Keeping kids safe and healthy

5049 Swamp Rd., Suite 303, P.O. Box 554 Fountainville, PA 18923 P: 215-230-5394 F: 215-340-7674

For Teachers, School Administrators and School Nurses

What is a Teal Classroom™?

Halloween is a scary time for children with food allergies. Many Halloween candies and treats are unsafe for children with food allergies. Forty-five percent of severe allergic reactions in schools begin in the classroom.1 About 20-25% of allergic reactions requiring epinephrine in schools occur without a prior history of food allergy.2

A Teal Classroom means that you encourage non-food celebrations. This reduces one of the risk factors for allergic reactions in your classroom. It also makes the classroom more inclusive for all children with special diet restrictions.

The CDC’s Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs recommends the “use of non-food incentives for prizes, gifts, and awards.” The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity also recommends the use of non-food rewards. Other well-respected health organizations and institutions recommend this approach as well.

While a shift to non-food incentives may require slight changes to school traditions, there are potential benefits. This practice can help ease anxiety surrounding the serving of food at school and the subsequent chance of accidental exposure to allergens for children with food allergies.

How you can raise awareness before the day of the class celebration • Print out and hang a Teal Pumpkin or Teal Apple poster on your classroom door. • Use the Teal Pumpkin or Teal Apple coloring page for a short lesson on inclusion and keeping friends safe.

Students can take these home to encourage their parents to have non-food treats available too. • Have students "pledge" to #KeepItTeal to make sure everyone stays safe by having non-food treats. Print

out Teal Classrooms Rock stickers to give as a reward and a reminder. • Print Teal Classrooms Rock stickers to put on treat bags that contain non-food treats. • Keep this going all year long by encouraging non-food treats at all class celebrations.

How you can have a Teal Classroom all year long • Avoid using food in lesson plans. Check the Potential Food Allergens in Preschool and School Activities

guide for information about where allergens might hide in your lesson plans or art supplies. • Add food allergy awareness to your lesson plans. For example, create a word sort chart with pictures of

safe and unsafe foods.

1. Data Health Brief: Epinephrine Administration in Schools. Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Community Health Access and Promotion. School Health Unit. 2009-2010. 2. Sicherer SH, Furlong TJ, DeSimone J, Sampson HA. The US Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy Registry: characteristics of reactions in schools and day care. J Pediatr. 2001;138(4):560-565.

#KeepItTeal

This Is a TEAL Classroom

kidswithfoodallergies.org

Non-food treats and rewardsare welcome

A teal apple means that non-food treats are available that makethe classroom safer and more inclusive for children on special diets.

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#KeepItTeal

This Is a TEAL Classroom

kidswithfoodallergies.org

Non-food treats and rewardsare welcome

A teal pumpkin means that non-food treats are available that makethe classroom safer and more inclusive for children on special diets.

TM

#KeepItTeal

kidswithfoodallergies.org

A teal apple means that non-food treats are available that makethe classroom safer and more inclusive for children on special diets.

TM

#KeepItTeal

kidswithfoodallergies.org

#KeepItTeal and a teal pumpkin means that non-food treatsmake a place safer and more inclusive for children on special diets.

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#KeepItTeal for a safeand healthy Halloween

A teal pumpkin means that non-food treats are available that makea place safer and more inclusive for children on special diets.

*Avoid items made of latex – look for latex-free versions instead.

Non-Food Treat Ideas

KidsWithFoodAllergies.org

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• Awards or medals• Books, bookmarks• Bracelets*• Bubbles• Class craft• Crayons• Finger puppets• Glow sticks• Grab bags• Necklaces• Note pads• Pencils*• Pencil cases• Pencil grips*• Pencil sharpeners

• Pencil toppers*• Pencil erasers*• Playing cards• Ribbons• Rings• Rubber balls*• Slinkies • Small figurines• Spinning tops• Stickers• Sticky notes• Stress balls• Stuffed animals• Tote bags• Yo-yos

Compatible with Avery labels 22807. For proper printing, select "Actual Size" or “No Scaling” in your Print Dialog pop up window.

Compatible with Avery labels 22807. For proper printing, select "Actual Size" or “No Scaling” in your Print Dialog pop up window.

Compatible with Avery labels 22807. Make sure your printer is set to print "Actual Size".

