Snack Time

[Guest]

is anyone else having problems with snack? At the moment we have a continuous snack but it is driving me mad, i spend more time chasing up those who havent had it than if we had all sat down together. I feel we are losing valuable social time and as a health promoting school we should be encouraging the children to eat their fruit.

What does everyone else do?

[Guest]

We are a preschool and have a very successful continuous snack bar. Variety helps, for example our story focus this week is Olivers vegetables. We could actually cover the whole curriculum just with the snack bar.

 

start of session- walk to local shop to buy vegetables.

On return, explore property of Vegetables - using all our senses.

Compare, size, weight, shape, smell etc.

Photo menu's ( pictures of vegetables ) children choose and make their order.

Children help to prepare vegetables for the snack bar

Make dip - yoghurt and mint ( this really encouraged reluctant veg eaters to try a variety of vegetables)

social interaction - sharing, discuss likes dislikes, table manners, please can you pass the milk, the dip, etc

Older children assist younger ones

They learn to consider others, (if you eat all the carrots how will X feel when X would like some and there's none left?)

Health & hygiene rules of using the snack bar.

Children wash-up utensils etc after use

 

Sequence vegetables to tell the story.

Vegetables available on a seperate table for exploration

Food collage ( pictures from magazines)- one of healthy foods, one of unhealthy foods.

graphs to show favourite vegetables

descriptive language.

 

This could also be achieved using fruit, shopping, prepare fruit salads, kebabs, etc, involve children in the preparation and display of snack bar. We have a nice table cloth, sometimes a plant, serviettes, and total self selection of food and drink.

 

We monitor who has accessed the snack bar but at the end of the day, all of us have different "hunger / thirst" body clocks. We teach our children to eat / drink when hungry / thirsty, to not eat just for the sake of it ( some children initially feel the need to eat as much as they can because they have learnt that food is not always available - when they realise it is, they can then begin to learn to understand and "read" their own body clocks. To be in control of their own eating needs, thus enabling self awareness. Food likes and dislikes become less of an issue and food is seen as a means to an end - ie: reliefs hunger / thirst. (a basic need) and not a medium for attention seeking or control over others. They also learn that it is a good place to be to socialise, to have a rest, ( just us when we go into a cafe) and it is a place where they can sit and watch ( especially good for new children settling in who are at the "looking-on" stage of play - social interaction)

Hope this gives a little inspiration.

 

peggy

[Rea]

I was watching House of tiny tearaways this week, one child who's parents said he didnt eat was 'grazing' during the day and so not eating his regular meals, doesnt having a snack bar disturb their main meal times?

I like the idea of snack bars but as I've never seen one in action I just wondered.

[Marion]

We have continuous snack time in our Foundation Stage Unit without any major disturbance to the day. The way we work is when the children arrive they put a picture of themselves (which is hung on their coat peg by a rubber band )into a basket. The pictures are then attached by the band to the either milk juice or water and placed on a tray in the snack area along with a piece of fruit. The children can then help themselves to the drink and fruit and replace the picture in the basket when they are finished. It is an easy matter at story time to see who hasnt had their snack and hand it out.

[Guest]

is anyone else having problems with snack? At the moment we have a continuous snack but it is driving me mad, i spend more time chasing up those who havent had it than if we had all sat down together. I feel we are losing valuable social time and as a health promoting school we should be encouraging the children to eat their fruit.

What does everyone else do?

43035[/snapback]

[Guest]

is anyone else having problems with snack? At the moment we have a continuous snack but it is driving me mad, i spend more time chasing up those who havent had it than if we had all sat down together. I feel we are losing valuable social time and as a health promoting school we should be encouraging the children to eat their fruit.

What does everyone else do?

43035[/snapback]

 

We had this problem and decided to have a snack and chat session twice a week and group snacks with adult for the others. We felt it defeated the object by continually chasing children around trying to get them to leave their activity and have snack.

