Water only at school- thoughts please

[lemony21]

I'd love to hear your thoughts about children being told to bring in only water to drink during school time.

It comes down to wanting what's best for children and if that can't happen at school where can it?

My children's previous school promoted health and wellbeing. Water breaks were taught as an essential part of learning and they all understood the benefits of staying hydrated. Because it was a whole school action it became the norm. Positive peer pressure works so well in schools.

I think water is a good idea, but asked somebody else said other drinks should be allowed at lunchtime. Or flavored water.

The 'hydrated' thing is bollocks. Healthy people get thirsty and drink. They aren't dehydrated. Yes, children might not focus if thirsty, but they aren't dehydrated and drinking constantly isn't necessary.

Kids like drinking from water fountains. The water from them is nice and cold (comes from underground pipes). Just make this the norm and a non fizzy drink of choice at lunch time. Let's cut down on plastic bottles, bottle flipping, classroom spills etc etc.

When I'm world dictator, the words hydrated and dehydrated will be banned when referring to well fed, healthy children from the developed world. I'm not an "offended" person, but I actually find it offensive.

Oh, and bottled water would be banned too.

Well I actually find you offensive. I hope you never have to deal with nauseous headaches caused from not drinking enough or have a child whovactuallyveouod prefer to starve than eat or drink certain things.

A child is NOT going to become dehydrated by sitting in a classroom for three hours. They don't need a constant supply of refreshments.

The OP is advocating no other drinks all day though.

And in hot weather doing activities like PE (ds does double PE twice per week for example) you need to drink.

I don't thinkbfree access to water is needed in the classroom. But children & adults need to drink at break & lunchtimes in order to function properly.

Did anyone say they should' try be allowed to drink all day? Nope.

The OP is advocating no fruit juice, milk based drinks or squash in packed lunches.

The best solution to my mind would by no restriction on packed lunches & access to water coolers throughout the day. But they are expensive to install & maintain.

I love water (& so do my kids) but I drink bottled water at work kept in a cool box because the water supply there tastes awful.

Water kept all day in a plastic bottle in a warm classroom can taste awful too. Maybe that's why so many children don't like itcas it isn't cold & fresh.

What's wrong with water? I think water or whole milk but do they need anything else to drink? A glass of pure fruit juice perhaps which they could have at breakfast. And a glass of whole milk with their dinner in the evening?

Squash with lunch is ok but sipping sugary drinks throughout the day leads to tooth decay.

Of course someone is now going out post about their DC who has never touched a drop of water, drinks nothing but ribena and has perfect teeth- I know an 80 year old smoker but it doesn't mean smoking doesn't cause premature death.

"Access to water coolers through the day"

What, even during lessons?

We have it from EYFS to 6th form.

Why do they need more? Children bring a bottle to school on a Monday, take it home on a Friday and fill their own bottles from coolers around the school.

I'm a hypocrite and drink either tea, orange squash, milk or shiraz (obv. not all at school). Water is fine for children.

That's the rule at primary school here, and have no problem with it whatsoever.
So what if they can only drink water? It won't kill them not to have juice.
Eldest is now at secondary school and takes a water bottle to school every day and has no interest in all the juice available.
Youngest at primary and has his water bottle that you can fill up during the day.
Good habit to get into.

@BertrandRussell

I know that wasn't addressed to me but yes.We are 2 form entry. There's a water-cooler outside every 2 classrooms (each year group) in primary. The children can go and get their water, unless a teacher is talking to them or the group directly.

At ds's school they are situated in the corridors with disposable paper cups. But not all schools can afford this.

Funny, isn't.

There are loads of threads about low level disruption in classrooms and how distracting and annoying it is, but so long as the disruption is caused by somebody getting a drink ... sorry hydrating..... somehow that's fine.

It's not luck, it's quite simple, you just don't give them any drinks other than water or milk, from day 1.

I did this with DC1 from when I weaned her. She didn't drink a sip of water ever, only milk which was fine until she got a D and V bug at 12 months and refused milk as well. I took her to the doctor who told me to take her to hospital as she was showing signs of dehydration. In hospital they gave her a beaker of squash which she drained and I was made to feel like I was neglecting her because I hadn't just given her some squash or juice.

Wow this thread has made me feel really bad.
My DD takes flavoured water to school (when I fill her bottle with plain water she barely touches it) and drinks squash at home. It was the same for me when I was growing up.
I feel like a shit parent now though

When I was young, we got water, water, water. The occasional orange squash was seen as a treat. In my family, it was partly driven by money and partly for health reasons.

I think the constant drip-feeding of sugar and/or sweeteners every time a thirst needs quenching cannot be good for us.

I think you are reading what you want to read & not what people are actually saying.

I've seen disruption caused by drinking in the classroom myself. Few people are advocating that. I used to have specific drink break times especially if the activity was physical (drama & music in my case) the solutions are many. Water coolers can be accessed in between lessons for example.
I've seen MORE disruption from children who have got overheated or faint from not drinking enough.

I've also had parents yell at me for violating their child's rights to eat & drink when I said that during a theatre performance with costumes only water would be allowed backstage (2 hours in total but please inform me of any medical conditions that mean they need to eat during that time). So I do understand.

Water only. Fizzy water is more fun than plain.