Carrot sticks and hummus – this is what your kid’s lunch box is supposed to look like now. Wait, are those crackers wholemeal?
By REBECCA SPARROW
That’s it. My mind is made up. Should anything happen to me or my husband Brad, I want Julie Goodwin to raise my children.
Which may come as a surprise to my husband. And my mother. And, you know, Julie Goodwin since she and I don’t technically know each other. At all. On any level.
But she looks like she’s from my tribe. And frankly her recent views on school lunchboxes nudged the uber-wise Kate Hunter out of the number one spot for guardianship.
This week, Julie came out fighting against the Lunchbox Police in our kindergartens and primary schools and I, for one, couldn’t sign up to Team Julie fast enough.
The Masterchef winner believes that schools are too rigid and have too much of a say in what parents can pack in thier children’s lunchbox.
Julie, I hear you sister. My daughter Ava started kindy last week. It’s a beautiful kindy. And the teachers are just so lovely but being told that I was banned from packing my daughter any cakes or biscuits or anything sweet came as a bit of a shock.
Anyway, back to Jules. Here’s what she had to say in The Telegraph:
Julie Goodwin
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with a little treat,” Goodwin said. “There is a rating system in schools these days and it is becoming a very policed state.
“Not every child has a weight problem, and not every child has ADD and I think it is a very cookie-cutter approach to say every child should eat the same.”
She said parents should be able to tailor their lunches to the needs of their child.
“If your child has a weight problem there are tonnes and tonnes of low fat options, if they don’t, it’s not something you need to be as strict about,” she said.
”Adding something like home made mini muffins and things like that.“There is nothing wrong with that as long as cookies and cakes aren’t their main diet.”
Look I’m not having a go at schools. Okay, that’s a lie, I am.
But I think teachers have enough to do without policing our kids lunchboxes. And I understand how these “carrot sticks and hommus for snacks please” rules came into being. As parents we have dropped the baton and too many of us have been packing complete crap (and only complete crap) into our kids lunchboxes. But I’m with Julie in thinking blanket bans are a bit over the top.
I raised the issue with a few friends of mine and they started nervously whispering tales of jam sandwiches being sent home with terse notes. Now kids can’t have jam sandwiches? What. The. Hell?
“If I want to pack a gingerbread man in Ava’s lunchbox, shouldn’t I be able to make that call?”
When I was at primary school one girl I knew took SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK to school for morning tea. That’s right.
Okay, that’s totally disgusting and wrong on many levels but still … she did. And we all begged her for a taste. Kids took roll ups and chocolate Yo-gos and a slice of homemade butter cake. They ordered cream buns at the tuckshop.
And then, guess what? We walked home from school or from the bus stop. And we played outside. Maybe that’s the difference.
I want to stress that I have no issue with the ‘no peanut butter’ rule. Life-threatening allergies are a whole different matter. But I’m just saying, if I want to pack a gingerbread man in Ava’s lunchbox for morning tea, shouldn’t I – as her, you know FREAKING PARENT, be able to make that call?
Kate Hunter assures me that things loosen up once the kids get to high school and that her son Ben could take Bacardi Breezers and fried bacon sandwiches in his lunchbox and no one would care.
But for now, primary school lunchboxes are being monitored more closely than the Duchess of Cambridge’s stomach.
So, what do you guys think? Am I being a brazen lunchbox hussy? Should I be grateful that there are checks and balances in place to safeguard our kids’ health? What did you take for lunch in primary school? Talk to me, people.
Comments
464 Comments so far
According to some of the comments below it’s starting to make me believe that with my packets of Tiny Teddies and Pre-packaged cakes (and on occasion jam sandwiches!) it’s a miracle I was able to concentrate in school AND be a healthy child.
Perhaps I should turn myself over for scientific research to see how it’s possible I managed to graduate High School and University…
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I want to go to Ben’s school!
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while i understand its important for our children to eat healthy and i do try my best as a parent if i put carrot sticks with hummus in my child lunch box they will still be there in the afternoon. my kids are fussy eaters i might have to bake them that muffin but put loads of fruit in it. my kids are healthy and active they play outside and maybe getting kids to burn some energy would be more productive the policing their lunch boxes. i gave birth to my children they are healthy and in the correct weight range so i dont see why i or my children should be punished or made to feel guilty because they want a little treat in their lunch box.
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You would be AMAZED at the difference a healthy lunch can have on a child’s ability to concentrate in the classroom and consequently their behaviour at school. Especially in the younger years.
I really don’t see any negative to a school promoting healthy eating guidelines. Good for their learning, behaviour and body which should surely be good for parents.
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Healthy eating guidelines enforced by schools are so important, particularly in the low SES community I teach in. I get the sense the author has never visited a community like the one my students live in, for otherwise she might realise how incredibly important it is that we care about the eating of children whose parents often don’t understand healthy and nutritiou eating.
I’m on the welfare committee at my school and we discuss the diets of our “at risk” students all the time and the impact their recesses and lunches have on their behaviour and learning, and thus the behaviour and learning of their peers.
