Keeping Nut-Free Class Snacks FUN!

 

With back-to-school fast approaching, some fun preschool or classroom snack ideas might be in order!

Way back in June, I was class snack parent at Z's afternoon preschool for the week of her birthday. Since I'd set the bar pretty high our previous snack week back in March, I had to step up my game. But since it was her birthday week, I also needed ideas that wouldn't burn me out too quickly, since I had several batches of cupcakes to make later, for her classrooms and birthday party.

DIY Fruit Leather "Stickers"

 

Monday, 6/3/13 - Betty Crocker, the makers of Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot, happens to make a dye-free and fake-flavor-free fruit roll-up version called "Simply Fruit." I had stocked up during a sale, but a bunch of them were going to expire before school started the next Fall, so I had to use them up!

I carefully opened and unrolled each one and used cutters from my mini Noah's Ark cutter set to make shapes in the fruit roll-up that could be removed separately, like stickers. Or they could eat the surrounding roll-up first and leave the shapes until last. I think they make something like that, but only in a dye-filled version.
I was able to make all the cut-outs the night before, and I rolled each one back up and stored them in a zip-close baggie, so they wouldn't get sticky or start dissolving from the moisture in the air.

(The Noah's Ark cutters are also a favorite for zoo field trip lunches!)

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Animal Food

I had some wide carrots from our organic CSA share farm, so I cut a few lengthwise into slabs and used some of my fancy veggie cutters on them, to make one shape for each kid. Yeah, I know. Lots of "treats" and then only one carrot? But these are a pain to cut out en masse. I may have sent along baby carrots as well. Can't remember.

I had originally planned a different, less sugary "crunchy" for this snack, but once I realized I had an animal theme going, the Annie's Ginger Bunnies HAD to be included too!

Tools of the Trade

   

Food for Thought