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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

My nursery have asked for all children to bring in a piece of fruit...

21 replies

CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 29/08/2007 21:33

for each day they go in, that they can chop up and share with their friends....

Now, I can see the learning in this....so and so has brought a kiwi, where are Kiwis from, chop up and share... but....and tell me if I am being totally Victor Meldrew here but if the all the kids do this, wouldn't the nursery then not have to bother buying fruit and hence save money?????

Not that I mind sending DS in with fruit you understand....just wondering if its a money saving ploy?

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Charlee · 29/08/2007 21:33

Ours does the same thing.

fawkeoff · 29/08/2007 21:34

of course it is.we have to give the school nursery 50p a week for fruit money plus £8 for dinners

harleyd · 29/08/2007 21:34

surely they provide it from nursery - p3?
they do over here

paolosgirl · 29/08/2007 21:35

Sounds like a money saving ploy to me...if it's a learning thing, why doesn't the nursery provide it? Is it a state or private nursery?

NurseyJo · 29/08/2007 21:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Desiderata · 29/08/2007 21:38

It's a money saving ploy.

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 29/08/2007 21:42

Our nursery class (state) get free fruit.

meandmy · 29/08/2007 21:44

They should provide this

Original poster

CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 29/08/2007 21:44

Its private as DS only 15months old...I saw that and I thought ooh thats educational and then after some minutes (I am blonde!) I thought 'ang on and started to think more along the lines of money....I mean I'm sure parents will bring in nice fruit so as not to disgrace their DC's (organic, fair trade, no air miles etc etc) so they get stonking good fruit for nowt.....

Mmm......

OP posts:

handlemecarefully · 29/08/2007 21:45

Is it a Pre-School rather than a private Nursery? If the former, many Pre-Schools operate on a not for profit / shoestring basis and need to save money

handlemecarefully · 29/08/2007 21:45

Ah, crossed posts!

handlemecarefully · 29/08/2007 21:45

(makes a change from 'cross' posts on mumsnet)

NurseyJo · 29/08/2007 21:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 29/08/2007 21:51

you can tell organic/fair trade fruit just by looking at it??

ds is currently enjoying kiwis from Lidl(9p each - bargain)

and if you're looking for no air miles we have apples, pears & plums from the back garden you can tell they're organic 'cos some of them have occupants.

meandmy · 29/08/2007 22:05

tbh at that age if he took a piece a week to share they would still have left overs! tell the manager you are not happy with this and is the cpl a quid a week going to be deducted from your fees!

maman4 · 30/08/2007 12:02

It s probably to try and get parents involved in what goes on in the nursery.LO love to bring and share things from home(ok share can be an issue)but I can t see it as a cunning ploy to cut costs.

admylin · 30/08/2007 12:07

Are you sopposed to give them a snack anyway or is all the food included in the fees?
If you all give them a snack anyway, it is quite a good idea to get little ones used to eating fruit instead of sending in biscuits or sweets, cakes etc as a snack.

RubySlippers · 30/08/2007 12:09

my DS goes to a private nursery and fruit is included in the fees and given as a snack
think as a one off it is a nice activity but not to supplement what you are paying the nursery to provide

Anchovy · 30/08/2007 12:10

My DCs nursery school did this and I thought it was brilliant - never crossed my mind to be sniffy about it.

The school was private but fairly inexpensive and extremely far from being swanky. I can't believe it was making a huge profit for the owner/proprietor.

Every morning they took a bit of fruit in and put it in the fruit basket. It was then chopped up and put on plates. At break time they would sit on small tables of 6-8 with one of the helpers, pass round the fruit plate and take a few pieces. They also had to pour their own juice and then one of the staff would start a "conversation" for them all to join in (mostly along the lines of - "what do you like better, giraffes or tigers")

Its a socialisation thing, I think. Bringing a piece of fruit also reinforces the idea that you take fruit as a snack - certainly when Ds went on to school it was completely natural for him to do this (I remember the day of his utter shock when the twins brought in doughnuts as their snack, and as DS pointed out indignantly - "doughnuts are not a fruit").

sweetkitty · 30/08/2007 12:11

DD1 has just started nursery and fruit is provided, the local council actually pay for the nursery to have free fruit.

What I'm vexed at is that you are "asked" each week to give a donation, it's written down next to your childs name on the register and theres a box for you to put it in. I think this is a bit off considering the council pay the nursery for my child to go there. The nursery call it toy fund for new toys but a friend wh's boss runs a nursery said each year they get grants from the council for up to 8k toys.

If they said £1 a week for snacks I would happier with this but it's the "donations" bit and the writing the amount down next to the childs name that gets me.

hatwoman · 30/08/2007 12:18

agree that at state school nurseries it's the norm - and that for age 2 and upwards it can be an exercise with considerable value. but a private nursery for a 15-month old?

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