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I’m all in favour of guidelines and intervention when things get out of control but I agree that a blanket ban on specific foods is unnecessary. We need to try to get our kids to eat a variety of foods. I make my son chocolate chip biscuits that are based on chickpeas and sweetened with liquorice tea and tahini. It is basically a way of him having a protein hit at morning tea which doesn’t need to be in the fridge. From the outside they look like a big treat but the total “naughty” food intake would be about 3 tiny chocolate chips. The trade off for teachers and his health is that his blood sugar will stay far more stable than if he only had fruit without protein. I also make muffins with pumpkin and cheese which are as far removed from a “cake” as you can get. No sugar or fat and a way to sneak a few extra vegies into his day. I couldn’t send it to our kindy because it would have breached the “one size fits all” guidelines but primary school is more flexible.
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Reading these comments reminds me of an advertising campaign, back in the late 1990′s. It caused such an uproar that the ad was pulled.
Anyone remember the line “Well my mother has a life?”, which was uttered by one young girl to her friend. The friend had home baked snacks in her lunch box, whilst the other had a pre-packaged bar.
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I certainly do remember that obnoxious ad. Particularly galling to me as I was a sole mum of 2, worked full time and couldn’t afford to buy that kind of prepackaged junk so I wasted a whole 30 minutes of my life twice a week to make home made healthy muffins for lunch boxes. It really is not hard at all to provide healthy snacks instead of deep fried, prefabricated junk. I’m not sure what’s wrong with hummous and veggie sticks though. My kids always loved them.
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I teach little boys.
I appreciate it greatly when parents pack decent, healthy food for the little boys I teach, as this provides for the best learning conditions.
Little boys (and little girls!) who are eating gingerbread men….and “healthy muffins” (err, since when did muffins become “healthy?? They’re just cake in a muffin shape?) are not as focused on their learning as little boys & girls who have had food with less sugar and other processed ingredients. This makes my job more difficult……and more than that, defeats the purpose for which they are attending school. You’re right, they’re your kids, feed them what you want and all that…..but seriously, we’re officially the FATTEST NATION ON EARTH…..what’s the big deal about teaching little kids good habits?
I honestly can’t see what would be so wrong with providing healthy food for my kid for lunch every day, and if I was so desperate to shove ginger bread men down their throats, I’d do it on the weekends. Seems like a really little thing to have one’s knickers in such a knot about.
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Healthy muffins? Maybe you need to learn some new recipes! I’ve always included healthy muffins in my kids lunches. They’re not hard to make with wholemeal flour, linseed & other grains, oats, grated veggies and fruit.
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Lighten up I reckon – the education system is doing its job… teaching your children (and you) to focus on putting good foods into their bodies to optimise their health.
Obesity and diabetes are growing, major social / health issues – I’m all up for a healthy kindy / school lunchbox. Plenty of time outside of school hours to treat your child to whatever your (and their) heart desires.
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So, so glad I dont’ have to deal with that!
My girls’ schools in PNG encouraged healthy lunchboxes but didn’t go OTT. I would typically send DD1 off with a sandwich, biscuits/crackers, fruit, cheese, yoghurt, sultanas in varying combinations. As long as the lunchbox was overall considered “healthy”, then no problem.
Mind you, DD2 preschool had to intervene with some of the local kids who would be dropped off with a packet of 2min noodles and a bag of chips!
Here in Bangkok, the girls get morning tea and cooked lunch provided. Solves all the problems!
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Quite frankly, the last person I’d follow on nutrition advice is Julie Goodwin! Her cooking is full of flour and sugars, and ” oh, it’s ok to have treat now and then”. From my experience, those occasional treats are usually daily! If you want your kids teachers to do their job and teach your kids the 3 R’s, then help them,both teachers and kids, by providing optimal brain food! Not processed crap! And remember, flour is “processed”!! Muffins are “processed”!!
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Our teachers are paid to teach our children, not raise them. They aren’t paid enough to police lunchboxes. For crying out loud, when are parents supposed to accept responsibility for their children?
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I think you mis-read what was intended BecBec – Masd was suggesting that parents can help teachers by feeding them good food to help optimize their learning opportunities.
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My mum would always pack me the same lunch every single day for the whole of primary school (1990-1996)… A ham and salad sandwich or or a Vegemite and cheese sandwich (white bread), a muesli bar, a piece of fruit and a popper. I was well jell of the kids who got Nutella, and there was even a girl who got hundreds-and-thousands sandwiches. A few kids even bought in boxes of jelly crystals and ate them right from the box. I used to think, “gosh, their mums must love them to let them take jelly crystals for lunch”.
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I’m posting this anonymously as I feel uncomfortable posting under my name. I am an early childhood teacher who agrees with this article. We recently sent a not home to all is rebuts about lunch boxes. I raised that it was incredibly patronising and objected too it (I was shot down of course). I agree that some parents pack utter shit in their children’s lunches, but this should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Lets not lump all parents together.
