Absolutely ridiculous. Dont take away a childs fun, part of the birthday celebration is cupcakes at kinder or school with your classmates! I have never heard a teacher complain about this- we always let them know we are bringing cupcakes in and they are always great about it…especially because there is always one for them too! Heck, we even take in Zooper Doopers for a double whammy! Let kids have the BEST days that they can!

She sounds like she has very unrealistic expectations. I know that my kids always appreciate it when someone has a birthday and brings in something. It is part of those special primary school memories. In all honesty if she doesn’t like the mess – take your class outside to eat them! Have the happy birthday song right before recess or lunch and each student can grab on on the way out the door. Simple.

Fruit might be an idea.
I found with my children aren’t in sweety or desert kids. They don’t mind cupcakes or cake presented they get excited nicely ask for a piece only for it to be carry around and not eating.

Especially at 5, cupcakes and frosting can be messy and the teacher has to get the one cleaning up, that does add more work onto them, so I can understand where’s she’s coming from. I send my son with freddos on his birthday as it’s so much easier and most kids can eat them and if there is a dairy free kid I send a dairy free chocolate for that kid.

I think the birthday child gets to choose what they want. Its lovely if a child with special diet needs is catered for but it should not be an expectation on the parents part. If thats your child then YOU supply something that can be given to your child on these occassions.

I never brought in cupcakes as there are always kids with allergies like gluten , diary or egg alergies/intolerances and since Covid you can’t bring in home made things anyway.
I don’t like the suggestions of cookies, donuts, ice-cream in cups with sprinkles and brownies this teacher makes at all.
I’ve always founds bags of popcorn quite neutral often with a non-food item (last year I gave hand balls which was a big hit)

As Marie Antoinette famously said – Let them eat cake! Personally, I send along plain ol’ milk chocolate Freddo Frogs. I just think they’re more kid friendly and easier for me of course! . Some kids don’t like extra bits in their chocolate (my child is one of them – no caramellos etc for him). But for those that want to, let the eat cake! You’re only a kid once.

Let the kids eat them outside.
Buy mini cupcakes or bite sized treats.
Kids are going to get excited about any treat they aren’t usually allowed to have at school.
I’m just going to assume this teacher can’t be bothered to help the kids clean up or has a personal issue with cupcakes

Part of the problem is that since COVID, you can’t take home made things in, they all have to be packaged. And so many packaged cupcakes have those ridiculous globs of icing on them. But there are such easy solutions – give them out at the end of the day, for example.

Why is this random American teacher getting attention for this? It is one person’s opinion, not a professional one, and it is the opinion of someone in a completely different school system and climate. Aussie classrooms just eat the cupcakes on the deck on the grass so there is no clean up!

I don’t see a problem with cupcakes, but I think they should be mini-sized for Kinder children.

So use less icing. Then there’s less mess. Always someone gotta be a Karen about life’s joys

Only in the USA another teacher that did not have a childhood but will probably be in need of a punch in the nose.Can we get rid of the American trash talk and do Aussie only. If we did we would not have these type of stupid stories and have life as we do here

I can understand not bringing them if there’s a child who is allergic to some of these ingredients but because they make a mess? That’s what makes the birthday child’s day isn’t it

I am so pleased that my children are passed the age of getting and giving presents at school for their birthdays. The whole situation is a minefield these days with all the allergies and problems various children have that we all have to avoid so as not to upset them one way or another.

Parents at my school send a wide variety of things anyway.

They can just hand them out at the end of day just before pickup and they can be eaten at home. Kids are happy and so are teachers.

I can understand the mess but some of the alternatives seem way messier! She could opt to celebrate at the end ofvthevday or before recess/lunch so the kids can eat them outside if she’s worried about mess in the classroom

I can understand where she is coming from and she has offered other alternatives instead, but ice-cream would be very hard to transport and serve as she is expecting it to all be ready to go. I mean the other treats like brownies are great and less messy, but they still aren’t the same as something resembling cake – it’s a tradition. I can also understand the kids wanting to choose. I do think the parents need to work with the teacher on this one though as she has given reasonable alternatives.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 25 Sep 2024 , 5:25 am

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  I am somewhat surprised by one of the other options of ice cream as it can melt and drip on floors and clothes and become quite sticky. I imagine it would be quite labour intensive too with scooping ice cream into cones and preparing and serving the ice cream to a class full of young children.

I guess it makes sense what she is saying. After all, the parents aren’t there to clean up the mess are they?