How to pack mom-approved school lunches in a jiffy

 I started teaching preschool from my home when my second son was born, and his big brother was 3 years old.  I'd taught first grade for 6 years at that point, and thought I knew kids and teaching pretty well!  I'm glad to say I've had some...learning opportunities since then.  😉 One of the many differences was that as a home based preschool teacher, I provided breakfast, lunch and snack to all my students.  I got pretty good at making healthy meals that children would actually eat (gasp)!

When it came time for my own children to start elementary school, I was excited to sign them up for cafeteria lunches, thinking they would get a hot lunch each day, and I would be off the hook for making those meals.  It didn't take long for them to remind me how... delicious...school lunches are.  It was time for me and my children to learn how to make quick, easy, mom-approved lunches that they could pack each morning!

To make a balanced lunch, you have to know what a balanced lunch is - and most of the prepackaged "lunch" foods on the market really aren't balanced.  According to the federal food program that I followed for my preschool, lunches should consist of:

 milk + 1 protein food + 2 fruits/veggies + 1 grain product.  

I knew my children could buy milk in the cafeteria, so I came up with a variety of foods for each of the other food groups, and stocked the refrigerator and pantry.  The best part about all this?  My children quickly learned how to make their own lunches, meaning they chose which foods they had, and generally ate it quite happily.  Your children can do it too!  Here's what worked for us, feel free to modify it to fit your family's tastes. 

Protein foods (pick one)                                    

Hard boiled egg (take the shell off at home)                          

1 oz nuts: almonds, peanuts, pecans, etc.                               

2 Tbspn peanut butter/ almond butter                                    

2 oz cheese cubes                                                                    

1 cheese slice                                                                           

Cheese stick                                                                            

Gogurt (freeze it at home, pack it frozen, and by lunch time it's defrosted and has kept the other food cool!)                                                                                 

4-6 oz yogurt pot                                                                    

Drinkable yogurt                                                                     

Bean dip                                                                                 
hummus dip                                                                                                            

2 oz sliced lunch meat                                                                  

      Fruits and Veggies (pick 2)
6-8 cherry tomatoes
3" peeled sliced cucumber
tangerine
cut mango pieces
snow peas
raw green beans
applesauce (single serve cup)
single serve fruit cups
watermelon or cantaloupe cubes
apple wedges (add a few drops of sprite or lemon juice to prevent browning)
dried fruit like raisins, craisins or mixed fruit
carrot sticks or mini carrots
banana (I liked to write jokes or messages on it for my son to find at lunch time!)  
bell pepper strips
cut pineapple
grapes
100% juice box drink
strawberries
orange segments

        Grain foods  (pick one)                                                                                               

a slice of bread                                                                                       

8 – 10 crackers                                                                        

Small baggie goldfish crackers                                               

pretzels     
whole grain granola bar                                                                            

flatbread or tortilla with butter                                               

pita bread                                                                                

graham crackers                                                                      

large or small rice cakes                                                          

small baggie breakfast cereal

bagel chips

cold cooked noodles w dressing

Fun combinations

fat pretzel sticks and peanut butter to dip in                                
fruit wedges + yogurt to dip them in

crackers spread with peanut butter                                       
fresh berries in vanilla yogurt

graham crackers spread with peanut butter                          
fruit & cereal to add to yogurt pot = parfait

bean dip + raw veggies to dip                                              
cheese slices + crackers

hummus and pita bread to dip                                              
applesauce + graham cracker dippers

peanut butter + veggies to dip                                                           
mini sub sandwich on hotdog bun

round crackers and sliced hard boiled egg                            
trail mix: small crackers, pretzels, nuts, raisins

rice cake spread with peanut butter/ cream cheese               
small veggie pieces + cheese cubes

round crackers and cucumber slices                                     

cold noodles + dressing + tomatoes + cucumber pieces.

