For parents of children in elementary/intermediate school...

[Mskanga]

What time do your kids have lunch in school? Do they get to eat any snacks during the day?
My dd is in 5th grade , she's at school by 9 am and eats lunch at 12:15 pm , and she's not allowed to eat any snacks until after she gets home at 4 pm. Next year will be even worse, she will eat lunch at 11:15 and have nothing for snacks either until she gets home at 4 pm.
What really surprised me is that the teachers told them yesterday that they should have a big breakfast because all this week they have PSSA tests and they go three hours without eating any food. HELLO?? They do that everyday, why do they only worry about the PSSA test time?
Thankfully I make sure my kids always have a good breakfast before they go to school, but why the heck would the school personnel only worry about a big breakfast now?

 

[Pop Daddy]

my daughter in 6th grade doesnt have lunch untl 12:30 and there are no snacks

 

[browneyes]

My dd is in the 5th grade, also. Her lunchtime is at 12:30. My ds is in 2nd grade. His lunch time is 12:15. They can bring snacks in if they want to, but most of the time, they don't want to. They have to be at school by 7:40 am.

 

[rbuzzotta]

My DD in middle school (7th grade) eats lunch at 10:30!!! She is starving when she comes home from school at 3 PM!! No snacks during the day for her. Sometimes she throw a cracker down in between classes and prays she doesnt get caught (so far she hasn't).

However they let the 5th and 6th graders have snacks because their lunch time is later (also middle school).

DD #2 and #3 in 2nd grade and K have snacks in the mornig. They tried to do away with it because we have a townwide ruling about no food in classrooms due to allergies (none however in either of my girls classes) but it didn't go over too well.

Dd #2 needs to have small snacks during the day due to GERD. She gets bad heartburn with even the slightest empting of her stomach.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

The school (private) my DDs are at allow, in fact encourage snacks at recess for 2-4th grade. School starts at 8:15, and those grades do not eat lunch until 12:30. But they have recess at 10:00. Even the teachers eat a snack. School is out at 3:00, so no afternoon snack.

DD5 eats lunch at 10:45, so no morning snack for her, but they do have an afternoon snack around 2:00. DD2's class has a snack or meal every 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

 

[Cindy B]

My 6th grade team of teachers allows students tko have snacks from 1100-1107. They get in school at 8:30, and lunchtime is at 1208.

The reason snack time is so late, is because after homeroom they have gym/art/music/health.. and they can't eat then .

FWIW, not many students bring snack. The teacher used to allow a few minutes "free time". Now the teachers are having lessons start, and they snack away during the lesson.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

last year my son had lunch at 12:30. The teacher asked everyone to bring in a snack a month for the whole class so that they could have a midmorning snack.
This year he has lunch at 11:00 and gets out at 2:15. He is starving and very thirsty when he gets into the car. I always bring him something to drink and snack on in the car when I pick him up.

 

[Nancy]

No snack times for any of the kids but the 5th grader is allowed to have a water bottle at her desk all day. They did have snack time up until 3rd grade..in the morning because lunch times were later. As soon as my kids walk in the door they are into the fridge for snacks.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

My DD is in 7th grade this year. Her day starts at 8, lunch for her is 11:30 and she gets home around 3:30. I don't get home until 5pm and usually don't have dinner ready until 7.

IMO, too much emphasis is on the PSSA. My DD has a prep class for it! If the teachers are doing their job, the prep class and practice tests wouldn't be necessary - but I'm not go to open that subject here. stepping down now.

 

[bobcat]

The reason they stress breakfast on tesing days is that the brain works better when it isn't hungry. DUH! Any good parent knows that already as well as to get enough sleep that week and every other night as well. Unfortunately there are many, let's be nice and say "chalenged" parents that don't think about those kinds of things. So teachers have to remind parents to do their jobs. LOL

Our 6th graders, both my students and my daughter's school, actually are fed breakfast by their teachers just to make sure the kids are focusing on their test and not their hungry bellies.

WARNING*** CLIMBING ON MY SOAP BOX****

I personally think we should feed all children breakfast at school. In many schools it is optional if the parents want to send money for their student to buy, my daughters school just started this my school does not. If a student comes to school hungry, for whatever reason, we have just lost half of the day's learning for that child because they are focusing on when they will eat and not on their work. We have way too many kids going hungry that shouldn't be. I am also strongly against pop machines, juice machines, and junck snack machines selling crap to our kids at school, just so the cafeteria can make a profit. I see too many kids eating this junk instead of an actual lunch, heck I was like that myself at that age and it took many years to change those eating habits.

 

[buddy&wooz]

My son (5th grade) starts the school day at 8:15, and doesn't eat lunch until 1pm, due to overcrowding- they can only fit one grade in the lunch room at a time, and there are 5 grades in the school. Generally the teachers will let the kids eat a small snack during class time, but there's no scheduled "snack time". Luckily they're about to put a new addition on the school with a BIG cafeteria!

 

[phorsenuf]

My 6th grader gets to school about 8:20, lunch at 10:30 home at 4! Talk about being ravenous.

 

[RitaZ.]

I agree that it's the parents responsibility to feed their children breakfast, unfortunately it doesn't mean that they will eat it though. Our schools also remind the students to eat a high protein breakfast on test days, especially for the FCAT. Several weeks before the tests, reminders and tips are sent home to remind parents.

I was a proctor at my children's school during FCAT. Before the test began, the teacher did jumping jacks with the students (5th graders) to help them to relax, she talked to them and asked if they had a "good breakfast". One boy said that he ate a brownie and another didn't eat at all. The students that attend this school aren't "poor" or deprived by any means. I realize that some kids are not breakfast eaters, I have one like that myself.

