habits around food for kids in my after school program

[Zoe Girl]

I have noticed that kids at my school in my after school program have some habits that I would like to address this summer at our camp since we are full day. They seem to understand to stay seated during lunch at school but when we serve food at other times, special treats (today I taught a life science class where we examined the parts of a plant and ate a salad with all parts) that they put part of the food in their mouth, wander, stand up during eating, etc. It really bugs me! Especially when kids come from school day classroom with a piece of fruit and then go to wash their hands in the bathroom and seem to forget they are bringing food into a bathroom! I stop them, offer to hold the food or have them put it on a cleaned table, or have them throw it away. With my classes that are only once a week I am always reminding them to SIT with food, the every day program understands sitting but we could work a little on their snack time manners.

I am looking for ways to incorporate really excellent lunch room standards. The challenge is that we are being served breakfast and lunch by the cafeteria and they tend to not want things like centerpeices or table settings because they are on a tight time schedule. The good news is our school district has some of the best, fresh, and natural food I have seen. There are NO cans in the kitchen. I have not met the summer kitchen staff to talk to them, we may need to do this as a lesson with a snack in our classrom to practice instead of trying for lunch time. If it matters we have 60 kids ranging from barely 5 to 11 years old.

[razz]

If they sit with meals, I am not sure that I understand that sitting with snacks is that important.

Can you focus and implement an appropriate approach to personal hygiene and food rather than controlling all the movement?

Kids that age, especially boys, are squirmy and need some time and opportunity to be squirmy so snacks were my time to enable this need. Mealtimes were sit-down with appropriate behaviour though.

[herbgeek]

I don't understand why sitting while you are eating a snack is so important- perhaps the kids don't either. When you look around, you see many adults up and about while snacking. The hygiene stuff, yeah I get that, but not the importance of sitting while eating.

[KayLR]

I get why--- 50 kids wandering with food = crumbs, smears, extra work and possibly ants, bugs. My suggestion would be to maybe have something that would make them want to sit and eat their snack like a puzzle or some sort of simple amusement to do while they're snacking. Those little squeezy water toys with the floaty things inside or those lava lamp-type tubes you turn over and over come to mind.
http://www.officeplayground.com/Handheld-Water-Game-Triangles-P1907.aspx

[Zoe Girl]

Ooh fidgets! That is what I call the baskets of little toys for snack time. I ask my staff to put them out every snack time and we are getting 50%.

Honestly I am sure in a home setting that walking around with food is fine, or a smaller group, but it totally bugs me. Even as an adult I will get some food and carry it until I sit down. Maybe at a party I will stand in one place, but I am too much of a klutz to eat and walk.

So my great news is that one dad runs a catering business and has agreed to come teach table manners one afternoon at summer camp! We may have older kids set the table for younger kids and then do a small meal, who knows how that will work out, but I am excited.