Lunch Box Suggestions

School days are upon me, and I'm having a hard time forking over $2.30 a day for my child to consistently eat chicken nuggets. With a little research, I found a few great lunch box ideas:

Kraft Foods Lunchbox Ideas

Family Education's Top 10 Packable Lunches

I just ordered the Pampered Chef Cut N' Seal so I can make my own Uncrustables. I plan on mass producing a bunch and then throwing them in the freezer. Anything to save a little time in the morning.

I also like the idea of Bento Boxes, I just may have to get a few.

And for a little extra something to slip in the box:

Familyfun Lunch Box Jokes

Happy lunch making!

Blueberry Fields

I was a little worried this morning, when I realized blueberry season is just about over. As soon as we could get ready, we headed for the blueberry fields.

My little one was a bit of a handful, eating a berry whenever he pleased.


My older two kiddies were much more helpful, gathering about a gallon (most of my berries will be frozen for smoothies or just for eating frozen right out of the bag).



All the while, I dreamed of this.

And on the way out, we paid for our berries with a little blue box.


It's kind of nice to know that there is at least one place that still believes in the honesty of others.

Find a u pick farm near you here.

Don't Eat Pete!

Oh, how we love this game. We just played it tonight, and this time I laminated it. We love it that much. Sparkle Power has a charming printable version with instructions.

What's on the menu?

Not really a fan of grocery shopping, or any activity that goes along with it (planning the monthly menu or putting away groceries). So I enlisted a little help (not with the shopping part, I go that alone). Today I pulled out a few cookbooks, and asked each child to go through and find a few meal ideas. And they came up with some good ones! As an additional benefit, they got in 20 minutes of reading stamina without even realizing it. I was very pleased with myself.

Strawberry Harvest

My favorite time of year - berry picking season. We spent two mornings picking strawberries and came home with over 13 pounds! I hope my kids have fond memories of running through the berry rows, finding the biggest and brightest strawberries. I know I do! Each year (this is only our second year) we celebrate strawberry harvest, with a strawberry dinner. On the menu:

Strawberry Soup served with graham crackers

Strawberry Muffins

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Looking for a U Pick Farm in your area? Click here.

Homemade Ice Cream

Interested in making your kids work for their dessert? Try this recipe for Ice cream in a bag. After just 5 minutes of shaking, we had homemade ice cream! Lots of possibilities with this recipe, next time we will try chopped fruit or cookies. If you want to make the activity educational, read this article for the scientific explanation.

This activity was for the unplugged project from the Unplug Your Kids blog. Head on over for more slippery ideas.

Indoor Bean Garden

Play Equipment:

Dried Beans
Bowl with Water
Paper towel (or Kleenex if you are out like I was)
Ziplock baggy
Straw (optional)
Tape

The kiddies have been very excited about gardening this year, and often remind me when it's time to tend to our modest little garden. This is the first year we started everything by seed, and we have enjoyed it so much more! So satisfying to see something sprout from the dirt (other than weeds). So when I found this activity on Learning Activities for Children (look for other great gardening activities), I knew we had to try it!

1. Dip paper towel in bowl of water and place in baggy (do not wring the water out).

2. Grab a few beans and place on top of wet paper towel.

3. Trap air inside. We used a straw to blow air in, just more fun, not necessary.

4. Close baggy.

5. Tape bag to sunny window and watch your garden grow!

Head on over to Ramblings of a Crazy Woman for more fun ideas.

Oatmeal Painting

My children are not big fans of oatmeal, a fact I take full responsibility for. So for this activity, I had an alternative motive. Not only did it sound fun to paint with oatmeal, but I also hoped a few sticky fingers would get licked, and then they would associate oatmeal with fun and want it every morning for breakfast. A bit optimistic, I realize. Moving on:

1. Make oatmeal according to the suggested directions.

2. Add more water until you have reached a desired consistency.

3. Divide into bowls (applesauce containers are perfect).

4. Add food coloring to each bowl.

5. Give each child a plate and spoon.

6. Paint!




Even my baby got into the action! I had 2 out of 3 taste test and only one wardrobe change. I'm going to call it a success. If you want more fun ideas, head on over to the Friday Showcase on The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.