Maybe I am overreacting, but when my 9 year old son came home from school yesterday complaining that he doesn't like to drink wine because it makes his "tummy feel hot," I was quite shocked. It turns out that he had a bottle of wine with him. His teacher had got the kids to make it in class just before the holiday. It had been in the classroom, fermenting for at least a couple of weeks. The teacher had then got the kids to try it in the classroom. After which, she gave them each a bottle to take home with them without informing the parents. My son gave his to his Mum, goodness knows what some of the other kids did with theirs. I have spoken to the deputy head teacher on the telephone, but I am still waiting for a call from the head teacher. My wife spoke to the science teacher and she says she is sorry, she didn't think about the possible consequences, she just wanted to teach them about the actions of yeast (I guess that's okay then, I mean, making dough and watching it rise obviously isn't good enough).

Not only am I concerned about teaching 9 year olds to make alcoholic drinks, then making them try it in school. I am also concerned about the legality of producing alcoholic drinks in Thailand without a license.

At the risk of sounding insensitive, I think a lot of people in the villages know how to ferment beverages. I think making bread would have been a better exercise and given them a more expanded idea of fermentation. They can learn to make hooch from their dad or uncle or neighbor.

You mentioned a couple of words that really don't fit well with schools here....consequences and thinking.

Best of luck and keep us updated on what happens.

they certainly hit the piss young these days !! especially up country ....

My son is only 8, can't wait for next year, free wine from school!

Red or white?

Lucky they did not make a label and then post the whole thing on Facebook, or the military would have to arrest a bunch of 9 year olds...

And they say Thai school teach nothing usefull. This is a skill they can use all of their lives.

What a country!

Better get a hold of that guy that was inspecting the instant beer crisis and get him right on this. He could maybe attach the kids allowance for a month as a fine. There must be a lot of permitting that has been overlooked as well.

Need to check carefully....make sure Bill Cosby is not involved in this...

Very interesting drinking wine at Issan school yesterday. Where abouts if I may ask as schools in Issan are closed for half term till 2nd Nov Maybe your area is holding special wine tasting classes

Very interesting drinking wine at Issan school yesterday. Where abouts if I may ask as schools in Issan are closed for half term till 2nd Nov Maybe your area is holding special wine tasting classes

It's a private school. They went back to school this week.

The general attitude that I have had from the school so far is "mai pen rai, it's science." But, TIT, I think I may as well start banging my head against the wall now, and save myself a lot of time. They really can't see what is wrong with giving booze to other people's 9 year olds.

Which school is it and where!!!

Apparently it is perfectly legal for school children to make wine, as long as their school is more than 500 meters from an 7/11.

It beggars belief! But reminded me of when I was a kid growing up in England and my primary school asked each kid to bring in a firework for Guy Fawkes Day which we dutifully did....in our satchels! But really, any school that thinks it is remotely OK to make and send home alcoholic drinks even in the name of science needs a serious slap from the authorities.

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine and didn't a so called son of God turn water into wine and up until the early part of the century beer was drunk instead of water as the water quality was so poor!!. Do you not have alcoholic drinks in your place ever!! The law as it stands in UK 14 years old in a restaurant with adults can consume wine and cider he can not purchase it nor can he have more than one glass but the adult he or she is with may buy the minor alcohol. Wine in small amounts isn't going to hurt anyone in fact if we teach our kids one glass of wine or cider or beer is enough from an early age they are less likely to binge drink when older IMHO of course

Found this which I think covers the school as I understand you it is a private school

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.

I would love to see the recipe for the result being called wine or whatever. then inform everyone concered tthe procedure and items used to demonstrate to the wee ones the action ??? of yeast.. Unless she had seen wine making in progress from start to finish, i doubt she made nor did the kids drink wine. i would put money on bad viniger. this wild guess is if she used fruit or juice of, sugar, another odd and end and rigged up or attempted to, a working system isolated from thr atmosphere (airtight)

she needs to be working at a much higher level in the so called Thai education system., sex education, comes to mind

I would love to see the recipe for the result being called wine or whatever. then inform everyone concered tthe procedure and items used to demonstrate to the wee ones the action ??? of yeast.. Unless she had seen wine making in progress from start to finish, i doubt she made nor did the kids drink wine. i would put money on bad viniger. this wild guess is if she used fruit or juice of, sugar, another odd and end and rigged up or attempted to, a working system isolated from thr atmosphere (airtight)

she needs to be working at a much higher level in the so called Thai education system., sex education, comes to mind

Sad man we are not all at gutter level thank goodness

Sutty, I think you may have missed the point. I am not opposed to the consumption of alcohol by consenting adults. Of course we have alcohol at home. I will not, however, give alcohol to a 9 year old child without the consent of the parent. I have never given alcohol to my own kids, as I was planning to wait until they are in their teens and fully understand the effects and dangers of drinking. At which time I would instil in them a sense of responsibility towards drinking. I do think that it is my prerogative as a parent to decide if and when my children should be allowed alcohol.

The prime minister, just today, has officially declared a ban on the sale of alcohol near to schools and universities. So I know I am not alone in thinking that children should not have easy access to alcohol.

My son's teacher was irresponsible. I cannot see the educational value in teaching children how to make alcohol. If a parent or other family member makes homebrew as a hobby and wants to get the child involved, that is their prerogative. They have the right to decide what is best for their children. It is not something that an education professional should be teaching without permission.

Slapout, it is quite reasonable to believe that if grape juice has sugar and yeast added to it and is left for a couple of weeks in a warm environment, that the resulting alcohol content will be sufficient to be dangerous for child consumption. Not to mention the other potential health risks due to the equipment not being sanitised.