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I agree with you Anon. I work at a long day care centre (o-5years)and we heavily police the childrens lunch boxes. I am a parent of school aged children and find it incredibly difficult to pack their lunches every day but at child care the rules are soo much stricter. I hate other staff leaving notes in the kids lunch boxes and I hate having to tell a parent they can’t pack ‘that’ food. But you know it is largely out of our hands as we have rules and regulations to follow and are just trying to do our best at the job each day
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My son is 4 and I have been STOKED that our childcare centre is strict about only sending water, plus no sugary treats etc in the lunch. I mean, he can last during school hours without food like that and I can give him treats when he is with me, right?HOWEVER I don’t need him nagging me to buy things like “tiny teddies” and other packet crap that lots of his friends get I have notice as regular snack options – which is what would happen if our kindy let all the other parents pack what they wanted. My son would not understand that these other parents are A) taking the lazy food option and B) can afford it ! ( sorry but all that packaged crap costs more in the long run – in more ways than one.)
So, whilst this article is funny as, and I agree that parents should make their own choices etc, us healthy parents that put time into packing good balanced food for our kids are foiled by the parents enticing their own AND our kids with food that has novelty factor and no nutrition. (haha re jelly crystals comment above).
I have been known to say of a muffin ” this is a cake in muffin clothing”but I swear you can make some awesome healthy muffins and they are a great option for lunchboxes. Along with ricotta pancakes that pack a good protein hit, with minumal sugar, and I could go on and on. There are easy options that are healthy and the kids love, we just need to be a bit creative and have big freezers
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Thank you Anon. As a parent who feels exactly like Bec, I have often wondered how the teachers feel. My children’s preschool has a fruit and vegetables only policy for all snacks and I think its extreme and unnecessary. I did kinder duty once and watched the teacher openly berate a poor child who’s mum snuck in a bit of cake for him (along with his fruit) and proceeded to berate the child’s mother in her absence. All the children looked on in silence and the poor little boy distressed and humiliated. I dare say she damaged that child more in three minutes than a piece of cake!!
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Obviously the teacher did not handle this correctly. However, with the fresh fruit and veg policy, it is very clear what food is unacceptable. The parent is being cruel to their own child by sneaking in cake. If their child will not eat fruit and veg they should speak with the teacher in advance to come to some sort of arrangement for that child.
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As someone who doesn’t tolerate fruit very well, all this talk about fruit only snacks gives me a tummy ache! Everything in moderation I say…..every child is different after all and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for them all!
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Holy cow. I am so, so glad I’m not a parent. The judgement on this article is totally mind-blowing. Seriously, ladies, chill the heck out. Stop bagging other people’s choices. Devon sandwiches, jam sandwiches, muesli bars. I had no idea that these were things that would render you a terrible mother and all-round horrible human being. But, according to the comments here, they are.
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This is soooo much more complicated than just “stop telling me what to do”. My mum works in school where there are a lot of kids from low socio-economic families. They don’t have parents who will teach them what is healthy and what is not (they also don’t teach them how to clean themselves, but that’s another matter entirely). It’s also pretty clear that a lot of parents who should know better don’t. I’m only 19 was one of very few kids who had a ‘healthy’ lunch box at school. No, there’s nothing wrong with biscuits and cake every so often. There is a problem with not teaching kids that biscuits and cake all the time isn’t good.
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Why are people always assuming that kids these days dont do any exercise?? My eldest, 16, does either dance, tennis and netball everyday then walks home from school, as does my youngest, 11. I’m pretty sure thats more than I ever did, plus they have 3 times as much homework. I’m not quite sure where this lazy, laptops all day image came around – I sure wouldn’t want to be a kid today
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I think all of this is indicative of the much much bigger problem facing our society which is, quite simply, parents who don’t seem give a rats. I may get flamed for this, but from reading the comments I can see that obviously many parents send their kids to school with not one healthy item in their lunch box, and these people seem to be ruining it for the rest of the parents who are doing good, making the schools have to be a little overzealous in rejecting certain foods (rejecting home made muffins? And oat bran cookies? I mean, please!).
If we ever want this kind of thing to change, we need to attack the problem at the very root. Are these parents too poor to buy healthy food? Or perhaps too time-poor to prepare a proper healthy lunch box for their kids (ie a single Mum working 2 jobs with more than one kid who quite possibly may not even have time to make a sandwich when she can just throw in a packet of chips and some LCM’s – by the way I’m not condoning this, just trying to understand) – OR are these the parents who simply do not care? Hate to be judgemental, but I think we’ve all come across them, in the streets we live in or at the local shopping centre, parents with dirty unkempt unhappy children who constantly scream obscenities at them etc – I can’t imagine these parents give two hoots about their kids eating healthily.
How do we, as a society, tackle this much larger problem? I’d welcome feedback / ideas from the rest of you. It’s one think to moan about the teachers being harsh on kids bringing certain foods to school, but we need to start looking at why this has had to happen. It is a socioeconomic thing? Lack of education on the parents part (ie some people here have listed the “healthy” things they put in their kids lunchboxes only to be told that they’re actually full of sugar and sodium)? Or something else?
