June 2013 - the thread that lasts us a while

[Sunbeam18]

Starting our new one!

DD has a school canteen taster session today, so will be going to school to try a school dinner! She's looking forward to it...I'm hoping she'll broaden her food horizons a bit as she can just dismiss food as not liked, even when she's eaten it before (typical toddler!).

I shall see what DH reports back as to whether it's a success!

Does anyone else get to do this? I think it's a great idea.

I've never heard of such a thing! I did find DD eats things she won't try at home when she's as nursery though. Peer pressure or lack of parents to annoy

I think most of our local schools do it (certainly the ones we applied for).

Our two eat more of their lunch at preschool than at home, that's true, but we provide that. Food made by school is a whole new experience for her!

I haven't heard of this but at our school you choose whether to have school dinner or packed lunch on a weekly basis. School dinners seem quite expensive!

They're free for infants though, or they are in England. She'll have packed lunch once they aren't free!

I don't think they are here - I hadn't heard of it and the government and council websites tell me they're just for those on benefits. They do a free breakfast club (with limited places) and free milk for under 5s but that's it. It's (currently) £2.30 a day which adds up!

I'd send a packed lunch rather than pay that.

We eat dinner together in the evening anyway, so they don't need a hot meal at school too.

I keep forgetting all the non-Scottish ones are starting school this year!

I note in the Tory manifesto that they plan to scrap school meals for infants. That sucks. It's £2.10 a day otherwise. Which obviously I will be paying as I have no time or inclination in my life to make packed lunches. Not least because neither of my children accept sandwiches as a valid lunch option!

Mine tend to eat pretty well at nursery. They have all three meals there in theory. In reality the fact that tea is at 3 means they generally come home at six shouting for food.

Polly has now decided she wants to be a vegetarian as eating animals isn't kind. As the child of broadly vegan parents that's fine by me, except for the fact she doesn't seem to like the quorn stuff they feed them at nursery. So she is eating a lot of potato at the moment. Sigh.

I was at a conference last week where the person who is behind Corbyn's decision to propose school meals for kids. Except she says he's misinterpreted her data and actually he'd get a better result if he funded breakfast clubs instead and it would be a fraction of the cost.

I think in Scotland we're still due to get school meals. Sorry!

The government here is Labour yet there are no free school dinners (unless on benefits etc)! Just the free breakfast clubs - if you can get in.

DD gets upset eating things like gingerbread men but eating animals doesn't bother her - she likes meat too much! I'm vegetarian but it doesn't bother me at all.

Where've you all gone?! Are your children excited about starting reception? DD had her settling in session in her new classroom (which is only across the corridor from her nursery classroom!) with her new teacher and classmates and came out very happy - she's very excited. The new term starts late here this year so a bit longer to wait.

Ha ha, I'm here:) I was excited about starting school until yesterday. We went to the parents evening. There was a big gang of parents stood outside smoking and swearing while their kids ran riot. They then brought them in with them and made no effort to control them while the teachers tried to speak. Couldn't hear a thing. Clutched my pearls so hard I nearly suffocated myself.

Oh dear. We had an info session for parents last night - it must have been the day for it! It was parents only though - the children had their turn today (and yes, it meant some people couldn't attend - I nearly couldn't as my husband was away, but that's the way it goes).

Yes ours was child free as well. But apparently the rules don't apply to some people. The school was very clear that they would make alternative arrangements for anyone who needed it, and they did for us as we were away for the kids session. But that was unacceptable apparently?!?

That doesn't bode well, does it? As long as you're happy with the school and teachers I'm sure it'll be fine - you'll just have to hope that those children don't take after their parents!

We've had a canteen session and two classroom tasters (we were away for the third of these). We've also had a parents' evening meeting.

DD is ridiculously excited and keeps wearing her uniform around the house.

Only 2 weeks left at preschool now too...makes me tearful just thinking about it! 😂

Oh, the parents at our school seem lovely...I hope yours improve, Bean!

I feel sad as well. She said literally grown up with these kids, having been with them since she was less than a year old

I feel a bit sad too, despite the fact she will be in the same place and will get to see the same children! The nursery teacher has made it so special for them (and us) with the things that she's come up with and arranged for them. Not long till DS starts there really though (Sept 2018).

School dinners now £2.40 a day here but you can choose what you do on a weekly basis (and you don't have to have them every day) so we'll probably do a mix.

Parents also lovely here. Parties might be interesting, Bean!

DS has been at the same preschool this year and is gutted he's being left behind next year! I've got to apply for his school place in September too! At least he gets sibling priority at our school, so I won't worry about his application as much.

DD has a few of her preschool cohort in her reception class, including her 'bestest bestie'! 😍

Aww, he'll be in school with her before you know it! I'm very relieved about the sibling priority thing (despite living so close!) because there was a baby boom around here when DS was born!

DS is going to miss DD a lot when she's at school all day. They play together all the time and he naps while she's at nursery so doesn't get the chance to miss her then (though he asks for her as soon as he wakes up!).

Juno will struggle without Polly ('my poppy! Where my Poppy gone?'). People now think her name is actually poppy. They've never really been apart. Polly struggled at nursery before Juno started as she couldn't comprehend why she wasn't there. I do worry about this. Though frankly she will just have to get on with it...

I'm sure they'll get used to it pretty quickly. We're all early risers so they'll have a couple of hours together before school starts anyway.