Teacher Tips ~ Dinner

To truly enjoy your overnight trip, preparing dinner should be made as easy as possible while still offering a nutritious menu. See the suggested menus in the Hidden Villa Guidelines for dinner ideas. Dining together should be a fun and positive experience. Sharing a meal can be an opportunity to practice respectful behavior, enjoy each other's company and cultivate appreciation towards others.

6:00pm = Dinner

• I have found a buffet style dinner the easiest to manage. Have your parent volunteers arrange the dinner options on the rolling preparation tables in the kitchen. (If parents finish making dinner a bit early, ask them to prepare any breakfast items that require cutting or mixing. This will reduce everyone's stress in the morning.)
• Before eating, review appropriate etiquette. In addition to the obvious norms, discuss how to have "polite conversation" with the people at your table. This includes talking in low voices. Remind students that they need to ask permission to leave the table. When they are finished eating, they should remain in their seats and participate in the table's conversation until it is time for the next activity.
• Dismiss students table by table to go through the dinner buffet line. Once all of the students are served, encourage parents to sit with the students, eat and enjoy the polite conversation. Students who want seconds practice patience and respect, because they have to wait until the adults are finished eating and ready to serve again.

6:30-ish = After Dinner

• When students are done, ask them to bus their dishes to the kitchen.
• Dismiss a few students at a time to quickly (but without running) use the restroom and retrieve their warm clothing from the cabins. You will need at least one parent in the cabin area to monitor this activity. Sending only a few students at a time may take longer, but it encourages more responsible behavior.
• As the parents work to clean up from dinner in the kitchen, you may want to send them a few student volunteers.

6:45-ish = Preparing for the Night Program

• This is a great time to read aloud in the living room. (You may want to close the kitchen door to block out the noises of the parents cleaning.) Reading aloud can help calm your students and set the tone for the night program. Since many students may be afraid of walking in the dark, I recommend reading a reassuring story: Stelaluna, by Jannell Cannon, is a favorite as it gets students thinking about the night and nocturnal animals in a positive way.