For the record, when I was in primary school (cant quite remember what I ate in kinder) we used to eat party pies, sausage rolls etc for lunch all the time (from the local deli – we had lunch orders). I also used to eat cheese & onion sangers, and tuna & onion sangers (I was pretty particular about what I liked). Always drank water but hardly ever took fruit to school. Yoghurt would be warm and rancid by lunch time so that was out. My lunch was usually just a sanger or a pie, nothing for recess. And I never ever had any weight related problems. That said, at home for breakfasts and dinners we never had takeaway except one night a month, and never had chips, lollies or soft drink in the house. But as soon as we started getting pocket money (used to get about $3 a week) we’d spend it ALL on lollies, every single time. Makes you think.
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I’ve done relief teaching at many different school and it’s definitely a socioeconomic thing. However, it’s not as if the parents don’t care – those kids will be coming to school with no lunch at all, and often no breakfast and dirty clothes. The parents do care, they just think that packing their kids’ lunchboxes full of chips, muesli bars etc is giving them special treats and being nice to them. They also believe the advertising claims on the food. Better to have some rules about what’s allowed in lunch boxes, this makes it easier for parents to choose good food and resist pressure from their kids and makes the kids more able to learn.
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I remember kids in my class when I was in primary school eating crap such as jelly crystals. I begged my mum but she said no and I’m glad. A friend of mine who ate jelly crystals as a snack every day has a lot of dental problems. The school my niece goes to there are kids who eat nothing but rubbish and my niece has friends who eat crap at school and then are fed takeaway for dinner most nights. When my niece had friends stay over they admitted to never eating any vegetables.
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I had a friend who used to eat one packet of uncooked Maggi noodles every day for lunch. My how times have chanced.
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No Janie, there are still parents who send their children with a packet of dry instant noodles for lunch. The nutrition bonus is to sprinkle the sachet of powder on top. Heaven only knows what muck is in that powder. some parents still can’t be convinced that children need to drink plain water and insist on cordial or lemonade in their drink bottles. We still have a long way to go in healthy food education.
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Sorry Bec but if you ever visited primary schools from low social economic areas you will find that most kids have overprocessed lunch boxes, no fruit, no sandwich. This hideous diet is slowly killing our children. We need to be concerned.
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I dont understand the poor parents saying they cant afford to send their kids with healthy lunches all those little processed packets of rubbish cost an absolute fortune
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Anon-I think the issue is education and not having the correct understanding and knowledge of health and nutrition.
Layla- thank you for posting EXACTLY what I was thinking re: low SES communities.
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This sort of thing really amuses me . Parents are up in arms about this when the education standards are so poor I wonder why teachers would bother with something that is guess what ! None of their business. Teachers need to concentrate on a better education for these kids after all if they aren’t educated properly they can’t get decent jobs with descent pay which means they buy junk food to eat because it’s cheaper than healthy food. Like I said teachers need to stick at education that’s their business.
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The problem is tired, irritable kids are not particularly good at learning. This often happens when they are fed crap.
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Read KatLizzy’s post below yours… maybe she has outlined the reason for the push for healthy lunches
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When I was teaching year ones, I had a little boy whose parents, without sounding awful, has no idea how to raise a child. He missed almost 70% of his prep year and would come to school with a bag of chips and a bottle of Powerade for recess – bought straight from the supermarket – and a pie or pizza in a lunch order. Mum and dad were unemployed and had a perchant for drugs.
I also taught other kids who NEVER ate fruit and vegetables and had lunch orders every day.
You can’t say anything, but it has SUCH an impact on their energy levels, especially in the afternoon. It shouldn’t be the teacher/school’s responsibility but more and more, they are having to educate parents, as well at students on bringing up their kids.
Some schools run programs at night where teachers (in their own time) discuss with parents healthy recipes to cook for dinner, why doing their reader at night is so important, hygiene at school ie, how to look for headlice, chicken pox etc and washing school uniforms regularly.
I quit teaching about 3 years ago after 5 years in the system. It just got too sad and frustrating.
So to sum it up, the schools probably aren’t targeting the ‘sensible’, middle class families, such as Mia’s, but trying to educate those that are feeding their children crap on a regular basis and don’t realise the consequences. Just another media beat up on schools and teachers.
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I was an awkward chubby year 7er when my PE teacher decided our theory class would be to go through everyone’s lunches, I’ve always eaten reasonably healthy, and after all my peers saw I had chopped up veggies, some fruit and a small mars bar treat (mum liked to occasionally throw them in to surprise us) they turned on me asking why I was so chubby if I ate healthy.
I just find it a little bit confronting for people to go through your choices you are making for YOUR children.
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I agree, as a number of commenters have said, the problems at high school are worse. However, if kids aren’t taught proper nutrition in primary school, there is no hope in the older years. The thing is that teaching good nutrition begins (and pretty much ends) at home. There is only so much schools can do and I’m sure schools aren’t trying to outlaw a daily treat. I shudder to think what some teachers must see. I was often appalled by what my kids used to tell me that some of the other children had in their lunch boxes at primary school (nothing other than packets of chips, biscuits, chocolates etc). From a young age I used to tell them that one of the ways I showed I loved them was by packing a reasonably nutritious lunch (and yes they had a treat most days). My kids got to the point where they actually felt sorry for those kids who only had “treats” to eat.
