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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not sure if I'm being an unreasonable and grumpy old bag about this.

53 replies

Callisto · 02/03/2011 08:21

It is pancake day next week and the school have asked children to bring in a frying pan and a pancake. Luckily we have a little frying pan that DD (6) can take in so she doesn't have to lug in our cast iron one, but a pancake fgs?

I feel really pissed off at this - partly because I think it is a bloody stupid idea to have 100 kids running around on a tarmac playground with heavy frying pans and not looking where they are going and partly because I don't want DD to have to take a bloody pancake to school.

So is this an unreasonable request by the school or am I just a miserable killjoy?

OP posts:
DiggingDeep · 02/03/2011 08:39

Reality - imagine the hierarchy in the quality of the kitchen wear too Grin

AmazingBouncingFerret · 02/03/2011 08:42

If you dont want to have waste you could sell any more leftover pancakes to all the mothers that have forgotten to supply their children with them. That way you have a clear conscience and a heavy pocket! Result! Wink

youvegottabekiddingme · 02/03/2011 08:43

but it still is a silly unneccesary waste of some food. what is the need? is there really not anything else they can do instead...like making and eating them at school?

Badgerwife · 02/03/2011 08:51

I'm really sorry, I just pissed myself laughing trying to picture 100 kids coming into school with a floppy pancake in their pocket Grin

purplepidjin · 02/03/2011 08:55

Make a frying pan out of an old cereal box and a pancake out of printer paper. Job did, no food waste, and everyone will be amazed at your recycling skills

risingstar · 02/03/2011 08:59

frying pan= pound shop

buy a pack of ready made pancakes- a little over a quid?

YABU but i do know where you are coming from!

Vallhala · 02/03/2011 09:00

Re frying pans available in the pound shop - nearest pound shop to me is 8 miles away. Frequency of buses to nearest pound shop - one every two hours there. One every two hours back. Cost of bus to nearest pound shop and back £5.70

Loss of earnings - outrageous!

Loss of time - outrageous!

Loss of patience - already, and my children aren't even of primary age any more!

Tell 'em you're vefan, OP. Wink

Quenelle · 02/03/2011 09:03

I think a pancake race is a great idea but can't the school knock up a batch of pancakes?

And if they gave it a bit of thought they could do it with just four or five frying pans and have several races. Surely they're not going to have 20 kids in one race?

fedupofnamechanging · 02/03/2011 09:08

Schools are constantly having these stupid PITA ideas, which just give parents even more things to do/buy. If you live near a pound shop, then you can get a little frying pan quite cheaply and I would buy a stack of ready made ones from the supermarket - they look more sturdy than home made ones. If you live miles from anywhere, it is more hassle.

I wish schools would just get on with teaching, instead of constantly fund raising and having dress up days.

I am grumpy too Grin

Ooopsadaisy · 02/03/2011 09:13

I am so surprised at all the criticism for this.

If they were to make the pancakes at school, they would be combining cookery skills, reading (the recipe), nutritional understanding, origin of food-stuffs, hand/eye co-ordination, organisational skills, group working, safety in the kitchen, ..... it's also RE (obviously) and then they get to run around in the fresh air.

Don't you do this at home too with your dcs?

Perhaps it's just me ....

kreecherlivesupstairs · 02/03/2011 09:21

Oops, I can see your point, but, they'd end up with umpteen pancakes that nobody wanted to eat.

Ooopsadaisy · 02/03/2011 09:26

Yes, I agree and thoroughly dislike any waste of food, but:

In the big scheme of things I don't think the waste is that extreme (awaits violent flaming).

If you look at the waste in supermarkets/restaurants/cafes/schools/hospitals etc .... and also the figures that are quoted about how much we throw away in our own homes, then I think this is fairly neglible.

They could also make enough pancakes that they could eat some at snack time with fruit (obviously taking into account those with allergies).

melikalikimaka · 02/03/2011 09:32

Kids love pancakes, YABU! They all get eaten in our house.Wink

DiggingDeep · 02/03/2011 09:36

You need to establish what sort of race it is before choosing your topping....If it's an egg-and-spoon type race then jam or syrup would be the topping of choice to gain maximum stickiness - but if it's a tossing-as-you-run type race then lemon juice might be better to aid slippage.

canyou · 02/03/2011 09:36

Shock Shock Any one check the price of eggs lately??
27.5 cent a bloody egg from cheapie food shop
I have 2 dc who have to do this as well OP I will have 2 get 2 frying pans esp as all mine are too big and or heavy or expensive and no one else is allowed touch them--

stuffthenonsense · 02/03/2011 09:39

a pan from the pound shop? and then do what with it? seems ridiculous to me, cant they make cardboard pans and crepe (haha) paper pancakes?

i wouldnt be sending in a pan but i wouldnt mind sending the pancake although the waste wouldnt be one pancake, it would be 30, and as its 30 families, that is 30 eggs, which is an entire months work for some poor chicken, or a whole days work for 30.

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 02/03/2011 09:50

All this dressing up/sending in pancakes nonsense stops when they get to senior school, ladies - I offer this information as the light at the end of the tunnel for you all. Smile

Quenelle · 02/03/2011 09:50

I still don't understand why they should have a pan each.

I think I'm going to end up making quite a nuisance of myself when my son has started school. I get so irritated with lack of common sense.

Nagoo · 02/03/2011 10:02

Yanbu.

But not as unreasonable as not knowing how to make a pancake. They are so delicious!

I get irate about this industry of ready made things that are perfectly simple to make anyway.

It's to try and make up feel like doing something from scratch is hard when it's not. And it works Sad

DuelingFanjo · 02/03/2011 10:06

go and by a ready made pancake from a supermarket.

nickytwotimes · 02/03/2011 10:10

yanbu

no way would ds get to ruin my frying pan by taking it to school.

as for pound shop, well, it's just more waste for no good reason really.

if they want to do pancake races, wouldn't it be esier in teams anyway?

solooovely · 02/03/2011 10:11

You're worried about the food wastage of a single pancake?

BuzzLiteBeer · 02/03/2011 10:11

you can make vegan pancakes, so thats a rubbish excuse!

52Girls · 02/03/2011 10:15

My school is doing this too..I thought of getting a cheapy toy one from ebay.

PortBlacksandGinLane · 02/03/2011 10:16

"no way would ds get to ruin my frying pan by taking it to school" - yes! Especially on the one day a year it's definitely needed at home - bonkers!