# After-school snacks worldwide



## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

A cooking show I was just watching (Barefoot Contessa) mentioned that a typical after-school snack in France is radish and butter sandwiches. I have no idea how true that is, but I never would have thought of making a radish and butter sandwich and might see if DS likes it, so it got me wondering about typical after-school snacks in other countries, and since we have so many international mamas here, I thought this would be a good place to share ideas. What may seem normal and boring to one might be exciting and new to another!









So maybe we could all share two things:

1) Our idea of typical after-school snacks in our country or region
2) Snacks we serve our own kids after school


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Here are my answers:

1) I actually had trouble coming up with "typical" snacks for the U.S. -- maybe PBJ sandwiches? Or cookies and milk?

2) Stuff I serve my kids after school is:
Apples with cheese or peanut butter
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Yogurt and fruit or granola
Celery with peanut butter and raisins ("ants on a log")
Cookies and milk, sometimes


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## Joyster (Oct 26, 2007)

I'm in Ontario Canada.

Typically the snacks are seasonal fruit. Which in the winter usually means fruit flown in from warmer countries or leftover apples from the cold cellar, or dried fruit. In the summer and fall, it's anything ranging from the best strawberries in the world, to wild blueberries.

We will also have cheese and crackers, homemade cookies and milk (often that comes after the fruit). Special days have the Canadian delicacy of hot chocolate and Tim bits.


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## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

Have no idea what would be typical here in San Diego. I served fruit, yogert and granola, smoothies, popcorn, ice cream cones, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers/carrrots/celery. When the girls were in high school, salads and pb&j or cheese sandwiches were favorites. Cold left over stir fry, pancakes, mac and cheese were not unheard of as afternoon snacks. Especially after swim practice.


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

Ahhh my grandma used to make me radish sandwiches - nice fresh butter, a little sprinkle of salt on top and warm bread. Yum. Takes me back...

For afternoon snacks, we have scrambled eggs, yogurt, fruit, crackers, veggie booty, cheese toast, cheese sticks, carrots, hmmm can't think of what else. I often wish for better ideas and some things that I know they would always eat. So often the kids don't want anything offered to them and are just plain cranky til dinner time.


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## Roxswood (Jun 29, 2006)

I live in France and I haven't seen any children eating radish sandwiches lol.

Its normal here for children to have a "gouter" after school which would usually be at about 5pm and they don't eat dinner until later in the evening. My kids aren't in school though, my 5.5year old is in a steiner ecole maternelle and she finishes at lunchtime and we've pretty much stuck to our uk schedule of having a snack at 3pm and dinner between 5 and 6pm.

Chocolate spread and bread seems to be the number one most common snack with the children I see here, at least thats what dd seems to always end up with if she goes to anyone else's house at that time. To be fair though, if she's at home she often ends up with a cookie and milk for her snack because we don't do desserts or anything sweet the rest of the time and it just works better for her to have a set time when she is allowed something sweet and the rest of the time she doesn't ask so much. Home made banana and date muffins are a fave in our house tho with all of us for snacks.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

Dh is from Turkey. The kids there take a 5 o'clock tea... that doesn't mean necessarily that they drink tea, though. They'll have a small pastry, cookies, nuts, olives & cheese, or small sandwich (not like sandwiches here in the US). The idea is to tide them over until supper, which is usually served around 8pm.


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## thehighernest (Aug 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Roxswood* 
Chocolate spread and bread seems to be the number one most common snack with the children I see here...

I grew up in Spain and this was, by far, the number one afternoon snack we children got: a good chunk of a baguette with chocolate/hazelnut spread or the bread with a couple of chocolate bar squares insides.

Another option would have been bread with cheese and then perhaps a mug of hot cocoa on the side, if it was cold anyway.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Our snacks are:
String cheese & fruit
Chocolate hazelnut spread (with or without bread)

We're in the US. I know are snacks are weird according to the neighborhood.


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## velochic (May 13, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LynnS6* 
Our snacks are:
String cheese & fruit
Chocolate hazelnut spread (with or without bread)

We're in the US. I know are snacks are weird according to the neighborhood.

