first grade snack

[Wilhemina]

Hi everyone,
I am actually a homeschooling mom, but I am asking a question on behalf of a friend. Her daughter is in 1st grade this year (will be 7 y.o. in Dec., if it's important).

She and her class have lunch at 11 a.m. and get no snack in the afternoon. She gets off the bus at just after 4 p.m. About once a week she comes straight to my house after school to play for a short time and spends the first few minutes devouring every snack in sight. She is also very tired and easily upset. Her mother and I think that 5 hours is too long for her to go without food. What are your opinions and experience?

TIA

[LovemyBoo]

Yes, that is way too long. I can't go 5 hours without eating for pete's sake. : Those poor kids! Your friend should bring it up with the teacher. My ds' first grade (and second grade) class got two snacks a day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. It took only 5-10 min. out of the day for each snack and made a big difference in the kids behavior. In 2nd grade the kids bring their own snacks, in 1st one of the two snacks was communal. Parents took turns buying snacks (from a specific list the teacher sent out) for the whole class.

At the very least I think your friend's dd's class should get something in the afternoon. Poor kid.

[TiredX2]

That seems out of control to me.

DD will be 7 in January and is in a 1/2 split. They have morning snack around 10:15 and then lunch at noon. I *wish* they had an afternoon snack, but DD seems to be doing okay with it.

One snack seems pretty standard for 1st/2nd in our district (2+ for all day kinder). I'm not sure about 3rd.

[beccaboo]

Instituting an afternoon snack time would benefit all the students in her grade, but I'm not sure if that would be possible.

I imagine there's a rule about no eating on the bus, but can your friend get permission for her dd to eat something quick (ie, a granola bar) on her way to or waiting for the bus? She could also probably carry a capped bottle of water with her to stay hydrated on the ride home.

My ds is in first grade, and he no longer has snack time at all. But he eats a good breakfast, has lunch at about 11:30, and snacks in the car after I pick him up at 2:45.

[Hayes]

My dd is in first grade. They have lunch at 11:15 and then go outside for free play time at 1:15. They have a snack then. I can't imagine her not eating after lunch until I picked her up, and I get her before 3 each day.

[UlrikeDG]

Yes, I think it's too long, and yes, I think she could get the policy changed. There's enough information out there about how eating breakfast improves school performance, I would think the same research could be applied to afternoon snacks.

She should talk to the teacher first. If the teacher has noticed hunger-related behavioral issues in the afternoon, she might welcome the idea of a daily snack option for kids.

Issues your friend might have working against her:
- many teachers already feel like there isn't enough time to cover material; some will balk at the idea of losing 10 minutes a day to "snack time"
- if there are any kids with food allergies in the class, there could be health concerns with allowing everyone to bring their own, allergy-laden snacks into the classroom
- what happens if some kids bring snacks and others don't

If the teacher agrees that it's a good idea, but still has concerns, your friend could try to get many parents to volunteer to provide healthy snacks like fresh fruits & veggies. Apples and grapes have been shown to be surprisingly filling, even two hours later.

[Kirsten]

In my dds' elementary program, all the kids (kindergarten through 5th grade) get a snack each day. School starts at 9:30, lunch is at 12:15, dismissal is 3:00. The snack is given at one of the recesses but I forget if it is morning or afternoon. Each family takes turns providing snack for the entire school (about 70 kids). There are 50 families so it is only once a year. It is usually crackers, string cheese, occasionally grapes or baby carrots.

I remember only getting snack in kindergarten, not after that. I also remember coming home and having snack immediately! If the school won't implement a snack, and she can't bring one in her backpack, I'd just be sure to have a snack ready as soon as she gets off the bus.

[Wilhemina]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to pass on your experience and advice to my friend. I know she would be willing to organize the snacks (if they went "communal"). I do suspect, as Ulrike pointed out, that the school and/or teacher may have concerns about carving out the time for it. The teacher's policy since the first week is that M-Th the students have 3 pages of homework daily.