SunButter Resources – Destressing Your Back to School Worries

‘Back to School’ means ‘Back to Stress’ for many food allergy families. New teachers, new students and new worries that our kids will be kept safe at school. Wondering how to help raise awareness and make the year easier for everyone? ARM your teachers with resources.

Here are a few easy ideas of how you can proactively get started.

1. GET YOUR food allergy binder TOGETHER. This is a quick resource for any adult needing to get information about your child quickly. Think allergy info, emergency action plan and phone numbers.

2. TALK. TALK. TALK. Make an appointment to speak with teachers. The Principal. The School Nurse. And let’s NOT forget the cafeteria manager! Our new manager is anaphylactic to peanuts and tree nuts. Try to tell me that’s NOT awesome for our kids?! And if I hadn’t taken the time to speak with him, I wouldn’t have known.

Not sure what to say? Read over 10 tips for Talking to Your School about Food Allergies – tips I shared with SunButter fans last year.

3. ‘KIDS LOVE FEELING EMPOWERED WITH KNOWLEDGE’. GET INVOLVED ON YOUR KID’S LEVEL. Offer to present 20 – 30 minute allergy awareness classes, making them age appropriate for your intended group. As someone living with food allergy challenges, you can easily make discussing food allergies FUN and engaging.

Working with preschoolers? Let a puppet do the talking.

Early Elementary aged kids? Read a story, watch a video or leave behind a worksheet / coloring page for the kids. Ask them to go home and educate their families about what they’ve learned.

How about involving allergy kids? This is amazingly impactful. This year one class had 5 kids with different allergies and sensitivities. This group LOVED sharing their stories, and it made having allergies seem normal.

Is your child ready to show his/her teachers how to use a real epipen? My 5^th grader has done this for the past 3 years using expired epis and oranges. My 8^th grader brought in epipen trainers when in 5^th grade to show her classmates how to properly use them. It was such a popular discussion the teacher asked to keep the trainers for a few extra days for more practice.

4. BRING GIFTS – Don’t JUST talk about the options out there for peanut-free, tree nut-free snacks… leave them gifts to remember. Samples, pencils, stickers and coupons! Let’s NOT forget the SunButter Trifold, Free Recipe Book and additional Resources for School.

Everything you need to look like a ROCK STAR! No Excuses now! You’re ready to make your mark~

Thanks SunButter for helping to destress our ‘Back to School Worries’!

Daniella Knell, is the owner of Smart Allergy~Friendly Education. As a mom of 2 having 6 of the top 8 food allergens, she has been public speaking for 10 years in efforts to raise allergy awareness within her Boise community and nationally. Follow her at: Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.