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?

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’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.

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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