Study These Healthful School LunchboxIdeas (NAPSA)—Healthful school lunches combined with some delightful surprises can get good grades from hungry students. Here are a few tips on how to not only add the energy your kids need to learn but flavor and fun to the lunches you pack. * Lollipop bouquet. Use pretty ribbon to tie eight to 10 Tootsie Pops in all colors and flavors together and create a beautiful bouquet for your child to share with friends. With no fat and low calories and five tasty flavors— cherry, orange, chocolate, grape and raspberry—there are plenty of sweet treats to share. e Involve your kids in the planning and it’s less likely the food will be traded or come home uneaten. Have your children help you create a list of foods they like for lunch. e Keep it small. Children generally prefer minisized food. e Prepare mini bagels with peanut butter and raisins. Two mini bagels or half a regular sized bagel, spread with peanut butter andraisins. Add cheese sticks and cut strawberries. e Try small pita bread stuffed with hummus, cheese or other sandwichfillings. Add a bag of blueberries, a hard-boiled ege and orangejuice. Use different kinds of breads when you makea sandwich or cut the bread into different shapes with a cookie cutter. e Wrap it up. Put salad or lean meat and cheesein tortilla. Add a banana and a chocolate- You can pack both flavor and fun into your youngster’s lunchbox. puddingcup, plus somefruit juice. Alternatively, you can add some vanilla wafers and an applesauce cup and a waterbottle. e Have ham and cheese sticks. Roll up cheese and ham and use a pretzel stick to hold it together. Add carrot sticks with yogurt dip, raisins andfruit juice. Send a note. Include a note that wishes your child a great day or hints to a surprise after-school activity. * Decorate the bag. Turn a boring brown paper bag into a piece of art. Decorate the bag with stickers or ribbons and give your child something fun to open at lunch. Brain teasers. Include a word gameor fun riddle with your child’s lunch. These can be found at www.tootsieroll.com.
