LHMS Newsletter
Keeping Children Safe & Healthy at Lunch
Although grapes are a healthy snack for little ones, many parents don't realize just how dangerous this fruit can be if it's not cut properly. This little boy had to be operated on under general anesthesia in order to remove the grape.
Not only should grapes never be served to children uncut, but it's just as important to slice them lengthwise, in particular, to prevent them from getting lodged in a child's throat, as the width of a grape is the same size as a small child's airway. Most importantly, this warning isn't just for parents of toddlers.
What different foods are choking hazards for children?
Food is a common choking hazard. Many children do not chew their food well so they try to swallow it whole. Foods that are the most dangerous are round and hard. Please take extra safety measures or don’t feed the following foods to your children:
- Hot dogs
- Nuts and seeds
- Chunks of meat or cheese
- Whole grapes
- Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
- Popcorn
- Chunks of peanut butter
- Raw vegetables
- Raisins
- Chewing gum
- Marshmallows
Grace & Courtesy at Lunch
Lunch is such a fun time to practice our grace & courtesy manners. We begin lunch with all children washing their hands. They locate and set up their lunch, place their lunch box under their chair, then stand behind their chair and politely wait for the teacher to start singing our meal song then join in. "The Earth is good to me, and so I thank the Earth, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed, the Earth is good to me. Bon Appetit! Now you may eat."
They place their cloth napkin on their lap and enjoy polite conversation with friends and teachers while eating their growing food first.
Things to keep in mind while preparing lunch with your child:
- we are not a peanut-free school but we do our best to keep our school a peanut-free environment
- pack small rather than large
- containers they can open independently
- real utensils
- cloth napkin
- healthy snacks
- no juice boxes, prefer water in a recyclable container
- no go-gurts, please
With all that being said, a bagel with cream cheese from Dunkin Donuts and egg sandwich from McDonald's are a-okay!
Long Hill Montessori School
Email: LongHillMontessoriSchool@gmail.com
Website: www.LongHillMontessoriSchool.com
Location: 158 Central Avenue, Stirling, NJ, United States
Phone: (908) 647-1852