Review:How to Create Calm Dining Halls by Jenny Mosley
This book aims to help schools with creating calm dining spaces, it also aims to encourage good manners, positive social skills and genuine enjoyment of the lunch or dining time slot in the school day.
Most primary schools in Ireland do not have the luxury of a hot meal or a school canteen as is the case in the UK but having said that this book does give some practical ideas on how to calm children and staff down during the lunch or little break scenario.
The book goes into depth into the research and why a whole school approach, of planning/doing/reviewing can help the school’s aims. It has some really interesting chapters on how to promote positive behaviour and healthy eating. There is a also a really interesting chapter that discusses the various initiatives such as food dudes, Food for Life, Jamie Oliver, School Food plan and Healthy Schools Initiatives. It made me feel jealous that we only have Food Dudes in Ireland and wonder why we haven’t got these types of initiatives here. Perhaps, they can serve as an inspiration to us.
The book finishes up with a chapter on case studies and this where the real, practical schemes that teachers have invented are allowed a chance to shine. This is where schools and teachers can get inspiration from.
I would recommend this book to Jenny Mosley fans, SPHE co-coordinators, principal teachers and schools that have a school canteen.
It is available from Positive Press and comes with a CD full of templates, certificates and awards which are included as a hard copy at the back of the book.
Many thanks to Zara from Positive Press, as always their books are of a high standard and consistent with the Golden Time approach invented by Jenny Mosley.