[Guest]

Hi keekorok

Welcome to the forum.

We don't have a snack bar but we don't all sit down together either. We take groups of about 8 children to have their snack and this happens from about 9.45 to 10.45. I suppose this is something of a compromise between the two. If the children are busy doing something or don't want their snack when asked to go we leave them and ask again later.

We find this works well-we only have a small number of children and we can spend time chatting with them. They help themselves to their drink and the snack is placed on a plate or in a bowl on the table, 4 children to each table.

I know that snack bars work well in many settings as we have had this conversation somewhere before-I'll try and find it for you.

LInda

[Guest]

Actually there are two. One is here and the other can be found here.

[Guest]

Just found a third!!!

Linda

[Inge]

we also have developed a sort of mix of the two. very similar to linda pour own drinks etc.

 

we set up the table at a about 10.30 (we dont start until 9.15) they often choose to come to the table at this time. As those who have chosen to come first leave, we will ask them to go to a named child and let them know that they could come for thier snack. this works quite well, if the child says no, we respect thier choice and will offer again later. before putting away usually all children have had something but we will check everyone has been given a chance and respect the choice of those who say no. while we encourage the snack we always give them the choice.

 

water is always available at a table with cups for them to help themselves at any time.

 

If a child often refuses drink or snack then we will inform the parent at the end of the session. There are many reasons as to why they do not come, some will come all week just not one day, others only come occasionally, one we had flatly refused to eat or drink anything unless it was at home or given by mum. even a packed break did not work! All strategies tried failed, but she did drink water a couple of times in the hot weather. we often wonder how she copes with it now she is at school.

 

Inge

[Guest]

We don't operate a snack bar, but all sit down at the same time, usually with one adult per table. I've seen snack bars in action, but really like the opportunities for learning from sitting down altogether. Also, for our children it's probably one of the few times that they sit to a table with others for a meal. We often sort the fruit by type, count the fruit, count the segments in the satsumas or count how many 'chops' the adutl makes in the banana etc. We also talk about what we've been doing at nursery during the session, so it's a really nice social time.

However, I could see that this could work with having groups of children having snack at any given time, but we personally don't have enough adults to make this work.

[Guest]

After toying with the idea of a cafe style snack time for ages (and dismissing it many times) we finally went with it in September. This was mainly because we had so many new little ones, that some were sitting, while we were chasing others to come and sit down!

 

So we went with the cafe. AND it was successful, but today we have decided to go back to sitting down together again. 1 adult per about 6 children at a table. Why ????? Because we miss actually sitting down socially with the children - it's just more relaxed and they can learn as many independance skills as they would at a cafe style.

 

I suppose you just have to work out which is best for your group - we tried it and it did work, but we felt much closer as a group when we all sat down together and our morning flowed better.

 

janice

[Guest]

After toying with the idea of a cafe style snack time for ages (and dismissing it many times) we finally went with it in September. This was mainly because we had so many new little ones, that some were sitting, while we were chasing others to come and sit down!

 

So we went with the cafe. AND it was successful, but today we have decided to go back to sitting down together again. 1 adult per about 6 children at a table. Why ????? Because we miss actually sitting down socially with the children - it's just more relaxed and they can learn as many independance skills as they would at a cafe style.

 

I suppose you just have to work out which is best for your group - we tried it and it did work, but we felt much closer as a group when we all sat down together and our morning flowed better.

 

janice 

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We find the same. Its a brilliant chance to share news and views!!

Have a self service is still good for a couple of sessions especially when the children have made their own snack. ie fruit kebabs etc.

What ever works best, I say. x

[Guest]

Hi janice

I agree with you by actually having a time where every child sitts down with an adult can sometimes be the only time that they actually sit at a table for food. our most difficult time is afterwards cos most seem so full of beans after a food intake that its difficult to get them back to playing so we then tend to do a phsical activity to burn off some calories.

Should I ask how your day went?

[Guest]

Steph .... in a word ........ dreadful