Friday, August 28, 2015

Fun Foods – Cafeteria Caterpillars

These little critters are the perfect healthy snack to make in your classroom or even to add to your student’s lunchbox. It only takes a few minutes to create each caterpillar and students can easily get in on the fun.

 caterpillar 2

You will need: wooden skewers, grapes, vanilla frosting and mini chocolate chips.

Start by sliding the grapes onto the skewer one by one. When you have the skewer filled you can add a small dot of vanilla frosting on the end grape. This will act as “glue” for the eyes. Lastly, stick a mini chocolate chip on top of the glue.

caterpillar from grapes

Try adding the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar along with this idea. All you need is a purple grape or baby tomato for the head. That’s a lesson, a craft, and a snack all in one! 

Friday, August 21, 2015

Fun Foods – Butterfly Bags

This adorable butterfly is the perfect way to get your little ones excited about healthy eating this school year! This idea doubles as a craft time activity and is a breeze to create. All you need are clothes pins, wiggle eyes, chenille stems and glue. You can purchase colored clothes pins or have your students decorate them with markers or paint. You will want to make sure each student has 1 clothespin, 2 wiggle eyes and 2 chenille stems.

Start by spinning your chenille stems to give the antennas a colorful, new look. You can then take your glue and place the center of the stems in the grove on the pinching side of the clothes pin. Make sure you press the chenille stem in before closing the pin so that the two sides don’t stick together.

Next, take your wiggle eyes and glue them into place. We especially love the look of the larger ones like the eyes pictured above!

After letting the glue dry, fill up a snack size Ziploc bag with your students favorite healthy snack. You will want to leave enough room for the clothes pin to fit onto the bag without smushing the food. Place your clothespin in the center of your bag and you have a fun little butterfly that’s perfect for lunch time!

Friday, August 14, 2015

Fun Foods – Apple Cars

Looking for a way to encourage your little one to make healthier eating choices? This fun food idea is perfect for you! By adding a little fun to your healthy snack each day, your student will be excited for snack time and trying out the new foods they get to create things with.

This one is simple to create. All you need is an apple, grapes and toothpicks. Start by cutting your apple into slices and the grapes into halves. You will need two grapes per car to give you four tires for each one. Take two tooth picks and push them through the inner side of the apple on the top and bottom to act as the axels for your wheels. Lastly, add the grape wheels onto the toothpicks with the cut side facing outward. Now you have an adorable snack that is good for playing and eating.

Check back here for more back to school ideas and fun foods that are healthy for your little ones!

Friday, August 7, 2015

Back to School – Door Decor

The new school year is quickly approaching and teachers are putting the final touches on their classrooms. We wanted to give you some ideas on how to prepare your classroom to be as welcoming as possible for your new students. Here are a few of our favorite door decorations to spark your imagination!

  

Adding something fun to your door is a great way to let students know that there is a fun and welcoming environment inside. They are getting a first glimpse of that before even entering the classroom as it almost acts as a welcome mat. This is the perfect place to add all of the names of your students so they feel welcomed individually and can see who else to expect in the classroom when they go inside.