How so? I don't see anything weird about them.


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## crowcaw (Jan 16, 2009)

I don't know about typical but here we usually have raw vegetables (the usual -- carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cherry tomatoes...) with some kind of dip like humus along with a little cheese. It's the time of day when they're most amenable to eating vegetables for some reason, so that's what's offered and they eat a lot of it.


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## autumnfairy76 (Oct 14, 2007)

I also live in France and after asking my husband who grew up here, he agrees that radish sandwiches are not typical after school snacks and Nutella with bread or something sweet is more likely. I see many moms at the park give their children a french snack that is basically applesauce in a drink-able pouch.

However, I did try radishes with bread and butter for the first time here in france and was introduced to it as a french appetizer. I also have heard of it being served in the school cafeterias as a part of lunch.


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## Peppermint Poppies (Jan 7, 2007)

My LO's aren't school aged yet, but afternoon snacks for DS is usually a cup of milo and a vegemite sandwhich or a tub of yoghurt. Sometimes some homemade cookies or slice if we've baked that morning. We're in Australia.


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## aussiemum (Dec 20, 2001)

My kids generally eat a big after-school snack. Some of the more common things they eat are two-minute noodles with veggies; vegemite or nutella sandwich; hummus with raw veggies & water crackers; sliced apples with plain yogurt, cinnamon & honey; toasted cheese & capsicum sandwiches; quesedillas; a bowl of cereal; cheesy-tomato toast with hot cocoa. It has to be quick & filling because they usually have afternoon sport or something else on, & we don't eat tea until 7 most nights. I don't know what would be the typical AUssie afternoon tea for kids though, this is just things that they like to eat. I also like for them to have at least two serves of fruit/veg with this meal, & we do seem to have a lot of dairy this time of day.


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## SquishyKitty (Jun 10, 2005)

Nutella
Bread w/cheese
Bread w/meat (small sandwich)

We do smoothies, cheese, fruit, or a slice of bread with some peanut butter and bananas squished in.

I try to make the snacks full of protein but still tasty.


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## wagamama (Jul 3, 2006)

Great thread! I'm in Japan, and it seems pretty common for kids to eat junk food (cookies, chips, white bread) at snack time. But some mothers give healthier, traditional snacks such as:
Rice crackers
Rice balls (filled with fish, seaweed, etc.)
Baked sweet potatoes
Baked taro root dipped in soy sauce
Dried fish/squid

I don't give a big snack because we eat dinner at 5pm, so the kids have a small amount of something like the following, usually with a small glass of milk:
Baked sweet potatoes
Roasted potatoes
Rice crackers and dried fish
Homemade muffins or cookies
Raisin bread or sourdough with butter
Shrimp crackers


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to Nutrition and Good Eating


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## bnhmama (Nov 28, 2006)

Not sure what's normal here but for us it's usually something like this:

Cheese (string or sliced)
leftovers
apple
crackers
bowl of cereal (This is the most common.)
peanut butter on crackers


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## organicmidwestmama (Apr 27, 2009)

im a bit shocked reading that a lot of kids are given sweets only after school as a snack. yikes. nutella is yummy but should not be everyday fare in my opinion.

my kids get lunch meats, cheese, plain yogurt with berries and a 1/2 tsp pf sweetener, nuts, liverwurst, eggs, leftover nut-meal muffins.


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## moondiapers (Apr 14, 2002)

I always give a protien of some kind with snack, and then fruit or crackers.

Peanut butter with apples, celery, or crackers.
Sliced or string cheese with fruit or crackers.
Melted cheese on toast etc.


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## Bri'sgirl (Apr 4, 2009)

The kids don't get home from school until around 4:00, and we usually eat dinner around 5:00-5:30, so snack is something light.

cheese and crackers
piece of fruit
veggies with cream cheese
crackers with peanut butter
piece of whole wheat toast with butter

We don't allow sweets after school, but maybe give a piece of candy after dinner.


