Snacks

[ccohenou]

Do your children in school have snacks during class? Ie outside of lunchtime? That you are expected to send in for the whole class on a rotating basis?
I am HOPING that this year (3rd grade) the snack madness will be over, because it drives me nuts. I do not get why it is assumed that children cannot make it three hours from lunchtime to the end of school without eating a pudding cup, or goldfish crackers. I can get it for preschoolers, but after kindergarten it just seems unnecessary (maybe I'm just being a fuddyduddy type since there was never "snack" during my school days). Also bugs me that the boxes of clementines I would send in somehow never got served, while the crackers, chips, and cookies always did.
Just wondering if this practice is widespread, and when it ends in your schools.

[LovemyBoo]

We had to provide community snack in kindergarten. After that there was still a snack time but each child had to bring in their own.

I like that they have a snack time. My ds grazes at home so he rarely eats much at lunch and does get hungry well before 3pm.

[BlueIrises]

I'm a teacher of 4th graders and although I don not organize a formal snack time for my students, it is explained at the beginning of the year that they may bring in their own snacks for the afternoon but they must be a healthy/non-messy/non-noisy snack (yogurt, fruit, veggies, crackers) Some students participate.

The problem with older children "needing" snacks to get through the day is different from the younger ones. The younger ones are usually just hungry. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are hungry due to over-socializing during lunch time. Quite often the children will be so happy to be out of class and with their friends that they chat and play during their eating time and when either recess begins or the lunch period ends, they have barely touched their food. A few bites are quickly gobbled but most is thrown out and many children barely eat their lunch. Later they need the boost.

Hope this helps!

[joycenjackiesmom]

My daughter's teacher called each child the night before school started to welcome them to the class. She also said they can bring a snack to school with them each day if they choose. This was a huge relief to me as my dd (second grade) eats breakfast between 6 and 6:30 and doesn't have lunch until 11:30--way too long for her to go between meals. Last year the teacher said not to worry about it because they have a snack "almost always" --I asked our family doctor to write a prescription for a snack so she could have one each day without argument.

As a teacher, with a small class, as it is special education, I do keep some crackers in my closet for when children seem to be hungry. It looks like this year we will have a snack daily as lunch is at 11:00 and most of the children do not get home until after 4:00. I do tend to have crackers since they keep well in the cabinet and I do not have a fridge in the classroom --and as much as I would like to provide something with protein I end up paying for most of the snacks and can only dip into my family budget so much.

[CarrieMF]

The school here has snack in the morning. I don't know what grade it stops at.

personally I like the snacks, it takes the class 10minutes to have.

We live in town 5 houses from the school, but the out of town kids are all bussed to this school. Some of them are getting on the bus at 7:30am and earlier(school starts at 8:50). So some of them are eating at 7 then without snack not eating again until 11:30 or 11:45(4th year in the school and I still can't figure out when lunch time is,lol). Then there is no snack in the afternoon and some of these kids are getting home at 4:30-5.

People do not learn properly without a constant fuel supply. Not having snack leads turns these kids into adults with food habits where they eat 3 times a day instead of 5-6 times a day.

My oldest is in Grade 3 and by the time she gets home at 3:40 I can tell she is having low blood sugar issues and NEEDS something NOW. I'd hate for her to be a kid that doesn't get food until 4:30 or 5.

however my problem is going to be my dd going into K. If she doesn't eat every 3hours(3.5 is too long) she gets headaches and will puke for 2-3 hours. It'll be fine in the morning since they get snack, but in the afternoons they don't and it was a problem we had alot in playschool. She went from 1-3pm, so to get her to school on time I often had to feed them dinner at 11:30, they didn't eat snack till 2:45 and by 4pm she'd have a headache and then by 4:30-5 be puking.

Just recently she added a new thing where she didn't eat enough bkfast and at dinner time she said she felt funny and was really dizzy.

She, like many other kids, has low blood sugar issues. It is something that is more common than alot of people would like to think and it gets worse when kids are in school and so active physically and mentally they just need more food than they do when out of school a few weeks.

Even though there is no afternoon snack she will be eating something in the afternoon at school or else the teachers can deal with her puking.

oh, once the kids leave playschool and enter the school system each child brings their own snack unless the parent wants to send enough of something special for the entire class.

[teachma]

To the OP: I don't ever go three hours without eating!

My first grader will board the school bus at 8:00 this year. Working back from that time, we'll need to finish breakfast around 7:30. At school, his lunch time is 12:45. So, he'd actually have to go 5.25 hours without food. I am so grateful his teacher provides a mid-morning snack break. Her note specified fruit or veggies for the snacks, but I am actually going to request that ds be allowed to bring in 1/2 soy butter sandwich, a yogurt, or a cheese stick because he tends to over-do the fruits and veggies and lack protein. Each parent provides snack for her own child at our school, as is the way it should be (IMHO) due to allergies and individual dietary concerns.

[mommy68]

My son is in 5th grade and they do this in every grade at his school. I think it's a good thing. They also get to bring in water or juices if they want. He tells me all the time about how hungry he gets both before and after lunch. Their snack is mid-morning. IMO they should offer both a morning and an afternoon snack. My son gets pretty grouchy by the time school gets out at 3pm.

[xmysticprincessx]

i substitute teach pre-k through 12. snack is provided by the school for pre-k classes. every day is something different: sandwiches, cereal, and im not sure what the other days are since i didnt sub those days. they can also have cheese, saltine crackers, graham crackers, apple slives, or orange slices.

k classes (half day) have community snack in which parents bring in non-perishable items to be saved for snack in the coming month or 2. its normally stuff in individual packs like goldfish, teddy grahams, etc.

grades 1-5 bring their own healthy snacks, although different parents have different ideas of what healthy means. one kid had black olives one day!!! i thought they were grapes! i was surprised a 3rd grader liked olives, but he put them on his fingers and ate them. snack time in those grades is normally an hour and a half before lunch and they normally have free reading or an easy assignment to do during that time. snack time is usually about 10-15 mins.

