Laurie

They pay for their milk,and the parents supply snacks.

We do snack after our “special class” (art, library, etc.) We get saltines from our cafeteria but the children can also bring in a snack from home. I usually buy things to be able to switch it up (big tubs of pretzels, goldfish, popcorn, etc.). I also ask the parents for donations. For a drink the children bring in a water bottle and then I have small cups for those that don’t have one. It is a pretty easy system!

I ask that parents send a snack with their child each day (all of our primary classes do this). At the beginning of the year I send home a letter with snack ideas and ways to help children learn to be responsible for packing their own snack each day (for example, if parents have a place where snacks are kept, it can become the child’s responsibility to pack their snack). There are sometimes kiddos who forget or whose parents forget to pack them a snack, so I keep a box of Saltine crackers on hand for those who don’t have a snack. Earlier in my career I assigned snack days or had parents send bulk snacks in (storage issue!) but this seems to be the most low-maintenance and effective way to do it.

Anna  I created an A.M./P.M. snack and volunteer calendar every month. Students with allergies brought their own snack bin and just pulled out of that on a daily basis.(I excluded them from the list) I still do snack in 5th Grade b/c as an adult I cannot survive from 7 a.m. until lunch without eating something, so how can I expect my students to do the same and concentrate on their work when they are hungry?

We don’t have snack, but our school has a program where free breakfast is offered to each child when they come in. Then lunch is at 12. I rarely get complaints about hunger.

 Our kindergartners go to school from 8:15-2:20 with no snack (or rest time). We eat from 11:10-11:40, so lunch is pretty much in the middle of our day. Snack takes too much time away from academics. I’m surprised that so many of you still have snack time. In 35 years of teaching kindergarten, I don’t think I’ve ever had snack time. I think it’s a hang-over from pre-school. I’m sure this sounds harsh to some of you, but our students don’t complain about being hungry.

 They bring their own, I hope. If they forget the school lunch program provides a granola bar.

My kids either bring in a snack or I ask them to contribute a snack for the entire class. If a kid doesn’t bring one i give out from the class stash. When I get low on snacks I send out a note asking the kids to either bring in their own snack or a class snack.

 Our school district has a grant that provides fresh fruit or veggies for snack every day for all kids pre k-12.  And in regards to the time thing, we have 5 mins allotted and we generally just call up one table at a time during writing. They write and snack. (and LOL at your school having a free breakfast program — this is a federal regulation. All kids in my district get free breakfast, lunch and snack)

 We get a healthy fruit or veggie in the a.m. (Grant program)And for our p.m. snack, families send a snack on their kid’s snack day. Kids also get a milk and my kinders have this with p.m. snack after encore(specials)

We do a calendar & assign 2 different weeks , one that includes their birthday or half birthday. We encourage healthy snacks of 10 grams or less sugar! The kids take on the responsibility of healthy! The parents are amazed at how they are reading labels for sugar, sodium, and fat. They also read the ingredients, at least the ones we can decipher, to me and anyone who visits our room. They also purchase a milk/ juice ticket for the year. The parents also have the option to follow our theme or letter of the week. It is a social, learning time with children setting the tables & serving, using manners of please & thank you! If there is an allergy the parents provide for their child. We eat at 11:00! They will be socializing and eating healthy for the rest of their lives, not doing work sheets and academics when they are grown up! Life long learning!

We have a mid morning snack. By 9:00 I have kids complaining of being hungry. Each child brings in his/her own snack. We provide milk for those that would like it. Parents send in extra snacks for the times when a snack was forgotten. We spend 15 minutes on snack. It is a great little break and refueling time.

 @ Lynn, my school district has VERY high standards for kindergarten (no free choice, no play time, etc.) but we have time to do snack every day (in fact snack is done in every grade level k-4). Snack only lasts 10-15 minutes and, though in kindergarten we have a designated time for snack, most of the other grade levels do it while they are doing other work (that does not work for k…too many milk and water spills. Usually we watch a Brainpop jr. video).

Not currently teaching full time, but my last year of teaching our district provided snack for the entire school so everyone ate snack @ 2:00 before leaving for day. It was a very poor school district. Some of the kids didn’t get dinner so school breakfast/lunch & snack was all they got. Before that I had parents donate snack by following snack calendar.  3 students per week took home a snack bag to bring back filled w/snack. Friday was free choice of extra snack. We always had extra. Children w/food allergies brought own.