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## Gingercat (Sep 3, 2009)

So far it seems that the Greek children are the only ones having a big meal right after school!

I believe that there are two main reasons for this: 1. Schools operate from 7.30-8.00 am until 1.30-2.00 pm, 2. Greeks have their 'big' meal at lunch-time, usually around 2.30-3.00 pm.

They tend to have snacks in between or after afternoon activities and the quality of them really depends on the health habits of each family. But yes, I've seen children having white bread with Nutella as an afternoon snack


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## Marylizah (Jun 17, 2005)

Another poster in France who has never seen a child get a radish and butter sandwich for snack. That said, I'm sure it is eaten, in fact, I've been served that at a dinner. But the kids I see outside school / in the park are getting cookies, applesauce in little packs, bread w/ Nutella, or pain au chocolat. Frankly not the healthiest, in terms of snacks!

DS gets a PBJ or ham and cheese sandwich, yogurt, fruit, carrots, or homemade cake/cookies.


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## sophiesgrandma (Jun 22, 2006)

When I lived in Greece as a little girl many years ago (I am 56), my grandmother used to give us sweetened condensed milk spread on crusty bakery bread. We loved it.


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## mumm (May 23, 2004)

Interesting.

At my house we do eat our junk food after school and for several reasons. One, I want it to be something my 7 and 9 year old can get themselves because they are coming home when I am waking the babies from naps and I'm pretty much stuck on the sofa with two nursing toddlers for a good 30 minutes. And secondly we tend to eat an early or really late dinner depending on the day.

4- off bus

4:15 ice cream or cold cereal, sometimes "treat" fruit like berries or pineapple

5:15 light dinner in the car on M, W, and TH ( light dinner again at 9 when we get home)

Full dinner at home on T and F

We don't do desert *after* dinner exccept on birthdays.


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## Gingercat (Sep 3, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sophiesgrandma* 
When I lived in Greece as a little girl many years ago (I am 56), my grandmother used to give us sweetened condensed milk spread on crusty bakery bread. We loved it.

I remember my grandmother used to give us hot fried bread (in butter) sprinkled with white sugar; it was delicious!


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## Bri'sgirl (Apr 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sophiesgrandma* 
When I lived in Greece as a little girl many years ago (I am 56), my grandmother used to give us sweetened condensed milk spread on crusty bakery bread. We loved it.

My gram once told me that her favorite snack was a chunk of pure cream on top of a piece of homemade bread.


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## kayabrink (Apr 19, 2005)

Not to add to the long list of Barefoot Contessa bashers, but I think she may be a little off the mark. Dh is French and never heard of this, I will say though that France has many regional variations, maybe this does occur somewhere... Just not in the Dordogne region nor in the Charente region (where I grew up some). Dh used to get paté or saucisson on bread, nutella or piece of chocolate on bread. Sometimes we had bread and butter with powdered chocloate (like Nesquick in north america) on it. When I was a teen we would often go to the bakery to get croissant or chocolatines (like croissant with chocolat inside) on Wednesdays (that is a half day of school only).
No way is any of these a healthy option, and we were encouraged by adults to eat fruit and/or yogourt at snack time (4 oclock where we came from). But what sticks out in my mind are all the various chocolate occasions.


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## amma_mama (May 20, 2008)

When I grew up it was cookies and milk for snacks...or at least that is all I remember!

DD gets a variety, usually one or two items:
yogurt
cheese
fruit
prunes
pretzels
crackers with peanut butter (or just peanut butter)
bread and butter
"natural" cheese puffs (I know that they are still crap







)
sometimes a sweet (on the weekend)


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kayabrink* 
Not to add to the long list of Barefoot Contessa bashers, but I think she may be a little off the mark.

No worries, that wasn't _at all_ the point of this thread, I even said in the OP that I didn't know how true that statement was. But I liked that it gave me a new idea I hadn't thought of for something to try with DS. I don't really care how authentic it is if it's a new, fun snack that he'll eat.


