Montessori Sunday: Having Snack

In our classroom having a snack is no different from any other work. There's a specific set of steps that need to be followed, the children can choose to have it whenever they like (though only once!) and when they finish things need to be cleaned up. This week, the snack routine got a bit more complicated.

Since the start of the year the snack in our classroom has been set out in individual Dixie cups, one for each child. I demonstrated to all the children how to wash their hands, choose one snack, enjoy it and then clean up the table when they finished. Now to an adult that seems like a simple process; however to the child it requires a huge effort of self control. Not only do they need to wait their turn to have snack (we had only one chair at the snack table), they also need to resist the desire to take more than one cup (or muffin as the case was one day).

Since my class right now is so small it was very easy to monitor the snack area and make sure the children were following the rules, especially the hand washing beforehand. After a few incidents of extra snacks eaten, some dumping of water back into the communal pitcher and lots of practice with washing hands, I decided they were ready to begin dishing their own snack.

Now our snack area boasts a 'Menu' each day. The children need to 'read' it and take the correct amount of snack to put on their plate. They use tongs or a spoon instead of their hands to dish out the food. When done, they are responsible for washing any dishes and putting them in the sanitation bin.

Now, having the food out like this does make it more likely to have germs spread than handing out individual cups. But the learning process and development of self control far outweighs this slight problem. After all, that's why we spent the first two months of school building up to this point. The children had already proven themselves worthy of the trust to keep this area clean and healthy for everyone. If we welcome any new children to the class I may have to reconsider whether this current set-up will work or if we'll need to go through a period of limited snack freedom until they can settle in.

Currently though, my students love being able to use the 'menu' and dish their own snack. They are also very proud of having real dishes to be responsible for. They can choose to use a bowl or plate for the day, and I also have spoons and forks available. They don't usually need silverware, but sometimes enjoy using it anyays.

Then, to make snack even more of a challenge- I turned the table and added another chair. Snack with a friend. Done partly to satisfy the logistics of having some slow/thorough eaters and to encourage some social interactions. After all, it's fun to eat with a friend!

What's better than cheese and pretzels? Cheese and pretzels with a friend!