Children eating packed lunch outside?

I loved having my packed lunch outside in the 1970s !

We sat outside with packed lunches in 1973/74,so no, its not new!

Legit first time i’ve heard of soup being brought in for packed lunch at primary school

I used to send mine with soup or pasta in a food flask often. Maybe not during a heatwave but still. By lunchtime the food is hot enough to be a good eating temperature but it's not about to scald everyone!

I do lunch duty at a primary school and most of our time is spent reminding children to sit down and eat their lunches instead of getting up every other minute to kick a football about. We have limited picnic tables so most of the sportier types gather round the football goals, leaving crisp packets and sandwich crusts all over the grass.

The seagulls love this time of year. We, however, do not. Chances are your child has been told many times to finish eating first before playing, but has chosen to ignore it.

Perhaps offer some picky bits instead - more like a picnic so they can eat them quicker and less danger of hot liquids being spilled.

When my daughter was at school they had wooden picnic benches outside under wooden shelters for shade. Children who had a packed lunch and were old enough were allowed to sit out at them and eat.

Some of my favourite memories of primary school was sitting outside during summer eating packed lunch on the field. I was lucky my primary school had picnic beaches but also a massive field we were allowed to enjoy. Its not a new thing as our dinner staff didn’t have a problem with us going there and eating outside.

Good grief - this thread is an eye opener! We always ate our packed lunches outside when I was at primary school in the 1960s when the weather was warm and sunny, but we were also allowed to eat outside in the winter months too of it wasn’t raining. We always sat on the grass in the summer and on benches in tje winter. There were no teachers hovering over us to make sure we didn’t choke or to check that we ate our lunch. Our lunches were kept in our bags at the back of the classroom and I always remember the smell in the really hot weather when the egg sandwiches started to get hot and whiffy 🤣🤣. I took soup in a flask most days; I had been taught to keep the lid on it, so if it got knocked over, only the part that had been poured out was wasted. Sometimes Im amazed that I made it to adulthood.

But it was your child who got distracted. Soup can spill anywhere - at least nobody presumably had to clean it up but in any case they won’t have been able to eat it after that.

The packed lunch kids never sat at tables in the summer when I was a kid (70s and 80s)

i work at a primary school and we allow children usually in year 5&6 to eat outside but we do have benches. The pupils beg to eat outside, they love it.

Maybe soup isn’t ideal packed lunch summer Fayre?

Not sure what rock you’ve been living under but kids have eaten packed lunches outside during summer as long as I can remember- it’s a bit of fun.

Sometimes we even used to take our desks from our classroom outside and work out there all day

They’re cooped up inside long enough, what’s wrong with them enjoying the fresh air and sun outside? Things can get knocked over or left uneaten wherever they sit, just tell your child to eat their lunch and not get distracted.

I’m 54, I was eating my packed lunch in the summer months outside at both primary and secondary school.

my kids school has asked for picnic blankets so the kids can do just this.

Depends on the age of the child.

Reception - should be overseen to make sure the do eat and don't chuck sandwiches in the sandpit.

Year 6 - will be at secondary school in a few months so should be able to regulate themselves for 20 minutes to eat their lunch unsupervised.

I discovered this was still happening to my daughter in early November in Year 3 - being expected to eat packed lunch outside - as the younger children were so slow eating cooked lunch, they could not get the children all through the Dining hall. Issue was that the teachers were unaware until a few Mums (including me) raised it. It was agreed it wasn’t ok - especially as there was no clear plan with the weather getting colder and they had to do a completely replan of the lunch arrangements. I think eating outside should be optional even in the good weather.

Perhaps because the teachers then wouldn't get their lunch break? I wouldn't want them either. Stop teacher bashing, the fact is they should have a lunch time supervisor or other arrangement which they obs need to sort. Either that or you have the wrong end of the stick.

Give the school a call or send an email, just a simple, reasonable query.

Sometimes they see it as a 'treat' but children should still be supervised when eating because of all sorts, choking etc. It is quite old fashioned and often seen in smaller, rural schools but nevertheless, lunchtimes can be unnecessarily chaotic if allowed to be outside.

There's nothing wring with caring that your child eats properly, others aren't bothered but that's up to them.

I honestly don't see the issue and think it's nice they aren't stuck inside.

We eat our dinner outside in the warmer weather at home.

At my children's primary school they all eat inside together. I'm sure the majority would love to eat outside. Are they supervised when outside?

Maybe send them in with something other than soup. Something that they can eat at a table outside, or have a picnic with on the grass. I have worked in primary schools for over 25 years and never have I seen a child bring in soup in a thermos. Pasta, yes, but not soup.

I'm 40 and we always used to do this when the weather was nice. I loved it and would love if my kids got to do this too.

ever heard of a picnic? Novel idea.

It helps to reduce spread of respiratory infections in schools if they eat lunch outside
YABU

I always used to eat my packed lunch on the field when the weather was nice. Was fun in red ant season!

My kids also did the same at thier school.

It’s been happening for years. It happened when I was at primary school, and I was an armed forces child so when to many schools happened at every single one. Personally I’ve never came across soup being given in a packed lunch, may just be me. Not saying it’s not a nice idea but I’d stick to giving it in colder months.