[OscarAndTilly]

Sorry to start another school thread but I've been thinking about school lunch organisation.

DS is starting kindergarten (NSW) and I've bought him a lunch bag cooler thingamajig with a sandwich container and various small containers as I'd like to minimise rubbish etc.

Speaking to my sil and she said that she puts fruit etc in a small bag (ziplock etc) as they can then walk around with it when they are allowed to play. Using containers she said they would always lose them.

What does everyone else think/do?

[Daisy Chain]

We use containers. But the kids aren't allowed to walk around with their food. So no issue there.

[Holidayromp]

That is just another expense not to mention the unnecessary wastage of plastic bags. I leave fruit whole or cut up in a small container. If she is worried about losing containers she leaves the fruit whole it is as simple as that.

[FrogIsAFrogIsAFr...]

I use containers preferably. Yes, they lose them but after years and years of school lunches, you tire of the wastage of disposable plastic for lunch and recess.

[rilees~mums]

DD starts Kindy in a few weeks (how exciting!!).

We were told to pack food in her lunch box in wrapping or bags ..... so she can get out what she wants from her lunch box (in her schoolbag), take that food out to the playground and eat it. They would rather we don't pack food into little containers that end up lost all over the playground.

Not sure I really like the idea - would rather use containers to reduce rubbish, but this is what has been suggested by the teachers, so I'll do it.

I think I'll get one of those lunch bags that's divided into two sections ...... big section has lunch in it and small section has afternoon tea - that way she won't take ALL her food out at lunch and have nothing for afternoon tea!

[librablonde]

I use no containers as they always lose the lids ( ) and no ziplock bags as I don't like the wastefulness of it. So I use Nude luncboxes that have little compartments that keep everything in it's place. They also have little round containers for wet foods like yoghurt that fit inside the lunchbox. It costs $12 from K-Mart and they're pretty tough (my kids are brutal with everything they own and still are using their Nude lunchboxes that they got at the start of last year). I love our Nude lunchboxes, they can fit heaps of food and a spoon and they're easy for kids to open and clip shut again.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?um=1&h...29,r:2,s:0,i:75
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?um=1&h...29,r:0,s:0,i:69

[EBeditor]

We didn't lose any containers last year. AT DS' school the kids have to finish their food before they can play.

We were told to pack recess in a brown paper bag.

[melaine]

The schools I teach at, and the school my son starts at this year, aim for 'nude food' (rubbish free lunches).

Most kids use a small container for cut up fruit (or whole pieces of fruit) for fruit snack (in class time) and divided lunch boxes for their lunch/recess (+/- an extra container for recess).

I've got a mini nude food lunch box and insulated bag for his lunch, then I'll have a separate container for recess to make sure he doesn't eat all his food at the first break (they have lunch first, recess later in day).

All 3 schools the kids have lunch/recess eating time so ideally don't have to take stuff out to eat. Certainly for the first half of prep at least the teachers are good at allowing plenty of time to eat before they go outside. Older classes might have to take their food out more often, but they are meant to eat in the eating area and put containers straight back in the lunchbox tub for their class.

This post has been edited by melaine: 15/01/2013, 09:28 AM

[Cheryl_v]

It depends on the school rules. The first school my kids went to we were told to buy disposables for morning tea as the children were not allowed to return to their classrooms until the bell went and many of the younger kids did not play during recess as they were too concerned about not losing their snack containers. The next school we were told to not use disposables but rather reusable containers.

[leo the lioness]

Our school is a 'nude food' school so they aren't allowed to take food in packaging. We use containers for snacks etc and each classroom has a plastic tub that is outside their door for the kids to put their containers into during recess and lunch.