[LunaMom]

They have snack in all the grades at my DD's elementary school (up to 5th grade).

Kids bring their own snacks, and some teachers are stricter than others about the types of snacks. Some will not allow any junk food, some don't care. DD just got a welcome letter from her new teacher today (2nd grade) saying only water and no juice at snacktime. I'm thrilled, but I bet a lot of other parents won't be.

Snack time is in the morning, and lunch is around noon. I'd really prefer snack to be in the afternoon, because DD comes home kind of cranky at the end of the day and I think it's due to low blood sugar! But I wonder if the teachers have morning snack to help out those kids who have no breakfast or a small or not-so-nutritious breakfast?

[~Demeter~]

In my kids school they have a mid-morning snack in certain grades. I don't think my 5th grader has one but my 2nd grader does. At least this year I don't have to buy for the whole class. I get somewhat frustrated with all the rules they have when you buy for everybody. The main one being that it MUST be store bought. Now because it is just my son I am providing for I can send him in with banana bread or something else that I have baked and know he is eating better. I used to send in graham crackers because they were cheaper and that was all I could afford. I find it sad that my oldest doesn't have snack time because he is one that deals with low blood sugar and is a slow eater. Lunch time they have 20 mins to eat and he volunteers his recess time to help with the younger grades. So I am truly not sure how much he is actually eating at school.. I know he can tend to get rather grumpy after school (the walk home) and I usually have a snack prepared for them when they get home. He also tends to get headaches sometimes associated with vomiting. I think snack time is important but prefer it when it is only my children I am providing for.

[CarrieMF]

I find it sad that my oldest doesn't have snack time because he is one that deals with low blood sugar and is a slow eater.

On the forms have to send in I have wrote on them that due to low blood sugar issues my 1 dd MUST eat every 3 hours MAX or else she will get headaches and throw up. I added that I will be providing food for her to eat in the afternoon(snack time is in the morning). Except for Wed's she will be able to eat it at recess. On Wed's (Early dismissal) she can have it at 2:30 when they come home. When she goes again on Friday I am bringing it up with her teacher when I drop her off. IF they do not follow through I will be going to the principal about it.

[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

On the forms have to send in I have wrote on them that due to low blood sugar issues my 1 dd MUST eat every 3 hours MAX or else she will get headaches and throw up. I added that I will be providing food for her to eat in the afternoon(snack time is in the morning). Except for Wed's she will be able to eat it at recess. On Wed's (Early dismissal) she can have it at 2:30 when they come home. When she goes again on Friday I am bringing it up with her teacher when I drop her off. IF they do not follow through I will be going to the principal about it.

I will definitely look into this for him. Thanks for the tip. Most of his other teachers have understood that at times he feels "off" and needs a little boost. I am unsure how this teacher is.. and from what I have witnessed so far I am not sure she will be understanding. I am on friendly terms with the school nurse though so I will definitely be placing a call in to her tomorrow morning.

[sarahmae1]

My ds recently started half-day K, and the teacher sent a note asking parents to bring in a box of crackers to keep in the snack cupboard. I had talked to her about the snack, because apparently she only gives them 2 or 3 crackers (and water) and they can't have any seconds! My ds eats bfast and lunch before school, but he's used to having a bigger snack in the afternoons and is starving when he gets home from school! He doesn't eat a lot early in the day, but then eats more later. I've decided not to 'fight' it or anything as school is only 3hrs. long and so I just have something waiting for him when we get home. I don't like it though.

[sleepies]

yes and i hate it

yes,
we are put on the calendar once a month to bring in 'snack'.

i always send in carrots!

i agree, they do NOT need to eat a snack. they eat breakfast and lunch there. and are home by 3:30.

the other moms send crackers, cookies, and sweets.

our school is a public school. you'd think you wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for that stuff in a "public" school.

but, we do.

[TiredX2]

I'm not sure how DS's class will work (1/2 day kinder is only 2:40 here) but I'm VERY glad DD (3rd grade) gets snack again this year. Each child brings their own and it is usually a relaxing time--- the teacher last year generally read aloud while the kids ate.

[Mirzam]

I don't think it is reasonable to expect children go an entire day of school without a snack. My DS is in 1st grade and has two snack times, am and pm in addition to his lunch. Each child has a water bottle on their desk. My DD (now homeschooled) went to ps up to 2nd grade. In kindergarten they had hot snack -- Waldorf style -- in 1st and 2nd grade they would have a morning and afternoon snack, but were allowed to snack at their desks at (appropriate times) whenever they needed too. They also had a spring water dispenser in the class room so they could drink when ever they felt thirsty.

[tessamami]

DD did snack in Kindergarten

Not sure if they will do it this year. I like it. I think it's a good idea. Last year I always had DD bring a fruit or cheese, and then a carb to go with it. Biggest hit(s): grapes and popcorn

Her kindergarten class ate "lunch" at 10:30 am. She eats breakfast at about 8am. So she isn't too hungry for "lunch". And besides, she likes to chat with her friends. . . . :

Edited to add: We were also asked to provide juice. I did bring in a large container or 2 of juice, and Dixie cups, so it ended up being only about 3 ozs per kid. I never asked if I could bring in water, instead. Though I don't like the idea of bottled water, and the landfill that they create. Those juice boxes are a bit TOO much, YK? Besides those boxes are expen$ive. That way they had extra cups for water, too.

[CarrieMF]

Those juice boxes are a bit TOO much, YK?

Our school has a juice box recycling program.