Packed Lunch help needed please

S1976

mithras wrote: »

Thanks for the explanation S1976 My kids have white bread too occasionally, especially as toast as it does taste good with butter melted on it I haven't heard of milk roll but will check it out in preference to normal white bread

Apologies OP if I've hijacked your thread a little from its original course

No problems Mithras I have to admit I'm quite partial to it myself - it's smaller than a normal loaf and I find doesn't 'bloat' you up so much - for toast although I like it most people find it to thin lol but hey ho

And OP also sorry for the thread hijack to

mummy_Jay

OP, your asking for healthy lunchbox ideas but have you actually opened this question up to the kids in your school?

My DS's school has a ban on chocolate and fizzy drinks but it came about as a response from what the kids were saying.

Another idea is do you have a school garden, why not get the kids growing their lunch, yes I know they probably wont grow enough in a school garden for more than a taster, but sometimes thats all it takes, to introduce them to healthy things they may not be experiencing at home.

But for some healthy ideas to put on the table to get the kids thoughts flowing how about some of these http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/lunch-box

But as other posters have said if your going to be asking for healthy lunchboxes make sure your school dinners comply with rules you put down for the lunchboxes too.

onlyroz

I think all you can do is provide suggestions, rather than try to enforce a rule. I don't see the problem with kids having a chocolate biscuit in their lunch - alongside a sandwich, piece of fruit and a pot of yoghurt, for example. But yes, I'd be concerned if kids are bringing in lunchboxes that only contain crisps, chocolate and biscuits. If that's alll the child will eat then that's the parent's fault for bringing them up that way...

MORPH3US

I recently purchased this book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lunch-Box-Diet-Weight-Great/dp/0007288352/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265628455&sr=8-1

I would highly recommend it - it cost me £2 from a book shop in Crystal Peaks in Sheffield where nearly all the books were that price. So other bookshops like that might have it.

It has loads of great ideas for lunches, especially salads of varieties I would never normally consider for lunch.

phlipp

Thank you for all your thoughts - it has given me a lot to think about regarding how parents might respond at the meeting. We had uproar from four or five parents a couple of years ago when we banned drinks from lunch boxes for management reasons as much as anything - we had had several incidents of leaking flasks / bottles spoiling other children's lunches or staining the floor and exploding cans spoiling art work which also took staff away from working with children.

There is a strong expectation from the Government that schools will be proactive in helping children be healthy through the Every Child Matters agenda. This is the last step in our healthy food policy (apart from staff eating habits perhaps- my diet is by no means 100% healthy with a reliance on biscuits to get me through the day when I have missed lunch - again - and alcohol to get me through the week).

Our school lunches meet all the nutritional standards for a balanced diet, the tuck shop sells only fruit and bread products, we have a healthy breakfast club, the children have access to water all day, the younger children have free fruit (and free milk for the 5s and under) and we don't use sweets as rewards.

The majority of children say chocolate should not be allowed in lunch boxes - but they are probably the ones who have school lunches!

I'll see what happens at the meeting. I'm wondering about suggesting a chocolate ban except for one day a week. And yes, we do have chocolate sponge once every three weeks but it wouldn't be difficult to change that if it were the only sticking point!

bonty44

But then OP chocolate sponge once every three weeks is chocolate sponge in moderation, and as long as that is your message then I don't think that's a problem

DS1/2 had pasta with chips at school yesterday ... the mind boggles!!

ailuro2

Have a competition, get the kids to design a poster for what healthy foods they would like to see in their lunch boxes.

Winner gets a new lunch bag.

It opens up the discussion on what should be in there.

My DD's school won't allow them to take in milk, not in a carton from the shop that's still sealed and will be drunk at playtime an hour later, but they are allowed to take in chocolate,sweets etc, no problem. That is the only thing that is banned,foodwise,from DD's school.

We are in Tayside,Scotland, where the school dinners are mostly healthy. The get chips once in a three week cycle, but tend to have boiled potatoes in various guises (herby potatoes are a hit) rather than fried options.
They have vegetables or salad with every lunch, there is also fruit and yoghurt on offer every day if the kids want that instead of the dessert on the menu (sometimes cake, sometimes oaty biscuits with cheese) sometimes they get a burger, but apparently they are tiny:rotfl: There is a healthy option and a veggie option every day too alongside the meat and veg type offering.

I sometimes wish there were similar suggestions for packed lunch boxes at school, my DD has a sandwich,yoghurt,piece of fruit, and a cereal bar or bit of cheese, with a little carton of fresh orange. She also takes her water bottle to school every day.
Some kids have crisps and a sweetie of some sort in their lunchbox every day, they tend to be the ones who have fillings.:eek: So while DD might complain that other people have more exciting lunches she can see now why we didn't give her chocolate and sweets at lunch every day.;)

There's a fine line between encouragement and rules, you will need to decide early on which route you need to take.

System

As a parent of a child with eating issues you would have no chance of changing her lunch box ,she has crackers-drink-fruit and a treat usually either crisps or a choc biscuit.

salt_and_pepper

Could you not introduce some sort of incentive to have something healthy in the lunch box and really sell it to the children. You could do a competion for ideas for healthy lunch boxes, get the staff involved as positive role models. You could award whatever points system the school uses (i presume most school have one) for the kids actually doing it.
But as the parent of a special needs child who i find near on impossible to make a lunch box for nevermind about putting something healthy in it don't be too rigid- if all they eat is not good then at least they are having something.
Maybe incorperate things into lessons if possible. What foods are good for your teeth, what would a top footballer eat for lunch etc

I_love_a_bargain

Check this out

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/children/lunchboxsect/