For many local students, school begins in just one week! As children head back to school, your morning routine just got a little more hectic. One mom, Lauri Stewart, came up with a plan to allow children the opportunity to pack their own lunch based on a system of bins and associated numbers.
Here’s how Lauri explains the process:
Bin 1 – popcorn or veggie straws (I’ll mix it up with what they call “junk food”)
Bin 2 – goldfish, rice and ritz crackers (again, I’ll mix them up but they don’t have to have the same thing everyday)
Bin 3 – fruit to go and fruit & veggie source bars
Bin 4 – fruit cups and apple sauces (will do fresh fruit most often, but good back up and with 3 kids liking all different fruit, this is my compromise)
Bin 5 – cheese strings, babybell cheese and yogurt tubes. Again will mix it up with yoplait drinks and diced regular cheeses I have)
Bin 6 – Meat & veggies. The hardest one as all three kids are not big meat eaters! Here I have turkey lunchmeat rolled up, turkey pepperettes (Costco) and carrots or cucs from our garden! I will do hard boiled eggs or leftover diced chicken breasts from supper too!
Bin 7 – will be granola bars, banana muffins or cookies!
Parents can write the number of servings allowed on the bin. By sorting the foods, children can pack their own lunches by selecting from approved food. It can be a huge time saver in the mornings. It just takes a little bit of planning at the beginning of the week to have the bins stocked for the week.