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What’s the big deal – you should pack a healthy lunch. How is that a story? Why does a child need a treat at school? If you want to give your kids sugar and salt-filled food, give it to them at home. I love that canteens are healthier now… so so boring reading about how great it was ‘back in the day’ when you could get chips and lollies. The kitchen garden programs are fantastic and such a great message – why fight for the right to put in something processed?
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I don’t get the ‘back in the day’ type comments. Maybe my parents and my friends’ parents were ahead of their time but my parents couldn’t afford packaged foods so ‘back in the day’ most people I know got a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Which ‘day’ did lunch boxes become full of muffins, cakes, dry noodles and jelly crystals?
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I don’t get the “I pack fantastcially healthy stuff for my kids so I’m pissed off about these kind of rules. I pack white bread sangas, chocolate muffins and rollups every day as treats, but I always give them super healthy stuff”.
Or indeed my kid eats brown bread, etc etc, why can’t I send this or that to school with them? Why can’t you give it to them when they get home then, if it isn’t what they’d normally eat anyway?
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I don’t think issues likes this are instigated by teachers/schools staff. From my experience they would be reacting to the influence of helicopter parents who are in the school constantly, trying to make all parents the perfect parent just like them.
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As a teacher I don’t police children’s lunch other than trying to make sure they eat their sandwich before their treat. However in light of a lot of these comments telling me to butt out it’s interesting how many parents ask me to make sure their child eats all their lunch. Not always an easy task! We do the best we can because we care about the children.
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Hi Bec,
I read an article written by you back in October where you mentioned the book “Sweet Poison” I guess you didn’t stay off the sugar thanks to you I read this book and the quit plan our house is now sugar free no gingerbread men in my kids lunch boxes it drives me “nuts” the amount of sugary treats they get at school gingerbread men included from birthdays , morning teas etc
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the idea of limiting sugar intake will be beneficial to just about everybody, so i’m not criticising your attempt to be healthy, this is great. but just be aware that the science behind that book is extremely flawed and small amounts of sugar will be ok. david gillespie should really leave the food science to the scientists.
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Which parts are extremely flawed?
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I usually pack a pretty ok lunchbox for my son but every now and then the rebel in me comes out and i pack an awesome treat! Heart shaped mud cake with chocolate icing anyone? PS I’m a teacher too and I couldn’t care less what you put in your kids lunch box as long as its enough food to get them through the day! I figure you’ve got it covered and I’ll deal with the important stuff like, um, what was it again? Oh yeah teaching, that’s it!
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Good on you Kaz that’s the right attitude.
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I’m a teacher and a few years ago when working at a school that had a nut free policy had a child bring in a muesli bar with multiple types nuts in it, I took it from the child as according to her medical form she had nut allergies. Spoke to the mother about it after school and was yelled at because apparently it was one of the few things her child would actually eat, I questioned the mother, who informed me that the muesli bar was nut free, when every single nut was listed in bold print in the ingredients, yet I was wrong from saving her child from an allergic reaction. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
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After 31 years in the classroom I would agree. No matter which nutty policy you are told to implement this week you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
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I am pretty lucky, my daughters school is pretty easy going. They ask that parents respect that there are children that have food allergies and would appreciate if parents could refrain from packing nut products. However they understand that some children will only eat peanut butter sandwiches or Nutella sandwiches. So the have a nut free table. They also teach children that if they have a nut product, they must not sit at the nut free table and they must not play with the allergy children until they have washed their hands and faces. I think this is a practical approach to the allergy issue. When my girls started school I got a list of ” suggested food items”. They have a crunch and sip break, which is a piece of fruit and water. Then recess which my girls usually have a home made muffin or cruskits with jam or cream cheese and another piece of fruit like grapes or half a sliced apple. Lunch is either mountain bread with ham, a salad or jam sandwich plus a treat and a juice. My girls latest love is tuna with vitaweats. The only issue I have had is when I gave my girls olives for crunch and sip. My understanding was olives are a type of fruit. However the teacher felt otherwise and told them they are not allowed olives for crunch and sip. However I did meet with the teacher and we came to an agreement that olives are a fruit, they are healthy and they are acceptable. I think if your school is rigid, try talking to them, they may not realise how rigid they are!!!
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Had a similar issue with food being wrapped in ‘recyclable’ wrapping. Sent Miss 7 to school with something wrapped in alfoil. Note came home listing all the things that were not able to be recycled with alfoil underlined. It is recyclable!!!!!!! Conversation with teacher later and alfoil is now an acceptable wrapping.
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Schools are the workplace of children. An increasing number of workplaces are realising they have a responsibility to keep employees healthy while they are on the job. Subsidising gym memberships, banning vending machines and providing bike racks etc. While employers don’t have the power to conduct lunch box audits, they are certainly doing what they can to make healthy choices easy choices.
Where schools differ from workplaces is that many DO have the capacity to regulate the types and amount of food eaten on their premises through enforcing their health and wellbeing policies. How many parents take the time to read the rules at the time of enrolment to see if their beliefs align with those of the school? I don’t necessarily think schools should be policing the contents of lunch boxes but I do think it’s a bit rich for parents to pick and choose which rules they want to adhere to after they sign the paperwork.