Obviously I couldn't and didn't stock all of these foods all of the time.  There were some pantry items that could sit for a while and still be good, but fruits and vegetables especially had to fresh.  Each week the boys had to decide on a couple of things each that they wanted and would eat 2-3 times during the week.  I usually kept single serve fruit or applesauce containers on hand for those days that they just couldn't make up their minds.

It's also important to have a way for the children to portion their food, so we always had a supply of zippered baggies and small containers for them to put their food in.  My oldest was happiest with a "real" lunch box and small containers of food, and would bring them home so we could wash them.  My youngest son had a true talent for losing lunch boxes (gifted and talented on this one), so he carried paper sack lunch bags.

Either way, they were able to quickly pack and take balanced lunches, and we could focus our morning energy on other things... like finding the piece of paper that needed a signature yesterday, or where the other shoe had gone.

I hope you find this list helpful, thanks for stopping by!
Paula

The Halloween Fairy

We all know about the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa Claus, but not everyone knows about the Halloween fairy!  I was introduced to her by my oldest son's preschool teacher, Ms. Michelle, about 18 years ago.

The Halloween fairy comes late at night on October 31st, after all the candy has been collected, the costumes removed, and excited but exhausted children are in bed.  If you want her to stop at your house, you need to choose some candy to keep, and some to put out for her.  Just as the tooth fairy exchanges a lost tooth for a special treat, the Halloween fairy leaves healthy alternatives when she takes away the excess candy.  Our fairy was great about leaving us mangoes, kiwi fruit, pineapple... she knew just exactly what our favorite fruits were!  My boys weren't too impressed with the hard candies- or for that matter the non-chocolate candies - in their Halloween loot stashes, so those always went out for the fairy.  When they were very little, they chose 10 pieces of candy to keep, and put the rest out.  (We also only went to a few houses.)  Later we kept more, and eventually, just like the tooth fairy, the boys outgrew the Halloween fairy.

I should tell you right now, my sons have very different opinions about the Halloween fairy now!  At almost 20 (how can that be?!) my oldest thinks the Halloween fairy was an injustice and scam that I perpetrated upon him, albeit with good intention.  His younger brother prefers to remember the mango and pineapple, and thinks it was a pretty good deal.  They are both very healthy eaters, and prefer fresh fruits and veggies over junk (most of the time), so no matter what they think, I have to believe the Halloween fairy did her work well. 

On a cautionary note, a friend once asked me what the Halloween fairy does with the candy she collects.  The sad truth, as I told my friend, is that mostly she stores it on her thighs.  :-)  Some got shared in various ways, but... well... butt.

So how does this work?  For our family, it meant taking out the candy the kids were keeping, then putting the rest back in their sack and leaving it outside the back door, or in the garage.  I've heard she's a pretty resourceful fairy, so she'll probably cooperate with whatever set up works best for your family.  She has also been know to bring small toys, like the spider web shaped bubble blower wand she had one year.  I think her main mission is to promote healthier choices than hoarding a stash of Halloween candy and gorging on it for most of November.

Wishing you a delicious, but also healthy, Halloween!
Paula

Apple activities

One of my early school memories from growing up in Australia was the alphabet posted on the walls of Mrs. Potts' room.  For each letter, there were a couple of things that started with the letter, doing something, and we sang a song for each.  The tune was always the same, Skip To My Lou - so chances are pretty good that you know it too.  We had "Rats are Running, r r r", "Helicopters Hovering, h h h", "Dolls are dancing, d d d", and of course, "Ants on the apple, a a a".

Mrs. Potts could never have guessed that I would in turn teach those songs to a couple of hundred preschool children in Texas, which I guess goes to show how far our reach as teachers really can go!  "I touch the future, I teach", really takes on a new meaning when you look backwards and see such things - and I guess right now I should be wondering about my reach into the future, and who or what I might have influenced.  I know at least one of my first class of first graders is now an early childhood teacher herself, and I have to say, I was honored when she told me I had influenced her.

