Snack Time

[Guest]

Our children are currently offered milk or water, fruit and a plainish biscuit. I want to get away from the biscuit everyday. What do you offer?

 

Al

[Guest]

In the past we have always offered milk and water (definately no juice!) fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheese cubes, carrot/celery/cucumber/pepper sticks, breadsticks and rice cakes.

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest]

We have milk or water, fruit or raw veg and then one of the following -

 

cracker with cheese,

breadstick (sometimes with cream cheese to dip in),

toast,

oatcake,

potato cake,

crumpet,

rice cakes,

popcorn (made ourselves with no flavouring),

savoury sandwich,

cheese scone,

pitta bread,

crusty bread and butter,

chapatis,

oh and I'm sure there is more but it has been a long day so hope this helps a bit. We have wholemeal products where possible.

[aliamch]

We offer the same, but in the autumn term we also make vegetable soup with the children for them to have at snack time

Karrie

[Jackie H]

Our nursery children bring a piece of fresh fruit daily that they place in a basket. The special day person helps to wash and cut the fruit and put it in the snack table. Today they had a choice of red and green grapes, mango,orange,melon,raspberries,apple,plum,peach and pears. On an afternoon the catering dept provide a healthy snack so either

Carrot

cucumber

peppers ( they love these)

crackers and cheese

pitta bread

small sandwich ( the children prepare these)

very similar to Megsmum

[Guest MaryEMac]

Our children bring their own snack of fruit or veg in a named tub, which we store in a cool bag. Most parents are good but occasionally we find a cake or biscuit appearing and have to send out a reminder! For drink we offer water, milk, apple squash or lemon squash. Most of the children choose milk.

 

Mary

[hali]

hi we provide milk or water and dried/fresh fruit/veg..this term once a week on different days we are going to add toast, crumpets,croisants etc.....

[Guest]

We are part of a scheme where we are provided with free fruit and veg to provide at snack time. However our snack time sounds very borign compared to the delicous snacks on offer at megsmum's setting!!

[Guest]

our children like criossants we also make fruit kebabs and the favourite snack is hummous with carrot and cucumber sticks

[Guest]

Ours is also similar to megmum's. We also do yoghurt dips to go with the vegetables, some of which we grow ourselves in our 'square foot' garden, e.g. we've got sweetcorn, tomatoes & carrots at the minute. We also make soup, sandwiches & similar with the children at work time, to eat at snack time.

 

One idea that sometimes works well for us is having a basket in which parents can place their own contributions - we've had pears, melons, pineapple, all sorts, really, this way.

[Guest]

We offer mostly the same as above posts. We have found that a small bowl of breakfast ceral goes down well, half a weetabix is used, no sugar, or a small amount of corn flakes again with no sugar. We also provide milk shake powder in banana, strawberry and choc so the children can make their own milkshake. We try to use as much organic fruit as poss.

[Guest]

Like many of you I'm sure, we are a nursery (sessional, non-maintained) on a very tight budget due to the high number of 2 - 3 year olds and limited foundation stage children. I am eager to improve our snack times and have recently bought some lolly makers from our pound shop. I feel sure some of you out there have some fab ideas for lollies that also press the healthy eating button.... I picked up a card from Sainsbury's where you liquidise a tin of their economy fruit salad with some fruit juice which I'm going to try..... What about a milk & nesquick type 'minimilk' lolly - will it work or will it separate when I freeze it? I'm keen to steer away from the traditional 'diluted squash' which we all used to have as kids and understand that pure fruit juice is bad.... equally, just fresh fruit will prove too expensive an option for us....

Over to you lovely people!

[Beau]

We only offer a choice of water or milk to drink - obviously the water costs nothing and milk is refunded. Then we have a range of fruit and vegetables (which can work out quite cheaply if bought in season and taking advantage of supermarket offers). Then we have some sort of carbohydrate with maybe cheese, eggs, jam or fromage frais. I'm in Scotland so funding works differently here but we are only allowed to charge 20p per child per snack which obviously is ridiculous considering the fact that we are expected to provise something healthy. That is a different topic though.

[Deb]

What about milk jelly (milk whisked into Jelly and set) in individual pots - would that be acceptable?

Deb

[Guest]

There was a hint in a woman's mag recently about freezing those 'Danone Actimel' type yoghurt drinks to make lollies. I think it would probably be a bit expensive though.

[Marion]

Im not sure if all LAs are the same but we had a directive and can no longer offer fruit juice/squash in any form.

[Guest]

I offer much the same as everyone else, veg, fruit, cheese, eggs, breads and healthy nibbles.

