And here I thought the No. Cal kindergartens we've been checking out for our 4 year-old daughter were cutting edge because they offered classes like "Organic Gardening" and yoga.
The kids at public school #321 (Park Slope, Brooklyn) have us beat by a mile with the introduction of an Adbusters class, intended to help them recognize and analyze marketing tactics aimed at them. The class is taught by Susan Gregory Thomas, a P.S. 321 parent, and the author of the upcoming book "Buy, Buy Baby," which takes an long, hard look at consumer culture, what it means for, and to, our kids, and how we as parents can help them rise above it - or at the very least, intelligently interpret it.
This week's issue of The New Yorker magazine (April 2, 2007) is where I first read about the class. The article follows Susan and a class of kindergarteners through a visit to a local supermarket, where she leads the kids through discussions about macaroni and cheese ("Why is all the macaroni and cheese orange?" "Food coloring!" "Who is it aimed at?" "Kids!"), saturated fats, what 'organic' means, and what media tie-ins are.
As much as we have discussions in our house about what "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods are, I feel like it never really hits home (then again, at 4, concepts like "media" and "advertising" are still slightly confusing). But I feel like there's something about hearing that kind of information from a third party that helps kids take it more seriously. What a luxury to have this kind of education included in school - and for free! If only there was one at every school.
