Kindergarteners and the cafeteria... do they belong in the same sentence?

There are definitely a couple of things that were a tad terrifying to me before school started. Our school allows the students to pick an entree (not bad) and then pick their two sides (4-5 options each day). With older kids it can be messy... with Kinders it's terrifying! I can say that I am amazed at what they can learn to do in 2 short weeks. They are definitely doing so much better! But it definitely seemed a little hit-or-miss many of those school days while they were learning. And, honestly, some are totally still learning but they are definitely getting there!

On the very first day of school, we took a trip to tour the cafeteria. The children got to walk through the "line", get a plate with their snack, and make their way to our tables. Then they were able to get up and walk around to the trash cans in order to see what it was like. Of course, later on when the lunch room was filled with 100 very loud BIG kids they were a tad overwhelmed compared to when it had been empty that morning. But, bless their hearts, they did so well with their first lunch! I really think that it's in part to an activity that we did before lunch that day.

Because the lunch trays are segmented for different items and it's easier to carrying if things are put in their proper place, we let the kids create a lunch tray to show them where everything goes!

This sweet pumpkin really took her time with coloring and cutting. Coming from Third to Kindergarten this activity really opened my eyes to some of the major differences... and things that I've taken for granted these past 4 years!! The sheet that the students used for this was simply a copy of several hand drawn lunch items. It would be easy to recreate using any food that you can draw. I hope this helps you as much as it helped my pumpkins!


Have a blessed day,