Kindergarten Snack Question

I'd buy those individually portioned sized boxes of raisins, granola bars or really anything that will be easy for the teacher to just pass out, as opposed to dividing up portions herself.

Ditto on the big bag of carrots. If I'm feeling nice, I'll send in a bottle of light ranch too and some paper plates. Other than that, I've done pretzels, no fat pudding cups, granola bars, and bananas.

Oh how I wish they would just let each parent provide the snack for their kid each day. My daughter has told me through the years how some kids just throw the snack I provide straight into the trash. What a waste and shame.

I'm curious about Gamma G's response -- it makes you "angry" that people send healthy snacks to school? Seriously? If someone in my kids' classes was sending in Little Debbie and Cupcakes, I'd be really ticked off! Both my kids have a hard time processing high sugar snacks and would first be crazy buzzed and then crash and come out crabby by the time I pick them up. And I'm sure the teacher doesn't appreciate having 25 sugar-buzzed kindergarteners flying around the room, not listening and hyper. Why would only ladies at tea eat healthy foods?? Really? My kids love fruits and vegetables and rarely ask for the junk, even when they're at friends' houses (as several parents have told me -- they gravitate toward the healthy choices on the table).

Our school has done away with all snacks, including kindergarten and birthday parties. I think it's a harsh approach, but perhaps it was necessary.

Sorry, I am not the sugar police, but the one suggestion I just read made me thing that I need to stand up for the healthy. We eat treats all the time, but snack time is about meeting a child need for energy and nutrition, not sugaring them up in the middle of the school day. PLEASE do not send cookies, cupcake's, and certainly not little Debbie. Those are items that are for children to enjoy for desert or a special treat with their family. We say in our house that they are sometimes foods. I would send things like Ritz and cheese sticks, Baby Carrots, Those little bags of sliced up apples, Animal crackers which are a relatively lower sugar cookie option, granola bars, fruit leather, trail mixes. I like to mix goldfish and raisins. Target has a good selection of healthy snacks by archer farms in the snack isle.

go to somewhere like sams club or costco and get a package of prepackaged goldfish or animal crackers etc.

I see nothing wrong with bringing Ritz crackers for a snack. You might want to pair it with cheese for a little more protein and calcium. I think there are many varieties of Ritz crackers these days. There are whole grain Ritz, and Ritz bits sandwich cookies with peanut butter (probably banned from your school) or cheese. Good luck! Once your son's turn to bring in a snack is over, you'll hear from him what all of the other kids bring and which are the kids' favorites.

Ritz crackers sounds good to me! It might be easier if you send in a large box of "Ritz bits" so the teacher can distribute a small portion out to each child. Our kids 1st grade teacher had little paper cups to hold snacks so people did not have to send in individually wrapped items. I'd ask which option is easier for your teacher.

It is routine at our school that there is a snack rotation in K. Everyone has a turn. Beginning in 1st grade, each person brings their own snack.

I would steer clear of anything that could be seen as junk... (chips, sweets, etc). As a teacher, we also monitor what the other children bring in for snacks and when we see candy bars and chips, it is suggested in the distribution parent emails that children bring a Healthy snack.

I see a lot of crackers, pretzels, dry cereal, string cheese, yogurt, raisens, bananas, apples, oranges.

Your son's idea of ritz crackers if fine... just pair it with a cheese stick or fruit of some sort.

We sent our K kid with cheese crackers, popcorn, chips, granola bars, and ritz are perfect as well.

I love the Cuties idea. We love those. I'd probably send a small package of napkins along with it for the kiddos to use with them, though.

Individual bags of pretzels, or goldfish crackers are ok. Not ideal... but better than "fruit roll ups" or some other pure sugar item.

If your son has room in his backpack (or can attach it to the outside) for a "spare" lunchbox, I'd even consider sending in string cheese, wrapped up with cold packs in a lunch box.

Dollar Tree has boxes of individual animal cracker servings and other things. Our schools require that things be store bought, individual serving packages etc. We often buy a bag of 'Cuties'. (the mandarin oranges that cant be called mandarin as they are grown outside of China) They are easy for small kids to peal and sweet and healthy.