If your tummy is empty and hurting that's all you'll focus on.

 

[SC Minnie]

My 4th grade DD's school starts at 7:45. She has lunch at 10:30 also. My biggest problem is they only get 20 minutes for lunch. The 20 minutes includes leaving their classroom, going through the lunch line if they buy, eating, and leaving! I have to continuously make her slow down when eating at home. She shovels the food in like she is in a race.

I'm only 35 and remember having at a minimum of 30 minutes for lunch.

 

[Girls Scout Leader]

Is it really such a big deal if they have to go three full hours without eating?

I am amazed at how much kids eat today comapred to what I ate as a kid. My mom did not buy specific snacks, like granola, chips, whatever. We sat in school all morning (well, after like grade 2) without eating and afternoon as well.

The only kids I knew that had actual snacks after school were the farm kids, because supper was after milking, about 8:00 pm. And they got a snack becasue they were WORKING till then.

Obesity is growing rapidly (no pun intended) and I wonder about these kids who cannot go 1/2 hour without putting something in thier mouths, when all they are doing is sitting in front of a game station anyway. I see kids who cannot travel to the store without Mom packing snacks, picking up snacks at the store, eating take out supper and snacks again before bed. My construction worker hubby eats less than these kids, and he is WORKING!!

Eating good, well balanced meals is the key. Especially BREAKFAST. My DD has a hard time with this, because she is just not hungary at 5:30 am when she has to get up. But there are chioces at school, and that helps.

Ok, offf my soap box. Ready to be blasted.

 

[pjlla]

I certainly don't want to blast you but.......... just from my experience...... my kids both eat breakfast. However, my DS (6) can only eat the equivalent of one bowl of cereal or one waffle and a little juice or milk. Then about 10:30 am he wants more bkfst. I just think his stomach can't handle large amounts of food at a time. He does much better with 5 or 6 small "meals" a day (not junk!). In our elementary the 1st grade has morning snack about 10:30 and then lunch at about 1 or 1:15. That will probably work out fine for him. He will snack when he gets home and then have dinner around 6pm. Anyhow.... my point is, he does eat frequently, but not a lot at each time.

Can't remember when the second grade eats lunch, but DD in 3rd grade has lunch at 11 am and snack at about 1:30 pm. Some days she is really hungry when she gets home and other days she is not. I think it depends on how much she liked the hot lunch!

My DD's school nurse sent home a note yesterday about nutrition (March is National Nutrition Month?). She said she observed in one child's lunch box the following..... a bottle of blue Kool-aid, a fruit roll-up, a beef jerky stick, and something else I can't remember (maybe a cupcake?). I was horrified. Just as I am horrified when I volunteer in the classes and see what the kids bring for snack. There was a child in my DD's class whose daily afternoon snack was a can of Coke (regular, with caffeine and sugar!) and a fruit roll-up!!!!!!!!!! WHAT ARE THOSE PARENTS THINKING?????? These are 8 and 9 year olds!! She would have been better off with NO snack. Well, I'm not sure why I brought that up.... just felt like mentioning it. I think it is equally important WHEN your child is eating/allowed to eat and WHAT.............................P

 

[LisaF]

DD in 7th grade starts school at 9:05, lunch for her is at 11:00 - and she's usually not real hungry because she just had breakfast at 8:30. School is over at 4:00, but she goes directly to volleyball or basketball practice and isn't done until 6:00. Talk about starving!! I send snacks with her to eat while she's changing in the locker room. But she still hits the door and wants to know what is for dinner!!

DS's start school at 8:30, eat lunch at 11:30, go directly to after school care where they are expected to bring a snack and drink. I know many children who bring 2 lunches - one for during school and one for the after school care. I think snacks definitely are helpful to the children.

LisaF

 

[tiggerlover]

Olga, my son is in seond grade and this is how it works at his school. Grades K-7 all have recess at 10:05 and are allowed to have snack, the cafeteria is even open for students to purchase snacks if they desire. K-3 has lunch at 11:55 and 4-7 has lunch at 12:15. Often times DS skips morning recess snack as he wants to get right to recess, but boy by the time school is out at 3:00 he is starving. (BTW, school starts at 8am).

It is important to the schools to make sure students are well fed on standardized testing days because as someone mentioned "the brain works better when it isn't hungry." In our school the PTA organizes a snack rotation with the parents during testing week, we are asked to volunteer for a specific day and to supply one of the following treats, muffins, fruit, orange juice and water. This way the school ensures that the students are not hungry during testing.

 

[disykat]

In our school the kids snack all day long. Frankly, I find it disgusting and feel it's teaching bad eating habits. They started out allowing snacks as the lunches got spread out - kids who ate late got to have a morning snack, kids who ate early got to have an afternoon snack. That makes sense. But now it has turned into a free for all of kids eating anytime they want to in many classes.

I would rather the kids not eat between meals unless there are extenuating circumstances. My kids both have lunch at a reasonable hour this year so I don't send any snack with them. They have a snack when they get home.

IMO snacks should only be allowed at recess/breaks. This new habit of encouraging the kids to constantly graze at their desks freaks me out.

 

[thatchicktrish]

My DS (7) is in 2nd grade, they start school at about 9am and have lunch at noon, no snacks. He is hungry when he gets home but not starving, he usually will have a yogurt or granola bar to hold him over until dinner at 6:30. He is a very picky/light eater now so this may change as he gets older and his day starts earlier.