Snack table at school

Flyboy152

Becles wrote: »

Foods that are high in calories but are low in nutrients or have no nutrients at all.

White bread and crackers are both high in carbs and don't offer much else. She's filling up on these high carb foods, and then leaving meals such as the roast chicken dinner I mentioned, which is a good mix of unrefined carbs, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.

Most diet advice says to limit how many refined carbs you eat, so I still can't understand why giving children free access to as much as they want is healthy.

Fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals are all present in the foods you have described here. Although they are not replacements for full meals, they are after all only snacks.

picnmix

I have read this thread with interest as have recently been going into lots of shcools to talk about healthy eating. There are different approaches in schools, some have the open snack table approach, some have the set snack time with a set snack every day. Each school tends to adopt the set up that suits them and their classes the best, many of the snack table schools that I visited had taken this approach as they had mixed age classes which worked mostly in different groups doing different activities (ie reception and year 1 together) therefore the snack table worked for them as the groups had access to the snack table at differing times, none of these schools however let children wander off in the middle of a session (ie storytime) to just help themselves to snacks, the kiddies were encouraged to use the table in free play time etc.

My own DD goes to a school where they have a set snack time, they are offered a piece of fruit or veg but I would never have been able to tell whether my DD had taken part in this until year 2 as her recounting of the days events whilst interesting were most of the time imaginative. I too am one of those parents who feels that one cooked meal a day in enough for a little one, my DD has school dinners so therefore would just have a snack type meal in the evening and some fruit. She has a good breakfast, a mid am snack, cooked school dinner and then a snack for her tea with fruit or smoothie, I feel personally and professionally that this is adequate for a wee one.

Whilst I understand your frustration, the school has probably adopted the policy that suits the majority of its pupils and parents, so maybe sometimes we have to look at compromise within ourselves. My DD shcool is excellent, but there are some things that niggle me, but she is happy and healthy so I make little compromises within our routine. If you and a large number of parents are unhappy with this, does your school have a parents forum where this could be discussed?

shirlgirl2004

I personally think giving the children free access to a snack table is good, not every child has breakast at the same time and so it follows that they will need their snack at diferent times. Some children are just 4 years old when they start school and going from 7am to maybe 12.30 is a long time for such small children to go without food when they are on the go.

The issue I would have is the type of foods supplied. I would print off some afcts from reputable internet sites on the reasons why white bread and crackers are not good snack food for children. You may not be popular but she is your child and your responsibility so you have the right to ensure her education (including heathy eating) is appropriate for her age.

Becles

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals are all present in the foods you have described here. Although they are not replacements for full meals, they are after all only snacks.

The problem I have is the snacks are a replacement for a full meal, as school are letting her eat several snacks, so she's not hungry for her cooked meal on an evening.

There is much less protein, vitamins and minerals in crackers and bread compared to the meal I prepare for tea, so she's not having a balanced diet any more.

Svenena

How about telling the school a small lie - that you think your daughter might be gluten intolerant. Surely they'd have to prevent her having access to the foods you object to then?

somethingsgottogive

Personally, I'd be talking to other parents about this and would be pretty upset. The biggest problem our society has at the moment is an almost FEAR of hunger, which leads to obesity. Even eating one extra digestive biscuit a day can equal a weight gain of 1 stone a year if the calories aren't burnt off, so actively encouraging children to graze between meals is just setting them up for a fall.

Is there anyway you could explain your concerns to your little girl without scaring her into worrying about weight/health?

Greenqueen_2

I work as supply cover for nurseries and reception classes, so have been in lots of different settings. It is certainly not uncommon for open snack tables to be provided. However I am horrified by the amount of wasted food this creates.(I cannot afford to have an ounce of wastage in my house). Most children will help themselves to an apple/pear etc, take one bite then throw it in the bin. There are often more grapes on the floor than in the dish etc. One nursery I visit routinely gives each child a breadstick at a set time every day. It is possible that when the OP`s DD says she has had 3crackers and 2 pieces of bread that she actually means the equivalent of 1 cracker and half a slice of bread over the 3 hours.

dirtysexymonkey

why not focus on getting your daughter to do as shes told instead of trying to change a school policy just because your failing to do it?

globetraveller

I think the snack table is a ridiculous idea. Children are too young to make decisions based on how much and when they should eat. Ignore the posts talking about parenting. This has nothing to do with it. If its there and nobody is monitoring it then they will just take- and probably waste most of the snack anyway. Who on earth funds this? The parents?? The school?? In an era where schools are taking brutal knocks in funding then this is just waste. If there was a plate of sliced fruit then that would make more sense.
Seriously- who is funding these snack tables?
Snack time should be a sociable time- where they sit down to eat and chat. One snack and a drink is all they need. (water should always be available of course)

JodyBPM

globetraveller wrote: »

I think the snack table is a ridiculous idea. Children are too young to make decisions based on how much and when they should eat. Ignore the posts talking about parenting. This has nothing to do with it. If its there and nobody is monitoring it then they will just take- and probably waste most of the snack anyway. Who on earth funds this? The parents?? The school?? In an era where schools are taking brutal knocks in funding then this is just waste. If there was a plate of sliced fruit then that would make more sense.
Seriously- who is funding these snack tables?
Snack time should be a sociable time- where they sit down to eat and chat. One snack and a drink is all they need. (water should always be available of course)

Children (that grow into adults) need to learn how to make good choices for themselves.

From a financial point of view, a plate of sliced fruit will be far MORE expensive than a mix of fruit, veg, cream crackers, breadsticks and bread.

Who pays for these snacks? Some schools (in deprived areas) the taxpayer. Other schools, the parents (bar th 1 pc of fruit per child supplied by the LEA)