 I teach all day kinder and give my kids snack in the late afternoon (we eat lunch at 10:40, and they have snack at 1:30). They LOVE it. I made a very simple snack calendar and assign each student a day during the month. I just go in alphabetical order. Sometimes a child does bring in twice during the month, and the children get to bring in a birthday treat on their b-day. I send home the calendars at the end of each month for the next one. The student that brings it in that day gets to pass it out, and the others thank them. It helps teach them manners and they enjoy bringing in their favorite snacks. I always keep the extras, in case a student forgets a day and then we have a snack pitch in. It has worked amazingly well and they love it!!

 No snacks for us  Only 2 or 3 students bring in snacks so I decided not to have any

Anne

 We have snack every day after recess (10:15) and I ask for parents to bring a healthy snack for everyone, and let them know when we are out of snack. Parents also send cases of water bottles. I think they need snack-it helps keep them going till lunch. Fridays we do a cooking activity. Some parents are great about donating and some never send anything, but it works for us.

Maxine

We also use snack as learning time, talking about food groups and recycling. We have a recycling bin and they wash out fruit cups, etc… themselves, or they can take things home. They also have to clean up their own spot before moving on to free playtime. Usually the whole thing from bathroom break to washing hands to eating and clean up is no more than 15 minutes. Gives me time to eat my snack too. And I could not go without until lunch. My kids are at school from 8:40 until 11:25.

Pamela

It gets worse every time I read Miss Bindergarten, five and six years old have too many academics to have snack? In the work place adults have a coffee break. The children need time to sit enjoy a snack and have down time, get refueled for the rest of the “morning academics.” I went to a 1/2 day kindergarten, played in the sandbox, ate snack and rarely did a worksheet, and I consider myself pretty successful. I have taught kindergarten for 28 years and have CAGS and certified to teach in three areas.

Linda

I still have snack because I teach full day and they NEED it! I do a snack calendar each month and assign each child a day to being a healthy snack. They love having their turn and passing out their snack. it’s voluntary of course. Unfortunately, my district is doing away with everything that makes Kindergarten well…Kindergarten and I’m sure we won’t be allowed to have snack (or recess or housekeeping, block, puzzles, water table, art, holidays etc.) anymore. We test test and test more….

Maggie

We don’t do snack anymore due to time. Just isn’t enough time in a 2 1/2 hour program.

Jackie

In my class I always did community snack. I asked parents to send in boxes or bags of snacks such as vanilla wafers, goldfish crackers, fruit, graham crackers, pretzels, etc, and a gallon jug of juice or milk. I provided cups and napkins. Each parent sent in enough for the whole class and they only had to send it in about once a month. Most parents were able to participate. We were allowed store bought cupcakes for special occasions such as birthdays.

Katie

My students bring their own snacks in a snack box from home–we encourage healthy snacks. We have snack time around 9:30am. They need this time to refuel, my students are at school from 8am-3pm. They also bring their own lunches for lunch later on.

Sharon

 I ask for donations from the parents and we always have plenty. I can’t imagine not having snack! My little guys get SO hungry!!

Denise

I ask each parent for a large box or bag of cereal and we have math snack activities daily. That way the kids all have the same snack and I make it educational. One big box serves my 20 kids for at least 2 days. 

Kathy

 My parents are great about sending all kinds of crackers when ever I ask!

Amy

 I do a snack calendar as well. Have tried both methods of bringing in on their own and bringing in for the class. The snack calendar works best.

Kellie

 We have snack about 1:30 everyday. The kids bring their own. We go to school from 8:30-3:25…. Lunch is at 11:10…. Afternoons get long !

Debra

Each child brings their own snack! They can only drink water! So each child brings their own!

Dequency

 I used to ask for a snack from each family to share with 34 kiddos. I would pass it out after lunch and they would make the decision of when they wanted to eat it. The bad part was that out of a class of 34, only about 6 kids per month would bring a snack. I decided to stop doing it. We have special treats every now and then.

Christina

We have breakfast at 10:00. They have snack with centers at 2:00. They have to bring their own snack daily. This way I don’t have to deal with keeping track of allergies, “I don’t like that”, or the overweight children who don’t need junk to eat.

Jennifer

The San Francisco Food Bank has a school snack program that provides healthy snacks (mostly fruit and vegetables, occasionally string cheese) for all classrooms. We are very, very lucky.

Barbara 

 Our school wants to do away with snack. They also don’t want us to celebrate birthdays anymore. A handful of parents feel we are making the kids fat! We always try to have healthy snacks and my kiddos are hungry. Many are up early and have a long bus ride, as we live in a rural area. My kids look forward to sitting and visiting for a few minutes each day. Hope this doesn’t happen.

Keri

 No snack

Denise

 Bring your own. Not as many kids need a snack this time of the year for my kindergarteners. But if I’m hungry I can imagine how hungry my little ones must be. And how can they learn if they’re hungry. Basic need!

