Children eating packed lunch outside?

[OldMaaa]

Is it just me or is this a bit bonkers?

My children are at Primary school.

I found out recently (from my child not via school communication) that the children who bring in packed lunches are allowed to take them outside to eat in the playground.

This first came up as my children sometimes take in soup in a thermos cup. Recently eldest child reported that their soup was kicked over before they had consumed any, so essentially missing the main portion of their lunch. After a bit of (quite confused) discussion I discovered soup was on the floor outside, which led to a conversation about why?! This is normal apparently.

I'm thinking about it again today, as I noticed child had brought home most of their sandwiches and when I asked if there was something wrong with them they said no. "They were lovely but I got distracted".

Am I mad/out of touch to be thinking that children should be sat down at tables while they're eating their lunch regardless of whether they're packed lunch or school dinners. Or is this common in other schools?

I never want to be the kind of parent who bothers the school unnecessarily, but I am considering asking them about this as I don't understand it.

But I would appreciate some other perspectives as maybe my perspective is wrong?

Maybe you could offer to help feed them lunch outside so they don’t get distracted and play too much without eating ?

Having an outdoor lunch option is great. School canteens can be sensory nightmares and kids need more time outside in the sun, spread out a bit from fellows, and out of traditional chairs. I grew up in the states (admittedly somewhere warm and relatively dry) and two of my primary schools didn't even have indoor lunch facilities - if the rain was too awful to be outside we ate in the corridors or classrooms. At another one outdoor lunch privileges were something that had to be earned and it was a high-value reward.

Neutrally comment to your DC that spilling/ruining food while horsing around or playing too much and forgetting to eat might mean being hungry in the afternoon. Then ask if there are foods that are easier to eat outside and if they'd like those this term.

She isn't. I think the kids should be able to choose

Yeah, but they should be allowed to choose, like we could

I don't thibj the OP was suggesting her dc were desperately wanting to eat indoors and being prevented from doing so...

Why are you sending soup to school? What a faff.

But yes I think sitting and paying attention to meals is important.

We picnic at our school in the summer months, children sit together on the playing field and then go to play, they love it.

NOWHERE does the OP say that they are being forced outside!! In fact she specifically says ‘they are allowed to’…which indicates it’s a choice, ie ‘they can if they want to’. Which happens at most primary schools in good weather.

You're weird to give them soup. Probably spilled it on purpose.

Soup in colder months, yes. I was boiling hot all day today and couldn’t have managed to eat soup 🥵

If your children can't be relied upon to keep their soup safe and unspilt, then soup is a stupid choice to give them for lunch (not even starting on it's inappropriateness in this weather).

Now you know they're eating outside and apparently unable to hold on to their soup or put the lid on it, make better choices for their packed lunches instead.

I've spend 38 years trying to like soup (not just that, I've done other things too) but it just isn't proper food.

And if anyone disagrees with me using terms like "hearty" or "packed with" I shall call the police. It's not food.

my class would love to be allowed to eat outside!

My children would eat their packed lunches outside at primary school, in the field like a picnic. They enjoyed it, I thought it was nice. They aren’t supposed to be playing and eating at the same time! They are still supposed to sit down and eat/ finish their lunch before playing so maybe reinforce that with your child.

Schools really can’t win can they??

DD’s school did this til a couple of parents fond jot in the
manner you have (clearly missed the school communication) and complained. I remember dd being so annoyed they were no longer permitted to do so and had to sit in a cramped dining hall and lose lots of play time as a result

I was in primary in the 90s and we ate outside!

In all my decades of primary teaching, I’ve never known a child bring in hot soup in a flask for their packed lunch. I’d be amazed if any primary would allow it.

(Obviously, there’s now going to be a whole bunch of posters claiming their kids take flasks of hot liquid in for packed lunch and that the school doesn’t mind a bit).

OP I teach P2 and on the very rare day that it is a lovely sunny day (weather has been pretty rubbish this year) in May/June we might eat our break outside. Other classes might go out too and there's definitely not enough tables for everyone. It's not often though and it's so lovely to get out of the stuffy hot classrooms. Kids love it!

The worst thing about having to have school dinners as a child (we got FSM) was that my packed lunch friends could eat outside and I couldnt. At primary school teachers made sure we ate. At secondary I rarely ate lunch as I'd rather spend time with my mates and they didn't want to sit in the dinner hall.

We never ate outside in primary either OP and my DC definitely don’t but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. The soup is annoying but maybe stick to that in the colder months anyway? I don’t like soup when it’s warm outside.

I'd be so pissed off at you if you complained and got this cancelled!

I love soup. And it does fill me. BUT I have to eat a large bowl to get the satiety I need and for that to last - no child is eating that amount of soup at lunch because they’d rather go play.

Dd insists on packed lunches so she can join her friends outside to eat, all the school dinner children have to stay in the dinner hall.

They spill some, drop some, then have to fight the seagulls off or else spend the rest of the day hungry!

I agree with you about wimpy English soups because no one can be satisfied with a few soggy veg in a thin liquid. But a Greek meatball soup or Shorbat Adas will fill you up and I've got the belly to prove it.