 

This term I have started a new plan of taking the children to the local shops and/or sainsbury's ( our nearest supermarket) to buy the snack bar food.

Today was the first day.

We stated by me showing the children pictures of different foods, they would say which ones they liked.

We walked, which took 30 minutes, then shopped using our picture list, which took 30 minutes, then walked back, another 30 mins.

When we got back to preschool it was time for lunch!!!

We have a rope that the children hold when we walk, they evokes lots of smiles from passersby.

They behaved immaculately in the supermarket ( even giving us time to get some other preschool supplies- my lunch and some washing-up liquid.

When we got to the shop, I gave each child their picture and we took it in turns to 'go and find' their produce, we bought;

Naan bread

Bread for toast

Oranges

Bananas

A melon

Strawberries

Carrots

Apples

Tomatoes

 

Then we remembered we had to carry it all back to preschool (luckily we took a backpack with us.

 

When we got back to preschool, the children eagerly had a drink, and we displayed our shopping near the entrance. Each child showed their parent what they had bought at the shop today.

 

I shall be doing this every week, on a rotation of days. We will have a different learning focus, ie: today was basically "How do we get there" looking at landmarks on the journey.

and "naming items and remembering what one to buy", then reflection, "What one did you buy"

 

One of the boys said when I asked how shall we pay for ithe food?, " Don't worry, I have some money in my pocket", showing me his imaginary penny, bless.

 

attached some pics. Can you see what was not on our shopping list??? (clue-no picture on display table)

 

Peggy

[Guest]

I offer much the same as everyone else, veg, fruit, cheese, eggs, breads and healthy nibbles.

 

This term I have started a new plan of taking the children to the local shops and/or sainsbury's ( our nearest supermarket) to buy the snack bar food.

Today was the first day.

We stated by me showing the children pictures of different foods, they would say which ones they liked.

We walked, which took 30 minutes, then shopped using our picture list, which took 30 minutes, then walked back, another 30 mins.

When we got back to preschool it was time for lunch!!!

We have a rope that the children hold when we walk, they evokes lots of smiles from passersby.

They behaved immaculately in the supermarket ( even giving us time to get some other preschool supplies- my lunch and some washing-up liquid.

When we got to the shop, I gave each child their picture and we took it in turns to 'go and find' their produce, we bought;

Naan bread

Bread for toast

Oranges

Bananas

A melon

Strawberries

Carrots

Apples

Tomatoes

 

Then we remembered we had to carry it all back to preschool (luckily we took a backpack with us.

 

When we got back to preschool, the children eagerly had a drink, and we displayed our shopping near the entrance. Each child showed their parent what they had bought at the shop today.

 

I shall be doing this every week, on a rotation of days. We will have a different learning focus, ie: today was basically "How do we get there" looking at landmarks on the journey.

and "naming items and remembering what one to buy", then reflection, "What one did you buy"

 

One of the boys said when I asked how shall we pay for ithe food?, " Don't worry, I have some money in my pocket", showing me his imaginary penny, bless.

 

attached some pics. Can you see what was not on our shopping list??? (clue-no picture on display table)

 

Peggy

 

 

Hi, sounds like a really good idea. How many children and staff do you have on these outings. This is what always stops us from going out too often, the high adult to child ratios needed. We always ask for parent helpers which is a problem all by itself. So how do you do it?

[Guest]

Ratio's for outings are recommendations only, today I had 2 staff and nine children so it was a 1/5 ratio.

We do a risk assessment before each outing, considering the individual children, the route, etc. Which ones need to have an adult hand to hold, which ones are 'safe' or 'risky' with regards to their concentration, attention, and overall behaviour etc. We go out everyday, so the children are very 'street wise' and know the rules, an outing is not a novelty. They have learnt to walk in pairs or using the rope for longer journeys ( because, like today, there are parts of the journey that requires single file walking). They know the area very well ( part estate, part busy roads). If the risk is high we either have more adults or stay closer to the preschool, maybe just walking around the block ( we are based in a cul-de-sac).

 

During our last Ofsted Inspection we took the children to the local library, the journey is mainly through the estate but the library is placed on a main road. The Inspectors thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Giving us a 'Good' for the outcome ' making a contribution' enabling the children to feel that they are a valued part of the community.

 

Peggy

 

just thought I'd add, depending on the size of your setting, could some children go out with a few staff while some children stay at the setting with other staff? This enables you to take small groups out regularly, rather than one large group, infrequently.

 

Peggy

[hali]

sounded like good fun peggy