The picture above shows where I've gone with those "ants on the apple".  Each of my preschoolers over the years has made their own copy of the alphabet to hang on their walls at home, beginning with ants on the apple.

I provide the children with either a precut construction paper letter, or for those ready to develop their scissor skills, a traced letter.  Apples of course can be green, yellow or red, so I have all 3 colors available, and let the children choose theirs.  As you can see, we add a brown construction paper stem, and a green leaf to make our letter a into an apple, and then glue on plastic ants or finger paint them on.  We sing the ants on the apple song throughout the week, and it really does seem to help reinforce the letter sound connection.  I've often had young learners look at a letter somewhere else and tell me what picture we've created with that letter, an excellent first connection.

In case you're wondering about the upper case A, we paint stamped a green alligator onto it, and glued on the alligator poem (which I am unable to credit, so sorry!):
  Alligator, alligator, long and green.
  Alligator, alligator, teeth so mean.
  He snapped at a minnow, and he snapped at a flea,
  He snapped at a turtle and he snapped at me!
  He caught that minnow, he caught that flea,
  He caught that turtle, but he didn't catch me!


I've blogged previously about having students bring in apples for us to cook with, and then graphing both the day they brought their apples...

 ... and what color apple they brought.

The same link will also tell you all about how we make our applesauce.  I want to add that there is no recipe necessary for applesauce.  I know there are some people who balk at the thought of winging it in the kitchen, but chances are those people wouldn't be comfortable with children doing the cooking either.  :-)  Way back when I first started teaching I was careful to have a recipe, but I've made applesauce enough times with enough children to know it is close to fool proof:  Peel apples.  Cut up apples.  Put in a pot and barely cover with water.  Boil until soft.  Mash or blend until desired smoothness is reached.  Sugar and cinnamon are optional, and usually much appreciated, but not at all required. 

 I've also found that animal crackers or graham crackers make a really nice accompaniment to fresh, warm applesauce!  (Also, you can absolutely serve applesauce in a small cup and let the children "drink" it if you are out of spoons, but don't use the paper cups like those in the picture below, they smush too easily.  Go with the small plastic ones.  And yes, coffee filters make excellent and inexpensive "plates" for those crackers!)

Another fun apple activity we've enjoyed many times over the years is making our Apples On Top classbook:
Most of the text for the book is already on the pages, the children add their name, and a numeral, draw themselves, and add apple stickers on top of their heads.  We read Ten Apples Up On Top, by Dr. Seuss to introduce this activity, and then bind the student pages together to create our own class book.

 One of the marvelous things about class books, is that the students have ownership of the books, and want to read and reread them.  Every time we do, we're reinforcing the repetitive text, making it easier for students to read it to themselves, to reread their names and numbers, and to count those apple stickers.  I LOVE how much mileage a simple activity like this can get!

Another high mileage activity I enjoy for our apples unit is our blind taste test.  (You can read more about it here).

Basically we graph which apples the children think they like best, taste 3 or 4 different ones, graph which one they actually like best after tasting, and compare the results.    Some years we write a class experience story about the process, and put the story and graphs in another class book.  We get science, math, writing a "how to", and reading from this one simple activity!

I also try to offer a sensory bin of some kind most weeks.  Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of our apple sensory play, but you can see some ideas on my pumpkins and apples pinterest board.

I absolutely recommend you collect empty spice containers to add to your sensory play - cinnamon and cloves for apple play - because they add another sense to those you're engaging.  It seems silly (to an adult), but the children I've taught have loved smelling the spice containers, as well as pretending to season things with them.

For super easy sorting activities this week, try putting out red, yellow and green pompons (apples) and red, yellow and green containers for the children to sort them into.  You can make instant math centers with apple tree note pads (from a teacher supply store) with numbers written on them.  Students add the correct number of pompon "apples" to their trees.  You probably have several of your own favorite apple play ideas too!