EDIT: Please ask the teacher if there are children with allergies. My daughter is allergic to milk/cheese and anything cow. I love cheese and would not ask anyone to NOT bring string cheese, but would love the mother who took something different for my daughter so she wouldn't be hungry. Peanut butter and a spoon makes her happy, but we are also aware that some children cant even be near it.

Follow up from a clueless mom here -- our little guy is still in preschool so I don't know the mysterious ways of kindergartens yet -- you're asked to bring snacks for the entire class? Is it a rotating schedule or something? I've never heard of such a thing! Or maybe I'm misreading the question.

Thanks in advance for educating me :-)

I use to and will send in juice boxes or little water bottles with snacks, but not all parents did/do. The teachers were always happy to get them, because then they don't have to take the kids all out in the hall to the water fountain for a drink after snack time.

As for snacks, I have sent in a lot of different things... pretzel sticks & string cheese (seemed to be my kids favorite plus the teachers had a little fridge), cheese crackers and/or peanut butter crackers, goldfish, animal crackers, granola bars, Chezz-its, Rice Crispy treats, cereal bars, fruit snacks, cookies, Little Debbies snacks or cup cakes (more for birthdays or party days). The kids also told me some kids would bring in cereal w/ little bowls or cups.

Most of the times I let the kids tell me what kind of snack... and I help them carry it to school. Then I drop it off at the classroom or office for the teacher to come get.

Hope you find a good snack... even if you only figure out one - they will only get it about once a month since the kids take turns bringing in a snack. Also, they usually send home the extras, so make sure it is something your son likes - then he will have something to snack on at home.

Raisins, animal crackers, dried fruit, protein bars

What about fruit and string cheese?

Our teacher preferred the big huge boxes of things. She said the individualized stuff meant having to help 22 kids open everything. I bought a big bag of popcorn and sent that in one week...that was a big hit with the kids. Snack crackers and animal crackers were popular too.

One of my favorite things to take when my daughter was in kindergarten was those tubes of yogurt. I would freeze them and then stick them in one of those new style lunch bags that will fold flat and are slightly insulated. By snack time the yogurt was defrosted but still cold. Other than that you have gotten lots of good ideas. Cheese and crackers are always good. Some sort of fruit--grapes are the easiest.

Despite what Grandma G said NEVER ever take "junk" like cupcakes. Those are reserved for and okay on birthdays. But they will do nothing for the kids on regular days. Nothing made me angrier than when my kindergartener came home with fake cheese dust all over her face because the snack of the day was Cheetoes. I have never had any of my girls classmates refuse yogurt, cheese and crackers or grapes despite what Grandma G thinks about what kids really like.

I remember having to do this and sometimes it was hard, but I came up with a few good ones. You gotta get creative, for sure. Try apple slices in a ziplog with peanut butter in the small plastic canisters, also by ziplog. This was a huge hit for my kids. carrot and celery stix in a ziplog with lemon juice. Cucumber slices with lemon juice in a ziplog. Goldfish crackers with a little ziplog canister of cream cheese or the mini canisters available at Costco/Sam's/BJ's of cream cheese. If he likes ritz, get him the ones with cheese or peanut butter or make your own cracker sandwiches out of the big ones. Cream cheese/PBJ/Cheese spread. Fruitsnacks are good too. Wheter you slice up his favorite fruit and put it in a ziplog or get the prepacked fruit snacks. Good luck.

Goldfish, in packs.
Mini Ritz crackers, in packs
Pretzels in a small Ziplock bag
those "100 calorie" snack packs that comes in a box.
Raisins in boxes.
*These things, are non-perishable. AND does NOT have to be chilled or kept cold. AND is easily carried by a child and is easily handled by a child. And it is NOT sticky. Thus, their hands will not get all sticky.

This is typically, what my kids and the kids at their school take as snacks, to school. In their backpacks. When my son was in Kindergarten last year, that is what he and the other kids would bring to school for snacks.

My kids' school has "recommendations" for snacks. They encourage, non-sugary snacks. Things that are not sticky. And my kids' school is a "no peanuts and no tree nuts" school.

