Last week I came home to a funny anecdote from my father. When ever he hears a story involving school or teachers he is like a child who has been asked to keep a secret and is about to burst telling me (I actually do enjoy these tales, so in fairness Paddy keep them coming.) This tale began with my Dad asking a friend all about his daughter’s return to school. My Dad’s enquiry was met with a disgruntled response. The man said they had such an awful time with the child not eating their lunch last year so he’d have to make it his business to go in at the start of this year and GIVE OUT (I KID YOU NOT!) to the teacher for this occurrence (or lack of occurrence) with regards to the lunch consumption. After I had a timely chuckle to myself, then pulled myself together to probe my father on the conversation. My father responded “Listen to be honest the guy was so annoyed at the teacher I didn’t want to be upsetting the man any further” In fairness my Dad (who last stepped foot in a classroom circa the 1970s) had brought about an important point.
School lunches are causing havoc for parents, teachers and children alike across the country and it’s about time we get a hold of the Tupperware and lifted the lid on the topic.
- Time:
Often when people want my opinion of this issue, time seems to be one of the biggest issues. One hears phrases such as – “they didn’t get enough time to eat it”, “sure by the time they got their lunch out it was time for them to line up and go outside.” To be fair to teachers – they don’t have control over lunch time. This is allocated by the Department of Education (esteemed professionals in the area of education) and then the school fits it into their daily timetable. Teachers can usually give discretionary minute or two but school is a busy place so ultimately this decision is out of their control. I know from experience and talking to co–workers a lot of teachers use timers so encourage kids to develop their awareness about their consumption deadline and the ‘ready, steady , off you go…..’ approach seems to work a treat. If your child admits they find this aspect of lunchtime hard why not try the time solution at home and let them show off this time keeping skill to their peers.
2: Organisation:
I guess I wouldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t have a soft spot for organisation. ( a place for everything and everything in its place – am I right?) Lunch boxes come in all sort of shapes, sizes, themes not to mention the secret compartments. I have lost count of the times I’ve had queues up to my desk (that would rival a line for Cu Culainn in Tayto Park) with pots and boxes and the bearer struggling to open it. My advice here is less is more. One bigger lunch box/bag with a smaller container and a drink bottle is enough. Make sure a “dry run” at home is completed in order for the child to open and close each one of these. Hey presto – you’ve got yourself a lunchtime Houdini.
Water bottles : Please, please, please lets reside the leaky bottle to the ash-heap. Sometimes I think the class floor resembles a paddling pool rather than the lino covered ground that it should be. A good trick is get your child to close their bottle, gently turn it upside down and if no water comes out -WIN. If the drops start to flow like Niagara Falls, oops, back to the start, remove the lid and try twirl it on again.
Fruit: such a welcome treat in all lunch boxes but if your child can’t remove the peel or skin… Houston we have a problem. Some parents like to cut up the fruit into pieces which is brilliant and us teachers salute you but never be afraid to model orange/banana peeling etc and then let your child at home have a go. Not only are you developing those much needed fine motor skills but giving your child a leg up on their lunch game – GO PARENTS !!!
3. Choice:
Look, I know most of us were reared on the standard white bread sandwich and apple duo but times have moved on (in some ways for the better, in some ways for the worse) in the lunch realm. Before one hits the supermarket for your weekly shop, a great starting point might be a casual consult with your child about what they might like for their lunch. Obviously you get to VETO any item but sometimes giving kids ownership over their lunch might encourage them to look forward to it.
Simplicity is key – I’ve witnessed some lunches that are nothing short of a Michelin four course meal ( parents you are an amazing species) but by the time it gets laid out, dressings added, chopped up items mixed in the rest of us are already hitting the playground and our Frances Brennan mini me is still deciding whether to use his fork or spoon?! A simple wrap, whole wheat roll or oat cakes is sufficient with some fruit and or vegetable additions.
Step away from the processed stuff! I’m to the first to admit we are all busy but the lunchtime ritual is so important to our children’s well being and nutrition. While processed snacks once in a while are totally fine, a deli hot chicken roll a few days running sounds the alarm bells. Not only are the portions enormous, the additives are dreadful not to mention the wasteful amount of packaging one is faced with. They are a pricey alternative that should be kept to a minimum!
4. Preparation:
From time to time hand over the controls – kids are great at giving a helping hand. I’m not going to lie- this may be time consuming in the beginning but you won’t regret it. Have kids remove and clean their lunch box once they return home from school. Once modelled by you, children will be a dab hand at this task and the responsibility will do wonders for their self esteem. I’m not saying turn them into scullery butlers or maids but pure and simply many hands make light work. So sneaky bananas hiding in the bottom of school bags – BE GONE.
I understand back to school time can be fraught with tension and bedlam but I’m hoping some of my thoughts and ideas might alleviate some of the stress and panic, while offering practical tips from a classroom practitioner’s point of view. This is the first post in my BACK to SCHOOL SERIES. I’ll be covering a range of topics from homework tips, to bag organisation and coping with the early morning routines again (seriously how are we at September nearly again?!) I would love to hear your opinions or suggestions on any other areas of interest so feel free to leave a comment below. Until next time, Slán Julianne
Cradle to the Class 