Compatible with Avery labels 22807. Make sure your printer is set to print "Actual Size".

Halloween at HomeHalloween can be a fun and exciting holiday for children, but it is not without risk for those with food allergies. Families raising children with food allergies need to take extra precautions in order to keep their children safe. In addition, children with food allergies may also feel left out due the fact that many candies contain allergens and many cele-brations center around these foods. Fortunately, there are many ways your family can safely celebrate Halloween with food allergies.

Consider hosting a party at your home. Children can wear their costumes, create handmade crafts and dance to spooky music. There are many craft ideas available on sites such as Pinterest that are fun, easy to make and inexpensive. Hosting a party pro-vides you the control to serve only food that is safe for everyone (if you choose to serve food). Check KFA’s recipes for a variety of allergen-friendly treats.

Enlist the help of others. Talk to neighbors, family, and close friends about your child’s food allergies and safe options they could offer your child on Halloween. You may even wish to purchase the items yourself so these trusted adults can have them on hand for your child. Depending on your child’s age, needs, and your own comfort level, you may want to only go trick-or-treating at these prescreened homes.

Trade unsafe treats. If you choose to allow your child to trick-or-treat freely, offer to trade unsafe items for safe treats or a special prize such as a book or toy. Let your child know that he or she will not be allowed to eat any treats without you checking the label and approving it first.*

Have a food-free Halloween. Hand out non-food treats to trick-or-treaters. You may find that your house is the busiest house in the neighborhood by supplying fun and unusual treats.

*Remember that Halloween candy may be manufactured in a different facility than their regular-sized counter-parts. Be sure to check the labels and also find out the manufacturing practices of your favorite treats.

Trick-or-Treating Checklist Costume that is visible to

motorists (add reflective tape if needed) and that allows your child to see (no masks)

Flashlight

Treat bag

Epinephrine auto-injectors and emergency care plan

Comfortable shoes

Cell phone (make sure it’s charged and emergency numbers are in your contact list)

A trained adult to supervise

A group of friends to walk with

Wipes for hand washing on the run

Examples of Non-food “TREATS”

• Glow sticks

• Glow necklaces, bracelets and rings

• Bouncing “eye” balls

• Spider rings

• Fake vampire teeth

• Halloween-themed stickers, pencils, pens, and erasers

• Mustache stickers

• Crazy sunglasses

• Headbands with antennas

• Whistles, kazoos and other noise- makers

• Small flashlights

• Halloween key chains

• Allergen-friendly slime or silly putty

Written in collaboration with Gina M. Lee, M.Ed.

TAKE ALL FOOD ALLERGIES SERIOUSLY •

TRACE AMOUNTS OF FOOD CAN CAUSE A REACTION

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For more detailed information and a list of resources, please visit KidsWithFoodAllergies.org. Copyright ©2014, Kids With Food Allergies, a division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), all rights reserved.

Page 1 of 2 Rev. October 2016

Tips to Safely Celebrate Halloween with Food Allergies

Halloween at SchoolMany schools are moving away from celebrating Halloween in class. If your school chooses to celebrate Halloween, here are some tips for ensuring that it is safe and fun for everyone. Partner with key school staff and families to plan holiday festivities in alignment with your school’s wellness plan.

Parents: Have a discussion with the teacher in advance about making the celebration safe and inclusive for your child. Start this conversation early and with a written plan. If possible, help to organize the event and plan to attend. Make sure your child’s emergency care plan is up-to-date and that the school has any prescribed emergency medicines your child may need during the school day.

Teachers: It is considered a best practice not to share food. Many Halloween candies and treats are unsafe for children with food allergies. Labeling can be inconsistent or unclear.* The CDC recommends the use of non-food rewards1. Forty-five percent of allergic reactions requiring epinephrine in schools begin in the classroom. Also, 20-25% of allergic reactions requiring epinephrine in schools are for people without a prior history of food allergy.2 By choosing non-food celebrations, you greatly reduce the risk of an allergic reaction in your classroom. In addition, it reduces the worry and extra monitoring the day of the celebration and allows you and the children to focus on the fun. A Halloween without food is also healthier and consistent with the wellness policies in place in many schools.

