains Celiac Disease to her daughter in a language and terminology that a young child can easily understand. I was surprised by the detail that was put into describing the physical effects on the body. But, it is not a medical book. It was all explained in language that is appropriate for young children. And best of all, it is written with a very positive, loving voice that embraces the diagnosis and sees it as an opportunity to thrive.
My final thoughts? I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to explain Celiac Disease to a child 3-10 years. I think it’s probably too detailed for a younger child to understand. However, even if you have younger children, it would be a good book for parents to read. It certainly gives you ideas about how you can continue to explain the disease to them as they get older. Older children may also be interested to read it as a first step to understanding the disease. I feel like it is written for younger children, with analogies to nature and playground equipment. So, older children may not find the references to playground equipment very exciting, but they will be able to relate and easily understand the comparisons.
Buy the book. If you have children, grandchildren, or other young people who are curious about Celiac Disease, you can buy the book at Katie Chalmers’ website. Buy one for yourself, for friends, and maybe one to donate to your school’s library and the public library. It would be an easy way to introduce friends and classmates to Celiac Disease, and hopefully, help them gain a good understanding of what gluten free means. Perhaps it will even impress upon the teachers how important it is for children with Celiac Disease to remain gluten free. It isn’t just a diet of choice. For Celiacs, it is a necessary diet for a healthy life. [I do not get a commission for these sales. I simply think it is a worthy investment for increasing awareness about Celiac Disease.]
Gluten Free Holiday Giveaway x10! Not ready to buy the book? Or, maybe you like the idea of having multiple copies to give to other family members. The author of the book, Katie Chalmers, has put together a fabulous giveaway with fabulous gluten free products. Celiac Family and 9 other blogs will be hosting the same giveaway over the next two weeks. One winner will be chosen from each blog. You may enter the giveaway on each of the blogs to increase your chances of winning, but you can only win once. Several companies that make gluten-free products have donated items for the giveaways. Just take a look at all the good stuff in the giveaway.
Giveaway Goodies. Contents may vary slightly, but each winner can expect to receive the following:
- Signed copy of “Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?”
- Schar 123 Milly PlayMais- dice game & biodegradable natural toy activity brick set
- Schar products: Cheese Bites, Chocolate -or- Vanilla Sandwich Creme Cookies, Hazelnut Wafers
- Pamela’s Products: Single Serve Pancake Mix, Single Serve Brownie Mix, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookie two-pack, Tablespoon/teaspoon measuring spoon, kids sized t-shirt- color will vary
- Nature’s Path: Peanut Butter Panda Puffs & crispy rice bars- flavors will vary, $1 off coupons
- Mary’s Gone Crackers: one of the following: box of cookies -or- crackers -or- Sticks & Twigs
- Snyder’s of Hanover: bag of gluten-free pretzel sticks
- Chebe: pizza crust mix -or- all purpose bread mix
- Bob’s Sweet Stripes: one bag of soft peppermint candy sticks
- Stuffed teddy bear: colors may vary
- Holiday pencils, eraser, holiday notepad & plastic snowman cereal bowl
- Large holiday gift bag & small holiday gift bag & tissue paper- will need to be assembled to give as gift
Where to Enter. Be sure to visit each website below for another chance to win the fabulous prize pack! (But remember, you can only win once.)
Accustomed Chaos – hosted by Devan
Adventures of a GF Mom – hosted by Heidi
Be Free For Me – hosted by Kathleen
Celiac Family – enter below in the comments
Gluten Free Betsy – hosted by Betsy
Gluten Free Easily (gfe) – hosted by Shirley
Gluten Free is Life – hosted by Kim
Gluten Free Philly – hosted by Michael
Gluten Free Taste of Home – hosted by Cinde
Simply Sugar & Gluten Free – hosted by Amy
Finally – How to Enter the Giveaway!
- Simply leave a comment on this post telling me about the gluten free product that helped you the most when you first started on the gluten-free diet. (It can be a food, a cookbook, book about Celiac Disease, or maybe even a friend.) Or, if you aren’t on the diet yet, just tell me which of the prizes interests you most.
