If your child is going on a school trip - FOR SOD'S SAKE, DON'T SEND THEM WITH SLOPPY BUTTIES, MASSIVE RUCKSACKS & SHOES THEY CANNOT TIE THEMSELVES!

[Doodle2U]

Just did a day trip with my DS's class - Year 2.

We went to the sea side.

Several kids with shoes they could not do themselves.

Several kids with lunches that slobbered every where.

Several kids with ruck sacks and bags that were way too big for them to handle and they had to handle them all day because we couldn't leave owt on the coach.

Bags of spare clothes which were so heavy, you'd think these children were going camping for two weeks - they only needed knickers, socks, shorts, spare T.shirt and cheapo, LIGHT shoes, in case they fell in to a wild rock pool which hadn't shown up on the risk assessment.

Parents - I know most Mumsnetters have more sense, but THINK before you pack 'em off. The kid's are there to learn and enjoy. NOT to get upset by the above.

thanks for that.. DS1 goes on his first school trip on Wednesday..
will think twice about tomato sandwiches

yes fgs laces on kdis under8
NO NO NO

and 2 litre bottles of coke....for a child who barely comes to my navel in terms of height......NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Draw string plastic bags from posh clothes shops are NOT ideal.

10 different sized tupperware containers that have to be carted around all day are also shite.

On the school trip letter home it told us what to do
Small bags comfy shoes and nothing that leaked
Its common sense

We usually suggest putting packed lunched in carrier bags which can be binned after lunch.

DD's school provides the rucksack for us. It is brightly coloured with school name on to make it eaier for teachers. But they are quite huge!

DD is on school trip on Thursday their magical mystery tour trip! Have no idea where they are going, lol. Just know it is non uniform, they need a picnic, they should wear sensible shoes and need a light waterproof.

DD likes seperate bits rather than sandwiches so will probably have a small pot of humous, some pitta bread and some veggie sticks, a small cube of cheese and probably a few mini sausages. Then something for dessert.

Ours HAVE to bring their lunches in carriers bags with a drink bottle that can be thrown away.

Job done

Crunchie - that's what the rules are for our school too.

Oh, and to the dopey gits who sent their daughter in her BEST party dress and told her she would be belted into next week if she got it dirty - thanks a fuckin' lot! (I kid you not).

and dont send yoghurt
and give travel sick children their tablet (if they need one) before going
and put sun cream on before school - dont send it with them

grrrr

Have heard on the grapevine ours may require an ecofriendly packed lunch for their trip later this week - ideas anyone ?

Ah blimey, lizs - nowt like added pressure on parents is there?

See, in theory, an eco friendly lunch sounds right but you know what? The kids are on ONE day out. We recycle everything we possibly can normally but for one poxy day, we might have to relax the rules a bit!

You can buy compostable sandwich bags and some councils do recycle tetra pak drink cartons, so do your best but don't sweat it, would be my advice.

Oh, and if anyone thinks the parent helpers are judging your lunch choices - WE AREN'T! I, for one, couldn't give a fiddlers dick what your kids are eating - so long as it's easy, fills them up, doesn't splosh every where and can be chucked in the bin when finished!

Yes to 'disposable' lunches in a carrier bag. Brilliant idea. But if everyone around shops at tesco, put yours in a asda waitrose bag so everyone can see where you shop your DC can find theirs quickly.

Yep, carrierbag with name on, (we only have one supermarket in our town so they are all bright orange!), no chocolate, no glass, no fizzy pop.

Jobs a gud un!!

I put sandwiches in a strawberry or grape fruit container to stop them getting all squashed, and can still be binned.

I agree with you.

The amount of teachers/parent helpers I saw around the zoo today carrying half a dozen bags (which the reception/Yr1 aged children had given up with) was amazing....

"I put sandwiches in a strawberry or grape fruit container to stop them getting all squashed, and can still be binned."

BRILLIANT! Great tip, serin - gonna pinch that idea and pretend I thought of it!

LIZS - we had to do a no-waste ecofriendly lunch a while ago for a trip to a nature reserve - so it means loads of reusable containers, no plastic bags, wrap sandwiches in greaseproof paper, so it can be put in the recycling, decant large thing of yoghurt into smaller pot, with an ordinary spoon, reusable drinks bottle, all that kind of thing. Not as light to carry, but in our case it was a competition to create as little waste as possible, pitted against what previous trips to the place had done.

LIZS, our school had this on 2 recent trips.

Coming form a school that didn't recycle paper and card (they used to burn it, shock horror, until some parents pointed out the error of their ways ) until recently I was a little .

I had a paper bag with handles, like a sandwich take out bag but one that some crap craft had come home from brownies in. I wrapped sarnies and a biscuit (seperately)in foil, drink was in a reuseable bottle, put some crisps in another paper bag (cheating I know) grapes, pepper and carrot sticks were in a waxed paper bag (lakeland - were leftover from some craft thing) apple came in its own wrapper!

dd is already at the thought of no squeezy yoghurt tube ! Haven't actually had official notification of this yet , only tomorrow to shop !