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My daughter's 2nd grade teacher allows them to snack in class throughout the day. They can't bring in junk and it can't be distracting to others, but aside from that, they have a green light to eat whenever they feel hungry.
The ground rules I have set with my daughter is that I will only send one snack per day and it must be healthy.
I don't worry about the additional calorie consumption because she is very petite (actually a bit underweight) and has a small appetite; what I am not sure I like is the message it sends that it's okay to sit around and eat while you are engaged in other tasks and/or are bored. She has already asked to have snacks while she does her required nightly reading and I remind her that's not allowed at home.
Does anyone else have kids allowed to eat in their classroom and what do you think of it?
My daughter's 2nd grade teacher allows them to snack in class throughout the day. They can't bring in junk and it can't be distracting to others, but aside from that, they have a green light to eat whenever they feel hungry.
The ground rules I have set with my daughter is that I will only send one snack per day and it must be healthy.
I don't worry about the additional calorie consumption because she is very petite (actually a bit underweight) and has a small appetite; what I am not sure I like is the message it sends that it's okay to sit around and eat while you are engaged in other tasks and/or are bored. She has already asked to have snacks while she does her required nightly reading and I remind her that's not allowed at home.
Does anyone else have kids allowed to eat in their classroom and what do you think of it?
It sends the message that you should eat when you are hungry. It also sends the message that while there are classroom rules those rules do not have to be arbitrary. I think it makes a lot of sense for kids to be allowed to eat healthy food when they are hungry as long as they do not disturb others.
My daughter's 2nd grade class gets snack time at around 9:45. At her school, Kinder was always allowed a snack to help them get used to the schedule. No snacks were in any other grades. Since her grade has moved up, the teachers continue to allow snack as the kids complain "but we had snack last year..."
I think the pattern needs to stop. It's not like they're eating lunch at 1pm.
My daughter's 2nd grade class gets snack time at around 9:45. At her school, Kinder was always allowed a snack to help them get used to the schedule. No snacks were in any other grades. Since her grade has moved up, the teachers continue to allow snack as the kids complain "but we had snack last year..."
I think the pattern needs to stop. It's not like they're eating lunch at 1pm.
The issue my son had was that lunch was super early (10:30) and school didn't get out until 2. The younger kids have small stomachs and that is a long time for them to go without food. They had snack time in the afternoon in the lower grades.
The issue my son had was that lunch was super early (10:30) and school didn't get out until 2. The younger kids have small stomachs and that is a long time for them to go without food. They had snack time in the afternoon in the lower grades.
My son's pre-k class has lunch at 10:45 and gets snack at 9:30... I don't understand why they need a snack an hour before lunch... School is out at 2:45, and both kids are in extended care, so they get a snack immediately after school.
My older child, 4th grade, is allowed to get his snack when ever he wants to eat it in the day. But, oddly, he doesn't ever choose to bring one. He loves snacks. So I don't know why
I think it could backfire for some kids if the parents sent several snacks. Non-intuitive eaters could have a problem. Intuitive eaters would do well with it.
I think it's up to the parents to make sure they are sending the right type and amount of snacks. Last year I used to send a whole bag of snacks, healthy stuff. Because they could snack pretty much any time and they were in aftercare so they were starving when I picked them up.
I can understand the reason for a snack time, but I'm not a fan of mindless grazing all day. Separating true hunger from boredom eating is an important component of maintaining a healthy weight.
Sometimes my kids were scheduled for the 10:15 lunch, and sometimes the 1:30 slot. Both scenarios made for long periods without any food unless there was a dedicated snack time.
But I'm curious about the teacher's rationale behind letting them eat all day long. And, what snack foods are appropriate?
I'm trying to think of things that don't crunch, smell, or make crumbs, and are considered healthy.
I can see how depending on the child's scheduled lunch time, they might be get very hungry in the am (if they have a late lunch) or pm (if they have an early lunch). In my daughter's case, her lunch period is from 11:35 to 12:05, which is perfect for a school day that runs from 8-3.
I presume the teacher had previous experience with hungry kids and decided that allowing them to eat when and if they wanted was preferable.
And maybe it's just me, but one of the first things that came to mind about this was the potential mess it makes in the classroom. I have to assume that either that it not the case, or just that the teacher is unconcerned about it.
We had snacks allowed one year when my son's lunch was at 1pm with an 8:30 start time. But it was during one set class period, not all throughout the day.
I can understand the reason for a snack time, but I'm not a fan of mindless grazing all day. Separating true hunger from boredom eating is an important component of maintaining a healthy weight.
Sometimes my kids were scheduled for the 10:15 lunch, and sometimes the 1:30 slot. Both scenarios made for long periods without any food unless there was a dedicated snack time.
But I'm curious about the teacher's rationale behind letting them eat all day long. And, what snack foods are appropriate?
I'm trying to think of things that don't crunch, smell, or make crumbs, and are considered healthy.
Yup, what this person ^ said. Kids can start to confuse actual hunger with boredom.
Second, when my oldest was in K., the teacher had this 'brilliant idea' that children should have 'refreshments' less than an hour before lunchtime. Not surprising the kids didn't have much appetite for lunch. And the teacher was an older woman who had previously been a P.E. teacher.
One thing that occurred to me, also, was when kids/parents didn't place so much emphasis on snacks/snacking, there was less obesity. My POV: maybe it'd be o.k. for a high schooler to have a pack of peanutbutter crackers or something in his/her backpack, but other than that I think snacking is not a good idea.
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