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## Rosehip (Dec 30, 2007)

I am in the US. I would say that "typical" based on what I see at other houses, is some sort of processed snack food. I don't really know the names of them, it's not stuff I buy, and I kind of cringe when my kids eat it. Ah well.

In this house, some of the typical snacks are:

cheese (brie, cheddar or aged gouda lately) & crackers (rice or Finn crisp)
fresh fruit
plain yogurt w/honey & homemade granola
kefir (I mix flavored & plain 1/2 & 1/2, so it's a bit sweet, but not too sugary)
baby carrots
nuts (almonds are the favorite, but whatever we have)
olives


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## Elecampane (Mar 12, 2008)

My DD isn't in school yet, but her late afternoon snack when we get home from work and daycare is usually fruit. Lately she wants a huge plateful of everything we have--pineapple, strawberries, oranges, apples, etc.

She would rather have a bowl of cereal but I try to discourage that because it fills her up too much before dinner (we get home around 5 and eat dinner around 7).

I think the idea of giving Nutella on bread sounds wonderful even if it isn't the healthiest thing in the world, all things in moderation, right? I tried to offer it to DD once and she wanted nothing to do with it. So sad.


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## maggiemae (Apr 10, 2004)

I wish I liked Nutella! Every few years I try it and I just can't take it!!!! It sounds divine though.


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## aussiemum (Dec 20, 2001)

Although I am not fond of sweets in general, I do have to admit that I have a liking for nutella on toast as afternoon snack. even more so when it's mixed with a pure hazelnut spread.... mmmmm..... hazelnuts.


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## singin_angel (Feb 10, 2009)

Another one from Ontario Canada.

When I was growing up, for a while I went to my grandmothers after school and she would make salad for us with apple slices and a few spices with a an oil based dressing. It was awesome and many times we asked for seconds.

My mom - to her it didn't matter what we ate. Her idea of a balanced meal was chicken wings and french fries. No need to elaborate there!

DD isn't school aged. However, some common snacks are crackers, fruit, nuts, milk, smoothie, baked sweet potato fries, sometimes cereal, bread with peanut butter. I live in a vary culturally diverse neighbourhood so I am sure there are more snacks out there than I know of!


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

Another one from Ontario Canada (Toronto).
Growing up we came home to our parents still working. We made our own snacks.
We usually ate:
toast with peanut butter
fruit
bowl of cereal
veggie sticks and dip
grilled cheese
basically something that we could make really fast

My DD is just a baby. Her snacks are cheese, steamed veg sticks, oat cakes, yogurt.


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## vbactivist (Oct 4, 2006)

homemade nutella - not "healthy" but less full of junk









http://www.latimes.com/features/la-f...,1158986.story


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## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

I grew up in Canada but had a Hungarian family. Snacks that I was given were things like fresh bread with sour cream, fresh bread with an paprika/onion/cream cheese spread (korozot), fresh bread cut into little pieces with bits of homemade Hungarian sausage on them (katona bacsi, "soldier men on horses"), pieces of sausage, salami, cheese, radishes, tomatoes to eat, and fresh fruit.


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## vbactivist (Oct 4, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RiverSky* 
I grew up in Canada but had a Hungarian family. Snacks that I was given were things like fresh bread with sour cream, fresh bread with an paprika/onion/cream cheese spread (korozot), fresh bread cut into little pieces with bits of homemade Hungarian sausage on them (katona bacsi, "soldier men on horses"), pieces of sausage, salami, cheese, radishes, tomatoes to eat, and fresh fruit.


My dad's Hungarian family is in Canada too







Tornoto, to be exact







My maiden name is probably one of the 2 most common surnames.


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## ltlmrs (Dec 17, 2009)

Growing up in the former Soviet Union we'd come home to bread+topping:
- butter
- butter & cheese
- sour cream
- garlic & salt (rub garlic on bread, sprinkle with salt)

Always served with a glass of milk or kefir.

If the adults were having tea at the same time as the snack, we'd get whatever it was they were having with tea, usually chocolate.

When we got to America, it was pretty much always bread with nutella. That's one of the reasons I'm now addicted to sugar.

What a fun thread!


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