Halloween-themed Crafts and Games• Decorate a mask with glitter, jewels, stickers, paint, markers,

feathers, etc.

• Decorate a small pumpkin with paints and permanent markers.

• Make a spider out of googly eyes, pipe cleaners and pom-poms.

• Make a necklace out of Halloween-themed beads and cord.

• Paint the inside of a canning jar white, add black eyes to make a ghost candle holder.

• Decorate a treat bag. Buy plain bags and decorate using paints, markers, stickers and other craft materials.

• Pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern.

Fun ways to celebrate!WRITING: Work on a spooky story and share on Halloween.

MATH: Have students create math problems using with a Halloween theme. Allow them to share and solve as a class. (e.g., Mark had 8 pumpkins. Julio had 11. How many did they have all together? Draw a picture to show your answer.)

STORY-TELLING: Give children a scary writing prompt and allow each child to add a line to a class story. Allow children to choose a spooky or silly story to share with the class.

COSTUME DAY: Allow children to wear their costumes to school. Have each child create an award for a classmate based on his/her costume (ex. most creative, scariest, silliest costume) and have an awards ceremony.

HELP OTHERS: Donate extra change or items to a local charity for Halloween. Make Halloween crafts to give to a local senior center or to decorate a homeless shelter.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES: Do a “Spooky Scavenger Hunt.” Create a Halloween- themed obstacle course complete with spooky music. Play Halloween musical chairs. Have a mummy-wrapping contest using toilet paper.

NON-FOOD TREATS: (See list on page 1)

for more informationFor additional ideas on non-food rewards,

see KFA’s list of non-food rewards.

KidsWithFoodAllergies.org | AAFA.org

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control. 2013. Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies In Schools and Early Care and Education Programs. Retrieved online October 5, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/foodallergies/pdf/13_243135_A_Food_ Allergy_Web_508.pdf.

2. Massachusetts Department of Public Health. 2010. Data Health Brief: Epinephrine Administration in Schools. Retrieved online October 5, 2014 from http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/com-health/school/epi-data-health-brief-10.pdf.

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For more detailed information and a list of resources, please visit KidsWithFoodAllergies.org. Copyright ©2014, Kids With Food Allergies, a division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), all rights reserved.

Page 2 of 2 Rev. October 2016

Activity/Materials Allergen(s) Potentially Safe Alternatives and Appropriate Precautions

Counting/sorting beans, grains, pasta, M&Ms® or other small foods

Potentially all* • Read labels to choose food items with safe ingredients • Remember that different-sized packages can have different ingredients

or cross-contact issuesSensory tables that use grains, pasta, candies or other small foods

Potentially all* • Read labels to choose food items with safe ingredients• Use non-food items

Baking projects Potentially all* • Share safe recipes• Request to participate in any baking activities

Projects using empty egg cartons, milk cartons, beverage cartons, yogurt containers, food jars, etc.

Potentially all* • Provide safe empty containers for the class• Purchase new egg cartons at www.eggcartons.com

Birthday and holiday celebrations

Potentially all* • Provide a non-food celebration (i.e. songs, goodie bags, stickers)• Provide safe cake or cupcakes for the class

Play kitchen Potentially all* • Provide safe “real” containers to replace allergenic ones, since empty “real” egg cartons, milk cartons, cereal boxes, baby food jars, etc. may contain allergens.

Musical instruments – Allergens may be present on mouth-blown musical instruments

Potentially all* • Remove mouth-blown musical instruments from classrooms• Provide a designated set of mouth-blown instruments for your

child’s use only

Hand-washing (teachers and children)

Potentially all* • Read soap, liquid soap, wipe and lotion labels to determine if allergens are present

• Use paper towels to dry hands, since cloth towels may contain food residue

Finger paint Wheat MilkCornOat

• Read labels to find milk-free finger paints• Read labels to find a safe laundry soap• Laundry starch or soap can be omitted if avoiding corn

Bird feeders WheatPeanut butterNutsSeeds

• Consider making a hummingbird or butterfly feeder instead, using sugar, water and food coloring

• Use soy nut butter, sunflower butter, or honey• Use Regular Crisco® (contains soy oil and palm oil) or other safe hard

shortening• Use safe seeds or seed mix without wheat seeds or nut oils

Planting seeds Legume (such as beans, peas or peanuts)CornEgg

• Read labels to find potting soil free of nut shells and soy • Use any other seeds• Provide safe empty containers to grow seeds• Purchase new egg cartons at www.eggcartons.com

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, “Food used in lesson plans for math or science, crafts, and cooking classes may need to be substituted depending on the allergies of the students.”