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Often see eight or more packaged snacks for lunch, that is the norm. Not sure if that is conducive to play and learning.
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Oh dear god … my eldest is 2 so I didn’t know about this! You’re so right … I am the parent and it is my decision what I feed my child! If it is public schools that are going down the route, it’s basically the state telling us what we can and can’t eat … what’s next? Are they going to start picking the kids friends for them? Their future partners? Where does it end??
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Hate to burst your bubble Monica but most private schools have healthy lunch box policies too….
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Yep. I went to a private school and even back then (graduated 10 years ago) we were subjected to healthy lunches. The canteen stocked only wholemeal sandwiches, fruit, vege snacks and on every second friday a “treat” hot meal (like a small pasta).
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I have fond memories of ordering my lunch (at least) once a week in primary school many years ago, (both parents worked) and I used to have:
1) a sausage roll and sauce
2) a strawberry moove
3) a packet of chicken twisties
Sometimes I’d have a cream bun instead of the twisties, with that fake sugary cream.
I’m afraid to say, this lunch is one of my abiding memories of primary school!
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My son’s primary school doesn’t check lunch boxes but they do have a break at 9:30 called “brain break”. Basically you have to pack a small, easy to eat snack that will be eaten at their desk during class. It has to be something healthy otherwise the child isn’t allowed to eat it. I think it’s a great idea because it’s ensuring that the children do eat something that is good for them.
I remember at school we used to eat roll ups. We would chew them and then mould them over our teeth so we had mouth guards! Haha
My friend was telling me at her son’s school they have a “nude” food rule. They aren’t allowed to pack anything pre-packaged. It all has to be fresh. You can bake muffins, slices extra but they have to be healthy. She said she actually saves money because she doesn’t buy any of the pre-packages snacks aimed at children (tiny teddies, LCM bars, etc.)
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Don’t Cast any blame on teachers ever.
Parents are 100% responsible for what their kids eat! end of story.
Stop buying rubbish and feed your children real food.
No excuses.
Fat kids are not on, ñeither are fat adults.
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Teachers are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Parents will always find something to complain about. Try going down to a classroom one day and actually have a look at what the majority of parents pack their kids for lunch. It is disgusting and the excuse that ‘I’m too busy’ is just not good enough! Your child’s health is important!
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Wow there are a lot of people getting their knickers in a knot over lunchbox nazi policy in schools that mostly doesn’t exist? For a start, I’d like one of the whingers to find me ONE teacher who has made your child starve by taking food away. Find me ONE teacher who WANTS to take food away from your child. Instead of bashing the teacher, just go and ask what the unbendable rules are and most misunderstandings can be resolved.
As for the “its too hot when lunch boxes have been in bags all day” whingers, I live in the tropics and people just use proper cooler bags and little eskies and have no dramas at all. And many classrooms have refridgerators anyway. We have months of hot weather at a time and we manage up here – I’m guessing most of the people complaining probably only get a total of about 10 hot days a year. Find a new excuse, I say.
No-one expects you to pack a perfect nutritious lunch for little Johnny everyday – I’ve yet to hear about a teacher sending a jam sandwich home with a note – but it is proven that diet impacts behaviour and concentration in children, and in turn academic performance. It might not be so pronounced at home where little Johnny can sit and play video games or watch TV while you do other things, but it is definitely observable and measurable in the classroom. And unless you have actually spent time in a classroom teaching, don’t try to argue this point, because you are not in a position to
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Thanks, my husband and I, both teachers, were discussing this and neither of us has experienced this. I’m sure it exists, but in such a minority of places it’s hardly worth the nastiness directed at teachers and schools I’ve read below.
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For the most part I agree but my sister who is a teacher accidentally sent her twins to kinder with a muesli bar that had choc chips. The kinder had a policy about chocolate so they actually refused to let the 3 yr old children eat that day. They were only there from 9am until around 1pm but still. My sister felt like she had starved her kids because she was so stupid. I also just finished placement at two different school and they have policies but no one polices them. But I have friends with horror stories. I guess as a soon to be teacher I would rather chat to the mum or dad than deny a child food.
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Sorry but that doesn’t sound like the whole story to me. A kindy would not have let 3 year olds go with out. I guarantee those twins would have been given fruit or an alternative. There might be strict policing going on, but I don’t believe any “denial” is going on when there isn’t sufficient other food to eat.
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Yep. It happened to my daughter as well at kindy. Took away her healthy home made muffin, the main part to her meal. Left her with fruit only. And they did not supply her with any food. It also happened to other kids at this kindy. A short blunt note was sent home with the child.
I was livid. One, because they didn’t call me or replace the item with other food and my girl needs to eat every two hours otherwise we had dire behavioural and fatigue issues.
Two, because of the subjective nature of the policy. Other kids were snacking on savoury shapes etc. the whole no sweet food policy was a joke.
Three, normally I wouldn’t blame the teacher S they don’t make the policy. But this teacher was the main instigator for this policy. And wouldn’t budge on the issue despite my attempts at show her the ridiculousness behind allowing BBQ shapes but not sugar free home made muffin.
It also happened at Prep, different school. They took the item away and do not replace it with another item. Then they wondered why my daughter was lying on the floor exhausted that day. They at least apologised and listened and learnt, so I have no issues with that.
