KIDS LEARN ABOUT BALANCED DIETS, SERVING, BEING HOSTS CASTAIC STUDENTS ENJOY BOOSTING FAMILY MEALTIME.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

VALENCIA - When 10-year-old Jessica Zbinden-Rivera and her fourth-grade class made pizzas for about 110 guests Friday, she was surprised most by the recipes involved.

``You can only put in a certain amount of cheese and pepperoni in the food,'' she said.

Zbinden-Rivera and classmates from Castaic Elementary School honed their culinary and presentation skills during the first week of a monthlong state campaign that encourages family mealtime. Using kitchens inside the Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency, kids cut tomatoes for salsa and scooped chunks of vanilla ice cream into bowls for their parents and other guests.

The day also brought lessons in nutrition and meal planning to the young crowd that originally wanted all desserts for lunch. As they prepared for the event, classroom discussions included balanced meals, the importance of fruits and vegetables, and how milk could substitute for soda, said teacher Deanda Giovannelli.

``When they first started talking about the menu, they wanted brownies and cookies,'' she said. ``They didn't know about balanced meals. But then they learned to make healthy stuff.''

Aside from pizza, the menu included Caesar salad, fruit kabobs and ice cream with cookies. Students agreed on a sports theme for the day and created place mats and wall decorations with drawings of footballs, basketballs and soccer balls.

Sherri Weimer, assistant director of the food service agency, visits classrooms participating in the campaign to help plan the day's menu and said it always leads to conversations about healthy eating.

Children are typically surprised to learn, for example, that they can get calcium from eating green leafy vegetables, she said.

``They don't have the concept of where food comes from other than the grocery store,'' Weimer said. ``They need to be reminded.''

Kids also learn about entertaining guests, and for many of them, it's the first time they have ever played host. They're told to seat the guests, introduce them to others sitting nearby and to thank them for coming.

Folding boxes for the pizzas, Tristan LeBlanc said he never knew there was so much involved in planning a meal.

``You have to have a balanced meal,'' the 9-year-old said, reviewing what he learned. ``Maybe foods of different colors.''

Sue Doyle,[phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jessica Zbinden-Rivera works to make a pizza. Fourth-graders from Deanda Giovannelli's fourth-grade class from Castaic Elementary School made lunch Friday for their parents and learned more about balanced meals.

(2) Rachel Sul scoops out ice cream Friday as fourth-graders at Castaic Elementary School prepare lunch for their parents, learning how to plan a menu and play host.

David Crane/Staff Photographer