- You can receive bonus entries for letting your friends know about the giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. Just be sure to come back and leave additional comments below letting us know where you mentioned it.
- Make sure when you’re leaving a comment, that you put your email address in the appropriate box so that I can contact you if you win.
- The giveaway will run from now until Dec. 15, 2010; 10 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. The winner should respond within 24 hours after being contacted by email. If I’m unable to contact the winner, another winner will be chosen. We’d love for the winner to receive the prize before Christmas, so that you can enjoy the goodies during the holiday.
- Good Luck!
Additional Rules for the Gluten Free Holiday Giveaway Galore x10!
- All 10 of these contests are open to residents of the USA. Only the Accustomed Chaos and Gluten Free Easily contests are also open to Canadian residents.
- All 10 contests begin on Wed. Dec. 1, 2010 and will end on Wed. Dec. 15, 2010 at 10pm EST.
- Entry requirements will vary between bloggers. Please follow their directions to enter.
- Entrants can only win once total within all 10 giveaways. If anyone is chosen more than once as a winner, another winner will be chosen so everyone only wins once.
- One winner per household.
- Winners with valid entries will be selected at random. The winners will be announced and notified via email and must reply within 24 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen, in order that all prizes will arrive before Christmas. So please remember to check your email on Dec.16th.
- If any of the 10 prizes do not arrive before Christmas because of any unforeseen holiday mail rush problems, the USPS, Katie Chalmers and hosting bloggers will not be held accountable.
The Kids Table at Thanksgiving
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If you have large family gatherings for Thanksgiving, you may do what many families have been doing for years: have a kids table set up separate from the adult’s table for the Thanksgiving meal. Although I would like to have the kids at the same table as the adults, it doesn’t usually work out. Some years there are just too many people to sit at the same table. Plus, the kids are usually the first to be served and the first to be done eating. They can eat, be done, and move on to playing with cousins. We adults can enjoy the meal and conversation at our own leisurely pace.
But, I don’t want the kids to miss out on the festive Thanksgiving table. So, let the kids help with these fun ideas for the kids table. These projects are so simple and adjustable, you can easily put them together last minute.
Pilgrim Hats. I found this idea at DollarTree.com and thought they were so cute. I picked up some black paper cups and plates at the dollar store, to make this a cheap but fun addition to my daughter’s kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast this year. Cut the edges off the plates so they are flat hat brims, then glue the cups upside down onto the plates. Cut buckles out of construction paper and glue them to the cups. To make these more useful, cut out the bottom of the cups and fill them with popcorn or another light snack. Or, instead of snacks, consider placing a napkin with fork and knife in it. Pick up black plastic flatware at the dollar store, too.
Pine Cone Turkeys. Have the kids gather some pine cones from the yard. If you don’t have feathers to glue into them, use colorful leaves or cut feather shapes out of construction paper. Bend a chenille stick for the wattle and glue it in the tip of the pine cone with some googly eyes. Cut a beak out of construction paper to glue on, too. Now you have a centerpiece for the kids table. And, the kids will feel so great about making it themselves. If you have some older kids who can supervise the younger ones, it makes a great activity to keep the kids busy while the adults are finishing the dinner preparation.
Turkey Treats. Here’s a treat the kids can help decorate, and then gobble up. I found a similar one at RiceKrispies.com, but I made it simpler than theirs. I used the basic recipe of 6 cups cereal, 10 oz. marshmallows, and 3 TBSP butter. (Do not use Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. They have malt flavoring in them, and are not gluten free.) I use Erewhon’s Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
More Thanksgiving Ideas:
- Visit Celebrate It! for more fun Thanksgiving treat ideas the kids will love.
- Check out Woo Jr.‘s Thanksgiving activities to keep the kids entertained before dinner.
- How about Thanksgiving games for the kids after dinner? Check out the list at Amazing Moms.
- You’ll find cute printable Thanksgiving decorations at Dimple Prints.