Sutty, I think you may have missed the point. I am not opposed to the consumption of alcohol by consenting adults. Of course we have alcohol at home. I will not, however, give alcohol to a 9 year old child without the consent of the parent. I have never given alcohol to my own kids, as I was planning to wait until they are in their teens and fully understand the effects and dangers of drinking. At which time I would instil in them a sense of responsibility towards drinking. I do think that it is my prerogative as a parent to decide if and when my children should be allowed alcohol.

The prime minister, just today, has officially declared a ban on the sale of alcohol near to schools and universities. So I know I am not alone in thinking that children should not have easy access to alcohol.

My son's teacher was irresponsible. I cannot see the educational value in teaching children how to make alcohol. If a parent or other family member makes homebrew as a hobby and wants to get the child involved, that is their prerogative. They have the right to decide what is best for their children. It is not something that an education professional should be teaching without permission.

Slapout, it is quite reasonable to believe that if grape juice has sugar and yeast added to it and is left for a couple of weeks in a warm environment, that the resulting alcohol content will be sufficient to be dangerous for child consumption. Not to mention the other potential health risks due to the equipment not being sanitised.

Somewhere at 14-16 years old it would be a good idea...maybe someone can argue 12 years. But for sure not 9 years.

But I would like to hear the reasoning from the teacher.......

Hi I see your point but I'm in another camp i prefer the laid back approach to teaching kids the perils of drinking in excess. The teacher in this case would not just make a brew for the sake of it there must be a logical explanation part of the curriculum or something like. What does the kid say!!!!

I was drinking wine with my family at dinner from the time I could sit at the table. My family was well traveled so we picked up some European cultural traits. Not that unusual in post WWII Europe. But odd for an America family once we returned home. Moderation. Enough said.

I hope they filtered it and sterilized the bottles or it would taste awful.

Lucky they did not make a label and then post the whole thing on Facebook, or the military would have to arrest a bunch of 9 year olds...

Yes, home brewing any alcoholic beverages without a license may be illegal in Thailand.

This is not New Zealand.

What do you think?

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine and didn't a so called son of God turn water into wine and up until the early part of the century beer was drunk instead of water as the water quality was so poor!!. Do you not have alcoholic drinks in your place ever!! The law as it stands in UK 14 years old in a restaurant with adults can consume wine and cider he can not purchase it nor can he have more than one glass but the adult he or she is with may buy the minor alcohol. Wine in small amounts isn't going to hurt anyone in fact if we teach our kids one glass of wine or cider or beer is enough from an early age they are less likely to binge drink when older IMHO of course
Found this which I think covers the school as I understand you it is a private school

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.

A bottle of wine is what the 9 year old had on him. Bit more than a drop!

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine and didn't a so called son of God turn water into wine and up until the early part of the century beer was drunk instead of water as the water quality was so poor!!. Do you not have alcoholic drinks in your place ever!! The law as it stands in UK 14 years old in a restaurant with adults can consume wine and cider he can not purchase it nor can he have more than one glass but the adult he or she is with may buy the minor alcohol. Wine in small amounts isn't going to hurt anyone in fact if we teach our kids one glass of wine or cider or beer is enough from an early age they are less likely to binge drink when older IMHO of course
Found this which I think covers the school as I understand you it is a private school

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.

A bottle of wine is what the 9 year old had on him. Bit more than a drop!

Hey it Christmas this thread died some while ago lighten up and enjoy the days to come

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine and didn't a so called son of God turn water into wine and up until the early part of the century beer was drunk instead of water as the water quality was so poor!!. Do you not have alcoholic drinks in your place ever!! The law as it stands in UK 14 years old in a restaurant with adults can consume wine and cider he can not purchase it nor can he have more than one glass but the adult he or she is with may buy the minor alcohol. Wine in small amounts isn't going to hurt anyone in fact if we teach our kids one glass of wine or cider or beer is enough from an early age they are less likely to binge drink when older IMHO of course
Found this which I think covers the school as I understand you it is a private school

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.

A bottle of wine is what the 9 year old had on him. Bit more than a drop!

Hey it Christmas this thread died some while ago lighten up and enjoy the days to come

Just because the last post was a few weeks ago doubt that makes this a dead thread.

So the legal drinking age in Thailand is 20 years. This kid was 9. Perhaps a private school gets around the law although it is still very unethical.

Try doing that in a Australian school.

Lighten up here perspective is called for its not the end of the world it's a drop of wine and didn't a so called son of God turn water into wine and up until the early part of the century beer was drunk instead of water as the water quality was so poor!!. Do you not have alcoholic drinks in your place ever!! The law as it stands in UK 14 years old in a restaurant with adults can consume wine and cider he can not purchase it nor can he have more than one glass but the adult he or she is with may buy the minor alcohol. Wine in small amounts isn't going to hurt anyone in fact if we teach our kids one glass of wine or cider or beer is enough from an early age they are less likely to binge drink when older IMHO of course
Found this which I think covers the school as I understand you it is a private school

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.

A bottle of wine is what the 9 year old had on him. Bit more than a drop!

Hey it Christmas this thread died some while ago lighten up and enjoy the days to come

Just because the last post was a few weeks ago doubt that makes this a dead thread.

So the legal drinking age in Thailand is 20 years. This kid was 9. Perhaps a private school gets around the law although it is still very unethical.

Try doing that in a Australian school.

Quick heads up for you in case your confused we well I and the boy concerned are in Thailand not Australia thank goodness.