I hope you and your kiddos get a chance to explore apples too - and that you'll leave a comment and let me know what your favorite apple activity is.  Thanks for stopping by!

P.S.  I didn't mention any apple themed children's books today, but you can read about 7 of my favorites here.

Friendship Fruit Salad

We like to cook!  Okay, this wasn't really cooking, but the children were very involved in making our Friendship Fruit Salad.  

You can tell just by looking at the delicious ingredients, this is good food!

 

I asked each family to provide one piece of fruit for the salad, and we had a lovely variety show up.  Last year I had a helper on fruit salad day, and was able to have the children wash, peel, cut and totally prepare their piece of fruit.  This year I did a lot of the prep work during nap (except peeling and cutting bananas, those are best done immediately before serving), as I was on my own on this day.  It all worked out beautifully!

 The children added their ingredient to the bowl, and our salad slowly came together.

 One child even brought a lime he had picked from his grandmother's tree, and squeezed the juice over the rest of the fruit!

 The result?  Lots of thumbs up from the children, a huge amount of fruit eaten (can we have fifth servings Ms. Paula? -  yes!), vitamins taken in, fine motor skills practiced, and a community building exercise for a group of 3-5 year olds. 

That gets my thumbs up too!

Caterpillars, cows and other C things

 As usual, we had a busy week of learning and fun at school.  Ms. Julie brought in a giant Clifford stuffed animal, so we had Clifford books and a Clifford listening center.

 We played with the construction vehicles in dirt outside - then the children helped me put the dirt into the garden so we can put another medium in the sensory table next week.

 We pulled objects that start with C out of a clown cup...

 ... and painted with car tires.

 Of course we had to read the ever popular The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and this year I found stickers to go along with the book, so the children sequenced the stickers and retold the story.  Unfortunately the stickers did not come with a butterfly - so we drew our own butterflies to finish the story.

 For snack that day we ate the first five fruits the caterpillar tried: apples, oranges, plums, strawberries and pears.  They were tasty!

 We even found a real caterpillar while we were outside playing, and the children observed it for a long time.

 One of our friends even brought in a cow skull for us!  We have the coolest things to check out and observe in our play space!

Applesauce and more

 I blogged on Thursday about many of the things we've been learning this week, but could not leave out our grand finale - making applesauce!

I asked our families to please send in one apple this week, and we made two graphs about it; which day they brought the apple to school...

...and what color apple they brought.

The kiddos were very involved in the graphing process, one child even insisted that her parents go buy a yellow apple, so it would not have zero!

On Friday, we made our applesauce.  I called the children to work on it one or two at a time, and of course we started (and ended) with washing our hands.

I showed them how to use the vegetable peelers, holding the apples with one hand, placing the blade of the peeler flat on the apple, and pushing it away from themselves, then showed them how to use a knife too.

They worked really hard to peel and cut their apples, and then put the pieces into a large pot, ready for me to cook.

You can really see the concentration and determination on their faces as they worked on this new skill.

This child let me help me him peel an apple, but once it was peeled, grabbed the pieces and sat in a quiet spot to eat them.  Apples taste delicious raw too!

I did the cooking, then served up warm, fresh, cinnamon applesauce for the kiddos for snack.

 Lots of thumbs up from the children!  My favorite thing said about the applesauce?  "Can we have seconds on applesauce?"  (Yes!) and then a few minutes later, "Can we have thirds?"  Oh yes!

One more special surprise on Friday was an invitation to pick tomatoes at my friends' home again.  With so many new children here, most of the children who got to go and pick this time had not been to do it before, and were tickled with the new experience.

Kid quotes from this visit, "Can I eat one?" and of course, "Can I eat another one?" and even better, "Hey! I actually LIKE tomatoes!"

I like tomatoes too, and I really love seeing children connect with their food, learning to prepare it, and to appreciate healthy and delicious vegetables!  The attitudes and preferences they learn now will be with them for a lifetime - yeah for tomatoes!