With childhood obesity on the rise in Colorado (the Center for Disease Control reports that about one-third of the state’s children are overweight or obese), more attention is going to school meal programs and getting kids involved in them. Repeatedly, chefs and school administrators acknowledge that kids are more likely to eat healthy food if they help make it. Over the last couple of years, Denver Public Schools has introduced a systematic student recipe testing process, where both elementary and secondary school students give written feedback on new recipes. “A product has to get at least a 50 percent good or excellent rating for us to put it on the menu,” says DPS spokesperson Alex Sanchez. School gardens have become another way to involve children. Steele Elementary begins its planting in the spring to harvest in the fall, and Carbondale’s Colorado Rocky Mountain School uses its student-grown raspberries and squash for everyday meals, according to The Denver Post. At home, keep kids busy with these family-friendly sandwiches created by local chefs.