AND at my kids' school, they tell the kids to bring a water bottle, to school, everyday. EACH child brings one, and in class they have a place for it. And the child can get it and drink from it ANYTIME throughout the day. They specify, NOT to put juice or soda, in a child's water bottle. ONLY water. Because believe it or not... some kids come to school with juice or soda in their water bottles. It has happened. THEN... (bottles can leak or spill, especially with young kids who are not careful to tightly close their water bottle), ANTS and insects... infest a classroom... and I have seen actual ant trails, from some kids water bottles because they have sugary drinks in it, instead. Just as an example, and the reason, for the school saying, WATER only, in a kid's water bottles at school. And it is just healthier.

How come your son can't just bring Ritz crackers, which is what he wants???

At my kids' school- the kids bring their OWN snacks. For themselves. THEN, per the classroom... each individual Teacher may ask for "donations" of snacks, which he/she then uses for the kids as incentives or for special treat time, too. BUT my kids' school, always "encourages" (they do not force the parents), to bring, healthy options. AND their school is a NO nuts, school. They send home information about it, and suggestions, to the parents at the beginning of each, school year.
But each child brings their own... recess snacks.

**And remember, per kid's snacks at school, for recess time... Recess, is only like say 15 minutes. The child, will not have the time to drag a whole "buffet" of a snack to the playground, and then have to assemble a snack in order to eat it. AND then, you'd have to have napkins too, for their sticky hands etc. AND then, the child will have to put away/clean up after any said snack at "recess" too. SO, with that in mind, think ahead, and provide a snack for a young child, that is EASILY eaten... is not sticky... and does not require... assembly of the food or it being sticky and gooey. Snacks at recess... are TYPICALLY things, that are just in a baggie, or snack pack. It is NOT an "insulated lunch box" type thing. It is snack at recess time... not a 'meal' at recess time. Snacks for recess time, is best if it is "finger foods" that is easily eaten and quick.
Things that... can be, OPENED and closed, by the child, themselves.
A Playground Adult Supervisor or attending Teacher, does not have time to be opening, 23+ bags or snack bags, all during recess. During a limited time period. For example.
They have, other classes to watch over, too. Concurrently.

I work at my kids' school and also volunteer there.
And this is what I have seen, suggest, and do with my own kids' snacks. They are in 1st & 5th grade.

Well, if he wants Ritz crackers... you can send him with a box of Ritz crackers - enough for at least 2 per child.

Or a pound bag of baby carrots.

I'd suggest 22 small, washed apples, but that is heavy to put in a 5-year-old's backpack!

Celery sticks.

Pretzel sticks.

Granola bars or other such food bars.

Bags of nuts or trail mix.

The items that I brought for snack for my kindergartener included veggie sticks (generally carrots, broccoli florets and celery), cut up melon, berries, fruit salad, clementines, apples, grapes. The easiest are fruit that are either single serving (apples, clementines) or require no prep beyond washing (grapes, cherries). Most schools have enough refrigeration that they can refrigerate snack when it is for the whole class. Our school discouraged prepackaged and unhealthy snacks so we avoided crackers, goldfish etc. Things like cookies, rice crispy treats and fruit snacks are candy and I would not bring them. Even if you allow them, many children will have parents who do not feed these items to their kids.

My son's class prepared snack each day in kindergarten. The child whose turn it was got to pick a helper and the teacher helped them - they would cut up fruit, put toothpicks in it and pass it around on a plate. Once they made guacamole, occasionally they would bake.

We used to provide snacks for the whole preschool class. They usually asked for us to have at least 3 of the major food groups. Common snacks included:

Fruit - grapes, bananas, strawberries, apple slices were all common (usually just one kind)
Protein - string cheese or sliced cheese was most common, other ideas included rolled up turkey, hummus, edamame, yogurt tubes
Grains - whole grain crackers, pretty much any variety so Ritz are fine. :D

If you throw a box of Ritz and a big pile of string cheese in the backpack, that would probably be good. Add about 5-7 bananas if you want and they can slice them up.

I have never heard of providing a class-wide snack in kindergarten. Who prepares it when it's time to pass it out?