Below is a list of some unexpected places you may encounter food allergens, along with alternatives and precautions. This is only a general guide and is not inclusive of every potential food allergen. It’s important to verify all ingredients yourself by contacting the manufacturer every time your child engages in an activity that poses an allergen risk. Remember, ingredients can and do change!

POTENTIAL FOOD ALLERGENSin Preschool and School Activities

*”Potentially all” means that all allergens are possible. For example, an empty egg carton may not just pose an egg risk. If the empty carton was used to store nuts, it could pose a nut risk. It would be safest to take extra precautions to avoid food allergens, such as buying new, unused egg cartons.

Activity/Materials Allergen(s) Potentially Safe Alternatives and Appropriate Precautions

Potting Soil NutsSoy

• Read labels to find safe potting soil

Paper mache Wheat • Elmer’s® glue solution• Buckwheat flour solution

Play-Doh® (commercial or wheat-based homemade)

Wheat • Moon Sand® or Moon Dough®

• Homemade rice- or buckwheat-based playdough• Other sensory materials such as goop, slime, or ooblick• Homemade playdough or ooblick (see recipe section below)• There are commercial gluten-free playdoughs available.

www.discountschoolsupply.comCraft paste Wheat • Read labels to choose food items with safe ingredients

• Elmer’s® Glue sticksMacaroni art Wheat

Egg• Rice macaroni• Quinoa macaroni• Corn macaroni

Tempera paint (home-made and some high-end commercial products)

Egg • Crayola® Kids Paint• Read labels to find egg-free paint, since some high-end versions contain egg• Most commercial paints are suitable for children

Crayons Soy • Read labels to find soy-free crayonsCrayola® Wonder Soy • Read labels to find a non-soy-based inkShaving cream Milk • Read labels to find dairy-free shaving creamMaking butter Milk • NoneDustless Chalk Casein (Milk) • Use dry erasers or smartboardsOoblick, oobleck, goop, slime

Corn • Read labels to choose items with safe ingredients • Create mixture using tapioca starch instead of corn starch

Making maracas or shakers

Legumes (Peanut)

• Fill maracas or shakers with rice, popcorn or sand

Activity/Ingredients Allergen(s)/Instructions

Rice Playdough 1 1/4 cups rice flour1/2 cup salt2 tsp cream of tartar1 cup water1 tbsp oil1/4 tsp vanilla extractFood coloring / sparkles (optional)

Rice• Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large pot. Add water and oil.• Cook over medium heat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan

(about 5 minutes), stirring constantly.• Add vanilla extract (for smell, not taste). Mix thoroughly. Put play dough on a clean

surface. When cool enough to handle, knead lightly and store in airtight container.• Add food coloring to the water to make colored play dough. Add sparkles during

the hand mixing time for sparkly play dough.Cornstarch Playdough1 cup cornstarch1 lb baking soda1 cup water1/8 tsp oilFood coloring (optional)

Corn • In a large pot, combine ingredients. Cook over medium heat until “mealy.”

Allow to cool on a plate, covered by a damp cloth. Knead well and store in an airtight container.

Sweet Playdough3 cups powdered sugar1/4 cup corn syrup1/2 cup margarine, meltedsplash vanillaSprinkle salt5 drops food coloring

Corn • Mix all ingredients, except coloring, until mixture is blended and all one color.

Then mix in coloring.• You can shape this and eat it, assuming your child is not allergic to any of the

ingredients. Do not make this in advance. Make this when you are going to play with it. It will get hard and become inedible.

Ooblick1 1/2 cups corn starch1 cup waterfood coloring (optional)

Corn • Mix the ingredients together. When children play with the mixture, it will be

solid when they squeeze it and liquid when they release it.

REC

IPES

For more detailed information and a list of resources, please visit KidsWithFoodAllergies.org. Copyright ©2014, Kids With Food Allergies, a division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), all rights reserved. Rev. September 2014

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