What's a fun, yet healthy, snack that's fit to share with my preschooler's class for her birthday?
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M$11 Answers
So here are my ideas, as a two year-old mommy.
1. Frozen yogurt bars
This depends on either serving them right away, or having access to a freezer. Buy these from the store or make them at home. These are nutritious and fun treats, and because they resemble popsicles and ice cream bars so much, the kids will have a ball!
2. Caramel apples
Okay, I know the teachers might not be huge fans of the caramel, but hopefully the apple, being the bulk of the treat, will be enough. I would be happy with my daughter having this as a birthday treat. Now, since caramel apples are cumbersome for 4 year-olds, I would bring them in whole, and then slice them up for easy eating (let the kids see them whole, as it'll be so much more special than just apple slices and caramel dip).
3. Bags of plain popcorn
Take those little paper lunch bags, and fill each one with plain popcorn (no butter or salt). Fold and staple each bag, and write each kid's name on it (optional). They will love having a special individual bag, and popcorn will be a HUGE treat! Plus plain popcorn is a healthy snack with lots of fiber
4. Homemade playdough
Instead of food treats, how about making some homemade playdough? It's easy, cheap, and organic. Give each kid a ziploc baggy with their own playdough to take home. (For the snack, just bring a normal snack, since you have the celebration angle covered.) Here's the How to Make Playdough page.
Remember the important thing is to make it special. Skip the veggie sticks, fruit slices, and pretzels. The kids get those everyday and it won't really celebrate your daughter. That's how cupcake traditions got started--so kids could live a little! But legitimate nutritional concerns aside, do something EXCITING!
Enjoy!
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$this is so funny - my daughter's Birthday is coming up in 11 days and I had the same misery !
It is so tough to find the right thing to please the kids as well as safe the poor teacher from a mayor sugar rush with following nerve beak down :)
I was searching a lot and came across this :
Shapes Sandwiches !
It is very simple - easy to make and cheap - and basically matches any time of the days no matter if its snack time or lunch time since its full of nutrition and fun !
All you need is Sandwich bread - cookie cutters in different shapes ( best is to go for the big ones... I saw that Walmart sells them ) - things you would like to add to the sandwiches ( stay away from peanut butter ) and to have some color you can use food colors to make eyes or hair etc.
You could arrange the Sandwiches on a colorful plate and take along some juice boxes !
http://bentofun.info/2008/08/
I dont think its a good idea to use sweets like candy since after the big sugar rush they will crash as well and get moody and whiny - so not only would u punish the teacher but punish yourself and all of the other parents !!
No matter what you will pick in the end I wish your daughter a great Birthday and lots of fun !!
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M$Whales in the ocean!
You know those gummy candies you can get... there's bigfoots, and green thumbs and blue whales and tons of other things. You can usually find them at bulk food stores. Get a bag of the whales, enough for 1-2 per child.
Get yourself some blue jello; get the "fat free" kind if you want, but jello has barely any calories anyways. Get some small, see through plastic cups, this disposable kind, maybe 6oz or 8oz. Make one batch of jello and fill the cups about a 3rd of the way. Put it in the fridge or freeze for 30mins to solidify it a bit, then drop in a whale. Just one or two whales have few calories and not that much sugar. Then top up the cups with more jello; this time, let it start to cool (but not to the point it gels) before you pour it in so the whales don't melt. You could do 2 layers for just 1 whale, or add more whales.
You could also just throw the whales and the jello in at the same time but they might end up just sinking to the bottom or sticking together.
Don't make this too far ahead of time or the whales will get gooey... Try for the night before.
To make it more fun, you could dab a little whipped cream on top or another whale.
Jello shapes are always fun too; when you make jello, use 2+ packs of jello for each recipe instead of 1.. I've even seen some recipes that ask for up to 4 packs. Put it in a pan and let it solidify about 1/2 inch thick, and use cookie cutters to cut it into fun shapes.
Pudding would also be good, but many kids get pudding cups in their packed lunch.
How about popscicles, homemade or store bought, or freezies?
Another idea would be to make fun trail mix for each kid in a baggie... Mix plain popcorn, mini pretzels, raisins, chex mix, (if your allowed) peanuts, and something fun - maybe a few smarties. It looks like a sugary snack because of the few pieces or candy which the kids will of course eat first, but the rest is healthy-ish, low in sugar, and cheap. The few colorful smarties just make it look like a sugary snack.,.. It's all about the disguise!
Good luck!
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M$If you are not allowed to do a craft in your child's class with the kids then you could always make the ants on a log and bring them to school finished!
If that doesn't work... I always liked carrot cake cupcakes ;)
been there, done that
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M$I'd suggest something with peanut butter, but a lot of kids are allergic, so that's out.
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M$1. Small cups of fruit yogurt with Teddy grahams. The kids can be encouraged to dip their Teddy grahams heads' in the yogurt to give them "hats" or dip the bottoms in for "pants."
2. Homemade oatmeal cookies: you can make these pretty healthy by cutting down on the sugar and adding wheat germ or soy flour (no more than 1/4 cup though, or the cookies will taste odd).
3. Mini-muffins. Bring a can of whipped cream and let your daughter "help" you squirt a little on each child's mufin.
I hope these ideas help you. Good luck and have fun!
mother of two.
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M$This is interesting to me because I found out that in our schools around here, no homemade treats are allowed. It has to be store bought snacks. I'm not sure of the reason but I was told that at work and my daughter had a note mentioning it. (She's in Kindergarten.)
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M$Ugh. I really do understand the health concerns and lawsuit worries, but a part of me just says, "Oh, com'on!" Having a homemade birthday cupcake at school is part of childhood! Our poor kids aren't going to know how to have fun or cut loose. A bunch of nervous, picky, uptight bedwetters. That's who we might be raising. You know what I mean?
Baked Brie with Apricot Cherry Chutney
Festive Egg Salad with Pita Crisps
Roasted Asparagus
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M$For the kids :
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Cracker sandwiches:
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This is very simple to make. Choose any salted crackers .Cut ham/banana slices and cheese round to the size of the mini crackers. Place a craker , then a slice of ham and then another cracker and now a slice of cheese and finally cover with another cracker. The kids would love this.
For the teachers:
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A nutty fruitty veg salad in an ice cream cone:
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Mix in a bowl nuts like walnuts, cashews, raisins, veg like carrot (grated), celery , apple, pineapple(optional) chopped fine . mix in the dressing (made of mayonese and lemon juice can season with white pepper if desired .
Scope into ice-cream cones and serve.
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M$