We all love Snack Time at Happyhansel! Our favourite bit is the food but it is about far more than that.

Each week at snack we try something new or different that we may not have had before. It’s good to try new things and sometimes we find out that it’s our new favourite snack! We have been talking about how the tastebuds on our tongue grow up and change, just as the rest of our body grows up. Sometimes our tongue isn’t grown up enough to like a new food, but usually it is – especially if it is something that a lot of other people around the snack table are enjoying. We talk about how it looks, smells, tastes and feels in our hands or in our mouths.

We always try and say what food it tastes like that we already know about. Some of us were very excited to discover that breadsticks dipped in salsa tastes a lot like pizza! Depending on who you speak to in the nursery, papaya tastes like melon, strawberry, mango or apple.

It has also been good because we have been using snack to help us think about and learn new words. Cereal is crunchy, crispy, hard and scratchy and loud if you don’t have milk with it!

Every day we have a new Snack Helper who helps the teacher set out and prepare snack.

In the words of some of our recent Snack Helpers, this is what they do:

“Set out the plates and cups.”

“We clean the table.”

“Cut the vegetables and fruit.”

“Make cakes and pizza.”

“Call people for snack.”

“Wash the dishes.”

“Count the plates and cups and chairs.”

We are all very grateful to the snack helper and love taking our turn at the job.

If numbers and activities allow, teachers often sit and have snack along with the children. It is great to join in with them and help act as role models for table manners and for being brave exploring new foods.

The children come up with the menu and Miss Handley does her best to try to accommodate all requests! We are open to trying out lots of new foods and if anyone at home has any ideas then please let us know.