Last week I posted that kids in Baltimore County kindergarten classes were learning the Fast-Food Song, complete with hand symbols for each restaurant.
Here is what the formal curriculum said:
Display the enlarged posters for “Fast Foods Song,” verse 1.Last week I called Sharon Hoffman, Early Childhood supervisor for Baltimore County Schools, to inquire about this. She encouraged me to come to the office and discuss it in person, which is what I did today. She and two other curriculum specialists met with me, and they were very helpful, very informative and very open to listening.
Read the fast food icons with the children.
Demonstrate the actions that accompany the signs. Have children practice the actions with you.
Pizza Hut – squat down, make rooftop with arms over head
Kentucky Fried Chicken – thumbs to armpits, flap arms like wings
MacDonald’s – arch both arms to form an “M”
Put the words and the actions together.
Sing the first verse with the actions for the children.
Have children join in singing and doing the actions for verse 1.
Repeat the same procedure for teaching verse 2.
Taco Bell – make rooftop with arms over head, move head from left to right
Dunkin’ Donuts - one hand make a cup, the other hand dunks into it
Wendy’s – hold fists to sides of head (for pigtails)
Review: Signs are pictures and words that give us information. Signs help us locate places. Signs are consistent from one place to another.
Schools have some signs that are used everywhere, too.
Display signs for boys’ and girls’ restrooms.
Display the Stop sign, if the Stop sign is used in the classroom to designate that the restroom is occupied. Walk children to the restroom(s). Orient children to restroom procedures.
I was all set to explain why this song was, although created for positive purposes, something I felt uncomfortable about, since little kids would think they were learning about fast food at school and can't distinguish between tools of a lesson vs. being taught a subject. But Ms. Hoffman said that they have decided to eliminate the Fast-Food song from next year's curriculum as part of a previously scheduled review of their materials. They will have the same lesson so kids can learn that signs have meanings, but they will be using other signs instead of the fast-food signs. This is designed as a one-day lesson.
I was quite impressed with all the work they have put in to the schools' curriculum. They do not buy a curriculum out of the box, but instead design one they feel will serve the kids best. I was happy to hear, too, that they try to put activities into the learning vs. kids just sitting at desk having things drilled into their brains. (In fact, that was the reason for the fast-food song and the hand motions.)
So, I know from emails I've received that some of you have written to school administrators about this and that is probably a good thing. And it might not hurt to contact your schools individually if this is something you're concerned about, because the song is part of an existing curriculum and the teachers could possibly use it again, although it will not be included in the new materials they will be given for next year.
And, not that it really matters, but for the record I am not a total fast-food Nazi. It's not something we give our kids, but we wouldn't forbid it in a social setting, and we do let them eat sugar in limited amounts (ice cream for dessert last night!).
Over and out.
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