Snack table at school

JodyBPM

Becles wrote: »

I've talked to my daughter about and said she is only to have one piece of fruit and one carton of milk. She gets reminded about it when she's dropped off, but it's not sinking in. .

And there is the true issue - your dd isn't doing what she's told.

Surely it's easier and better (and within your control) to get your child to do what she's told, than it is to try to change school policy(which will probably have been put in place in this way for a reason - perhaps to benefit those who NEED more food), or waste the teachers' valuable time trying to get them to police your child, when you should be dealing with your daughter's disobedience yourself at home.

Becles

I know looks can be deceiving and I don't know the full story about everyone's circumstances, but it's a fairly affluent area where we live and the children are well dressed and none of them look neglected, so there doesn't appear to be an obvious need for the school to feed the children.

My daughter has only just turned 4, and like most other 3-4 year olds, she has the attention span of about 5 seconds! I am trying to deal with it at home by telling her not to eat at school, but at that age, they really need to be told at the time when they're not to do things.

I don't think she is being deliberately disobedient, she's just confused with the mixed messages from me saying not to eat the crackers and bread and school telling her that it's fine to eat crackers and bread all day.

Spendless

Becles wrote: »

I know looks can be deceiving and I don't know the full story about everyone's circumstances, but it's a fairly affluent area where we live and the children are well dressed and none of them look neglected, so there doesn't appear to be an obvious need for the school to feed the children.

My daughter has only just turned 4, and like most other 3-4 year olds, she has the attention span of about 5 seconds! I am trying to deal with it at home by telling her not to eat at school, but at that age, they really need to be told at the time when they're not to do things.

I don't think she is being deliberately disobedient, she's just confused with the mixed messages from me saying not to eat the crackers and bread and school telling her that it's fine to eat crackers and bread all day.

I don't think she's being deibrately disobediant either. I think she's being (just -IIRC?) 4! I did wonder what time she ate breakfast and if having a small gap between that and an early lunch is leading to her feeling a 'need' to nibble a couple of hours later. Also do you know when she's eating from the snack table? All afternoon, or more towards going home time? Mine always come home starving from school, and I know it's not from what they are/aren't eating at lunchtime, as I have 1 on school dinners and the other on packed lunches and DS used to come home ready to eat as soon as he got in when he went to afternoon nursery!

MadDogWoman_2

Beccles I have the same issue about attention span but over a completely different issue.

My DDs playgroup have an open snack time in the mornings which means the children help themselves, choose a drink (milk or water) then where to sit.

I would also have an issue with an open access table as my DD loves her fruit which would lead her to not eating her evening meal.

I do only have the one child though so it's easier for me to adjust things.

Becles

Not sure what time she is eating at school. She just tells us what she's eaten but I'll try and see if she can tell me when she's eating the food.

She has breakfast around 7am and lunch around 11.45am.

We tend to stick to the same routine on a weekend and school holidays as she's ready for an early lunch with being used to it. However she doesn't have the bread and crackers on weekends/holidays and doesn't ask for them, so that makes me think she is just eating because it is there at school, rather than eating because she is hungry.

I don't mind her having the fruit and milk at school as that's healthy and not too filling and keeps her going between lunch and tea.

It's the crackers and bread I don't like her having. It's cream crackers and value white bread, so lots of empty calories and I can't see any health benefits in her filling up on food like that, so she can't manage a healthy evening meal.

delain

I would definitely say something Becles, if only what you've said here that it means she's not eating cooked meals at home.

My DD1 would probably have emptied the table at that age, actually she still would now, she's a snack monster.

elvis86

pigpen wrote: »

Take a toothbrush and toothpaste into school and ask that the staff make sure she brushes her teeth after eating because the dentist is extremely concerned about the constant exposure to sugars the school are inflicting on her teeth!

Write to the governors about the increase in childhood obesity, dental caries and poor eating habits they are encouraging and ask how exactly that fits in with the schools healthy eating policy.

Yes! And make yourself the most hated parent amongst the teachers, avoided like the plague at home time and ridiculed in the staff room for your pig-headed, heavy handed attitude and belief that the needs of you and your children should be prioritised over the 29 other children in the class.:cool:

Saying that, I do sympathise with the OP, this snacking table idea seems very strange to me. By all means provide milk and fruit, but surely it would make more sense and instill discipline in the children if these were served at an allocated snack time? The idea of the children sat cross-legged in front of the teacher as she speaks, and being allowed to slope off for a snack whenever they fancy seems really rude, and not behaviour that I would want my child's school to be encouraging.

I just think there are better ways to go about this than going in all guns blazing and making unreasonable demands. At the end of the day, if the school doesn't respond in the way you like, perhaps you have to weigh up whether it warrants moving your child to another school where you do agree with their practices?

andy.m_2

I think its a great idea but I do not know the circumstances around the school, locals or geography.

You say you give her an early lunch?
Drop that meal, let her at the healthy table and give her a sensible evening meal at the table with the family as you wish.

MY wife likes us all to eat at the table as a family unit, sometimes it is just not feasible unfortunately.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Lots of children won't have anything to eat in the evenings, as the parents will assume they had food at school.

I can still remember my surprise when I was told by a very affluent parent who worked as a teacher that her children were fortunate in that they got half a slice of cheese on toast at 5pm, as school dinners meant that children didn't need a meal at home. Had there been a snack table, her children would have been there all the time. On further careful enquiries, this seemed to be the attitude of a lot of parents at the higher end of the income scale.

In fairness, some of the more chaotic families (and there were a few) also tended to have children that would get a jam sandwich and nothing else, so a table with bread, crackers and fruit would be great for them as well, especially with milk available.


You would be surprised how many children are deprived. And how much a child can eat when they want to and how little when they don't.


Mine just refuses to eat in the mornings, as she has never been a breakfast person. But she starts eating at breaktime with her first visit to the canteen, eats more at lunch and then gets food on the way home from secondary school. Then she has dinner in adult size portions. She weighs just over 5 stone and is 4 foot 11.

JodyBPM

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Lots of children won't have anything to eat in the evenings, as the parents will assume they had food at school.

I can still remember my surprise when I was told by a very affluent parent who worked as a teacher that her children were fortunate in that they got half a slice of cheese on toast at 5pm, as school dinners meant that children didn't need a meal at home. Had there been a snack table, her children would have been there all the time. On further careful enquiries, this seemed to be the attitude of a lot of parents at the higher end of the income scale.

In fairness, some of the more chaotic families (and there were a few) also tended to have children that would get a jam sandwich and nothing else, so a table with bread, crackers and fruit would be great for them as well, especially with milk available.


You would be surprised how many children are deprived. And how much a child can eat when they want to and how little when they don't.


Mine just refuses to eat in the mornings, as she has never been a breakfast person. But she starts eating at breaktime with her first visit to the canteen, eats more at lunch and then gets food on the way home from secondary school. Then she has dinner in adult size portions. She weighs just over 5 stone and is 4 foot 11.

I'm probably one of the "affluent" people you refer to, and I must admit, if my children had school lunches, I would only give them cheese/eggs/beans on toast or a sandwich (plus fruit and yoghurt),for dinner. As it is, they take a packed lunch, so I cook them a proper dinner.

Surely children do only need one cooked meal a day? I know some families choose to give their children two cooked meals, but I've always thought it only necessary (and healthier) for them to only have one proper "cooked" meal, and one lighter meal each day.