Lori

 In our school K~6 have a fruit break and we spend about 15 mins. Kids bring their own.

Paula

 My son is in high school and still needs snacks to get through his day. Thankfully they allow kids to eat as they transfer from class to class and many teachers allow them to eat in class…..granola bars or chewy bars are a top choice easy to eat between classes.

Chaya Phillips

 Our school provides snack (Cherrios and milk) 4 days a week. On Tuesdays we have Tutti Frutti and a parent sends in fruit for the entire class.

Julie

 Everyone that wants one brings their own (it helps with allergies and the students that can’t eat certain ingredients due to their culture) . I buy extras for the ones that never have them.

Laurie

 My parents voluntarily send in boxes of graham crackers. The kids can choose to grab one on their way outside for morning recess. I send “snack notes” home with 1/2 the class at a time asking for individual wrapped snacks. Most people send but I don’t really keep track. I store them in a rubbermaid. This gives the kids different choices. I get a little bit of everything…fruit snack, cheese & crackers, applesauce, pudding,etc. I send the next note out when the box gets low. We have this snack in the afternoon and I get some great observations and discussions during this time. Sometimes I read a story or show a video while they are snacking.

Dana

Our kiddies bring a snack from home. 1/2 day students receive milk, but full day students bring a drink. I also have a “snack cupboard” for those who forget snack. Every year I have at least one student I provide a snack for as they never have one of their own.

Sarah

We ask the parents to donate cheese sticks, apples, or yogurt. We usually get enough to offer every day (at our 9:30 recess), but I usually pick up some too when I’m at the grocery store.

Lisa Marie

 We used to do snack and the kids would bring in snacks. Now, we don’t do it at all (and I secretly love it)…with a half day program, the kids really don’t miss it and I’m not having to lecture patents about healthy snacks or worry about food allergies!

Roberta

We have community snack. Each month I send home a snack calendar with a child’s name on each day. I ask only for individually bagged snacks. There is always a variety to choose from because we dump all the snacks in the ‘snack box’ each morning and the srudents are called up in small groups at snack time to pick what they want. This works really well.

Amy

 Our school day is 7:45-3. My kinders snack at 9:30. Lunch at 11:30. School used to provide snack preschool – K, but I suggested letting kinders bring their own snacks a few years ago and it has worked out great. They each get a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Parents fill it and I keep them all in a large tub with lid. When their bag is empty, it goes in their daily folder and parents refill and return. School provides milk or water. The system takes about 15 minutes. As they finish, they do independent reading for the remainder of the 15 minutes.

Guiann

Each child brings in enough snack for class one time I believe. But at another school my grandson doesn’t get snack.

Jessica

 Families provide the snack for their child. We have it in the morning. I find it extremely frustrating because it’s mostly junk food (99%) and many never bring it and they tell me their parents tell them to get it from me. Despite me explaining it is a parent’s responsibility and giving them examples of healthy snacks I still have this situation. I wish our school would just provide but seeing as they served pop tarts for breakfast before not sure I’d like that either.

Edie

 Kids bring in their own snack. I can’t imagine having one more thing that I have to remember to do! I keep some pretzels on hand, in case someone forgets.

Jessica

I have each child bring in two boxes of cereal at the beginning of the year and again after Christmas and each day I give each child about half a cup and they can pick between two kinds. It has worked great for the last 4 years

Karen

I have a letter that I send home at the beginning of the year. It asks who would like to sign up for ‘Fun Friday Snacks”. Once I get the responses back, I send home a calendar each month and I list the children who are responsible for bringing the snack that Friday. The kids LOVE it when it’s their turn to bring in the snacks! They buy snacks for the entire class to enjoy. It has worked out great in my room.

Judy

Yes, we have an afternoon snack. The school offers snacks for sale or the children can bring their own snack from home. We have healthy snack guidelines that we include in our beginning school packet.

Dawn

We have a monthly snack calendar. Everyone is assigned a day. Students always get their birthdays. If it is your snack day, you are the helper all day long. We do not have a selection. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. Students have snack once a month.

Lisa

 We have snack that way too, and I always read a picture book or two during snack!

Nancy

2 1/2 hrs. with recess iS pretty short. It became all about food, so once a week, we have “Munch” and we munch on something that has a tie to our theme. Not having it every day also make it easier with board of health regulations.

Sharon

 We have set up a Healthy Snack program. parents pay $2.50/week and the 3 teachers take their turns purchasing snacks, primarily fruits and veggies. kids are given 2 options each day to choose from. The end to Doritos and high sugar drinks!!!!!!