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Well okay, I do have issues with that Rudyroo, and I promise as a teacher I would never take food away knowing it was going to leave a child hungry. In fact I have gone against policy and let kids eat their bloody biscuit if they want it because as far I’m concerned I am certain it has no more sugar in it that the tub of yoghurt or fruit log the other kids are eating. And I completely agree re savoury shapes being allowed but not a sweet treat. Ridiculous. Surely someone must realise how much sugar AND salt is the flavouring on those things. Honestly.
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I’m waiting for the day when the note comes home or the the quiet talk from his teacher because then I will tell them in no uncertain terms that when ALL the staff are within the healthy weight range and when the staff room is full of healthy snacks, perhaps then they might have a better chance of getting my attention. But then again, hell has a better chance of freezing over!!
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Why would you be waiting in anticipation of having a go at teachers? It probably won’t happen because he teachers don’t give a stuff what your kid has in their lunch box. You almost sound like your relishing the thought of having an argument with a teacher where you can embarrass them. Lovely
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While you as a teacher may not do this, unfortunately it happens at my son’s school. His mate was made to spit out the apricot ball he was chewing and told to take the other one home because it was bad,bad, bad, full of sugar sugar, sugar. This was last year in grade 3. Tell me that’s not embarrassing. Poor kid stressed about going to school. Lovely
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It’s not so much that Rebecca doesn’t do this, it’s that you seem to be hanging out for the chance to have a fight with a teacher and, as Rebecca says, embarrass them.
Are you a member of the school’s P&C so you can have a hand in helping with policy like this?
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So i spent a long time writing a really long and thoughtful comment as a teacher and it doesnt show up arrrggghhh
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Sorry, Anonymous – I’ve just had a good search through all the comments and spam and I can’t locate it… it might not have posted properly in the first place. Any chance you could resubmit?
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Thanks this has been a thought provoking post.
For the first time recently, I caved in to demands and bought a box of rainbow coloured roll ups for the 7 year old. Well, I was having a cuppa the other day and seeing as I’d run out of biscuits, I decided to have one. Well it tasted like indigestible rubber. Dis.gust.ing!!! Perhaps more parents should try taste testing some of those ‘kids’ packaged treats before they place them in the lunchboxes!
So yes, I’d still like to give my kids a small treat in their lunchboxes, without having the schools dictate what that should be, but I’m also going to aim for home-made and healthy (and tasty!).
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I am a teacher in an ELc at a schools so the Chn bring their own lunch as someone who bakes ALOT but doesn’t have kids yet I am forever baking and sending good to my husbands work I assure him that when we have kids thu will take it in their lunches. I don’t have problem with kids having treats they are kids and god knows i had them! i took 100′s and 1000′s sandwiches to school!!!! No one cared either! And yes that was primary school! I do work with one lady who analyses all the nutrition content of the chns packages food. I think she is ridiculous! Their mothers will pack what thy want their Chn to eat the school should not interfere!!!
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You are a teacher??
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My daughter started school last week as well. I packed a muesli bar with choc chips, only to have my daughter come with it and telling me she can’t eat nuts and chocolate at school. Okay, I understand the need to keep nuts out of a school, but chocolate as the treat, occasionally? I agree with Bec, the teachers have enough to do than police the lunch boxes.
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I must be completely out of the loop. I have worked as a high school teacher. But I never knew primary school teachers checked kids lunch boxes. Since when? I understand why. But it just seems so extreme. What a sad reflection on our society.
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I suppose its all in how you see it.
I would have said teachers are interested in your child and their lunch, and use lunch time as an opportunity to get to know your child a bit better (the committed ones anyway). Rather than ‘checking’ up on you they are taking an interest in your child and capturing ‘the teachable moment’ to have a positive influence on your child’s behaviour (and future educational and life outcomes) – beacause they consider it an important part of their job!
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Yes Guest, because what I like to do as a teacher is not eat from 6am to 3pm because I spend my lunchtimes finding ‘teachable moments’ because parents can’t be bothered to pack lunches properly. How saintly of me and how disinterested if I’m not constantly looking for these moments.
Despite what you may think, teachers do deserve half an hour for a cup of tea and quiet time of their own (when they’re not on their unpaid playground duty).
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Playground duty is not unpaid. It is a part of any teachers job. Yes I am a teacher too.
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actually not when you’re a CRT. You are paid minimum time. Not including lunch. And we all know that noone gets in at 9 and leaves at 3.
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What I meant by sad reflection on our society is that I believe ‘childhood’ itself is changing. For instance, areas of schooling that were once free from such intervention such as lunch boxes and the playground are increasingly becoming closely and effectively managed by the powers that be.
Our parents and teachers used to have a more ‘free range’ approach.
My teachers never checked my lunch box. So I find it ‘extreme’ that teachers must do that these days.
When I was at school my mother helped me pack a healthy lunch and sometimes we even took a piece of birthday cake to school. We knew that some foods were ‘sometimes’ foods. I didn’t always like what I was given, but I knew that if I didn’t eat it I would have to go without.
When did things get this bad.
I have read about the obesity epidemic. I understand why some schools are checking student’s lunch boxes. Sure it is a ‘teachable moment’. But I think it is sad that things have gotten so bad that our teachers must now teach students AND their parents what they should or shouldn’t be eating.
And yes, if I was working as a teacher now I would happily help parents teach their kids about nutrition but I would much prefer to spend my lunch time eating my lunch.
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nice comment. well said.
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Agree with Julie and Bec. I’m a mum of three – two of whom are in high school and one in primary school. The difference in attitudes in the schools are poles apart.
To other high school kids, their lunchbox must look like they belong to the Amish (homemade wholemeal banana bread may give that impression to teenagers).
The addition of a chocolate milk probably looks like a junk laden free for all to the primary school kids. I really can’t win so I’m not going to try.
If my kid’s primary school starts policing his lunchbox, I will make him a laminated sign to pack with his food inviting anyone who is offended by its contents to please ring me on….etc
PS there really are other more important thing to stress about other than lunch boxes. Trust me.
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Personally I’d prefer they dealt with bullying more successfully and leave the lunchboxes to the parents. Hardly any obese parents at my kids school so I think they have nutrition sorted…
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You are right it seems small fry BUT teachers say things things not because they are supporting Jenny Craig but a child full of sugar sometimes lacks the concentration to learn they get all hyper … try teaching 25 hyper kids, personally I don’t like dealing with one … I know it seems all over the top but if you think about it there is some very good reasoning behind these decisions …. I have 2 children 9 and 6 … the 6 year old carrys no weight (lucky him) and is a sweet tooth … I have only ever given him water and milk to drink because unless you get used of it you know no different (I on the other hand quite am ashamed to say I love Coke Zero) my 9 year old enjoys the odd lemonade and fanta … I don’t make a habit of this because I work in the Dental Industry and see the damage in childrens teeth all to often .. another point our school is nut free due to a severe allergy so packing a nut free lunch is very hard … but as I say to my children … ” You only need to eat this food over a 6 hour period .. you can come home and have yummy product containing nuts … the child with the allergy needs to live with this 24/7 so …. get over it” This is making a mountain over a mole hill … I see why good parents are offended but also know teaching is a hard game and as far as dental goes you would be so surprised on how many parent will give their kids very small ones coke, juice and cordial in a bottle no less and those sugars sit on their teeth all night slowing forming decay … and when that child is suffering from terrible tooth ache the parents get all painfully sinister because they poor child is in pain … well guess what Mum and Dad it is your fault you caused this …. wake up parents don’t do what is easy … do what is good for your child !!!!
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I’d appreciate lunch box suggestions, I struggle with what to pack each day
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There are lots of healthy options… I find the big thing is involving my son in the decision process – with a little ownership for what’s in his lunchbox, he feels obliged to eat it.
Generally our rule is one piece of fruit (usually a banana, but when the cyclone knocked out that option we tried apples and others to varying levels of success), two vegetables (usually cut up carrots and cucumber, but beans, mushrooms, celery, cherry tomatoes, etc, work well), a cheese & lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread (with a dash of hot English mustard to spice it up and sometimes ham in colder months), a few vita weats and a biscuit for a treat… Yes chocolate – but for a balance with all the rest. Plus a water bottle.
He’s just started year 7, and this recipe has served us well for the past few years.
Before that I did the whole homemade muffin trick, but I’d find many of them came home uneaten… That’s when I started to involve him in the choices.
Good luck!
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My kids loved wraps stuffed with things like shredded chicken, lettuce, grated carrot, spring onion, some hummus or tzatziki, baby spinach, cucumber etc. Home made muffins with lots of grains and seeds, grated carrot/apple and muesli are really easy to make and freeze well. The much maligned carrot sticks along with celery, raw green beans, cucumber sticks etc with a little container of hummus or tzatziki to dip into (both are incredibly easy and cheap to make. My kids also loved cold spanakopita as a lunchbox treat.
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I am very happy to be able to blame the teachers for the healthy food I must provide – more treats for me to get the thanks for at the end of the day and the weekend!
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Had to stop reading the comments for annoyance building up at how ridiculous the PC/Over the top rules are getting for poor kids these days!
No VEGIMITE! I draw the line.. I think I would move my child to another school if that rule came along!
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Ha ha I would too Pinto. Vegemite is an absolute lunch box staple in our house
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Isn’t it amazing? Heaps of people coming out in support of Chrissie Swan smoking her unborn. Don’t judge they cry!
White bread sandwich with jam, well that’s Satans work. Judge away!
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Bacardi Breezers and fried bacon sandwiches! I think they throw out any cans of energy drinks found at my kids high school. Good thing that ban on energy drinks – though I am more concerned that my daughter eats something at school than what it is. She eats plenty of healthy food at home, her lunch box tends to be more snacky or she ignores the eating thing at school. Every kid needs mostly healthy food in line with their energy needs – but a bit of extra treat food shouldn’t be banned.
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My mum did pick up this week and we were told to not bring jam sandwiches. My daughter doesn’t really eat much so the next day I had to send a butter sandwich. It’s getting ridiculous.
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