• Decorate your own cookies

  • Whole wheat sugar cookies

  • Blueberry blender muffins, and white bean hummus

  • Fancy Nancy play date

Such excitement the first morning of first grade! Just a few steps into the hallway leading to her new classroom she bounced off with delight when she saw a friend, then another and another and was off without so much of a kiss or a good-bye for me. My heart smiled knowing she is in such a happy place, but there was also a twinge of sadness watching my baby flutter her wings out of our nest and becoming a full-fledged schoolgirl.

As I waited in the car pool line at the end of the school day to pick her up, I saw her smiling just as large as she had when I’d last seen her in the morning, chatting and waving arms about in enthusiast conversation with little friends around her.

She wasn’t even fully in the car when she burst out, “me ENCANTA!” I LOVE school.” And then, “can I have a play date please please?” and rattled off names of friends she wanted to invite.

Starting with her toddler years, we’ve had such fun she and I making homemade snacks for little playmates. It’s a entertaining craft to do with toddlers and children, but is also wonderful opportunity to help them develop motor skills and learn to follow instructions. It’s also about learning cause and effect; One of our first big lessons was not to make a monster mess because cleaning up is a monster effort. And help clean up she did;  she learned early on to be a rather tidy little cook.

At every play date – just as I do with her snack times — we set the fruit and/or veggies out first. Only after the children have eaten some, I put out other snacks.

I’ve found that kids will eat more fruit when cutting the fruit into shapes and presenting them in an attractive way makes it more fun for them to eat.

Fun Fruit

  • Fruit wands, originally I got this idea from Weelicious and have made fruit wands with berries, grapes, melon balls, pineapple squares and more
  • Fruit shapes: using a cookie cutter to make flowers, butterflies etc
  • Fruit sandwiches: apple and nut butter
  • Hummus veggie pots

Our favorite homemade snacks

Whole-Wheat Cheddar Crackers

Whole-Wheat Graham Crackers

Mini-muffins. These blender muffins are our current favorite. We usually top them with berries.

Flourless Sweet Potato Muffins : A gluten-free option for friends with gluten allergy

Cookie “Fruit Pizzas”

  • Make a round cookie any size using the Whole-Wheat Sugar Cookie recipe.
  • Mix softened cream cheese with honey to taste
  • Let them place fresh berries and fruit slices (mango, peaches, kiwi etc) on top

Drinks

Generally I simply put a big jar of water with lemon or orange slices, or a handful strawberries. It’s amazing how kids will drink water when it’s the only option.

Sometimes I have a pitcher of ice mint tea. Or a pitcher of strawberry lemonade or watermelon lemonade.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Watermelon “flowers” on grape stems

“Flower garden” cut sliced bread and cheese slices with flower and butterfly cookie cutters

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes  using a mini-muffin tin. For the frosting I mix equal parts plain Greek yogurt and cream cheese, sweetened to taste with honey. The kids love to put the frosting on themselves.

Popeye the Sailor Man

Popeye Power Punch

Bowl of green grapes

Mini-Spinach Cake Muffins

Infinity and Beyond!

Fruit Rockets

Space Shuttle PB&J Mini- Sandwiches

Cheese stars: Cut cheese into star shapes with a cookie cutter and serve with crackers or bread “Moons” (cut in circles)

Such excitement the first morning of first grade! Just a few steps into the hallway leading to her new classroom she bounced off with delight when she saw a friend, then another and another and was off without so much of a kiss or a good-bye for me. My heart smiled knowing she is in such a happy place, but there was also a twinge of sadness watching my baby flutter her wings out of our nest and becoming a full-fledged schoolgirl.

As I waited in the car pool line at the end of the school day to pick her up, I saw her smiling just as large as she had when I’d last seen her in the morning, chatting and waving arms about in enthusiast conversation with little friends around her.

She wasn’t even fully in the car when she burst out, “me ENCANTA!” I LOVE school.” And then, “can I have a play date please please?” and rattled off names of friends she wanted to invite.

Starting with her toddler years, we’ve had such fun she and I making homemade snacks for little playmates. It’s a entertaining craft to do with toddlers and children, but is also wonderful opportunity to help them develop motor skills and learn to follow instructions. It’s also about learning cause and effect; One of our first big lessons was not to make a monster mess because cleaning up is a monster effort. And help clean up she did;  she learned early on to be a rather tidy little cook.

At every play date – just as I do with her snack times — we set the fruit and/or veggies out first. Only after the children have eaten some, I put out other snacks.

I’ve found that kids will eat more fruit when cutting the fruit into shapes and presenting them in an attractive way makes it more fun for them to eat.

Fun Fruit

  • Fruit wands, originally I got this idea from Weelicious and have made fruit wands with berries, grapes, melon balls, pineapple squares and more
  • Fruit shapes: using a cookie cutter to make flowers, butterflies etc
  • Fruit sandwiches: apple and nut butter
  • Hummus veggie pots

Our favorite homemade snacks

Whole-Wheat Cheddar Crackers

Whole-Wheat Graham Crackers

Mini-muffins. These blender muffins are our current favorite. We usually top them with berries.

Flourless Sweet Potato Muffins : A gluten-free option for friends with gluten allergy

Cookie “Fruit Pizzas”

  • Make a round cookie any size using the Whole-Wheat Sugar Cookie recipe.
  • Mix softened cream cheese with honey to taste
  • Let them place fresh berries and fruit slices (mango, peaches, kiwi etc) on top

Drinks

Generally I simply put a big jar of water with lemon or orange slices, or a handful strawberries. It’s amazing how kids will drink water when it’s the only option.

Sometimes I have a pitcher of ice mint tea. Or a pitcher of strawberry lemonade or watermelon lemonade.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Watermelon “flowers” on grape stems

“Flower garden” cut sliced bread and cheese slices with flower and butterfly cookie cutters

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes  using a mini-muffin tin. For the frosting I mix equal parts plain Greek yogurt and cream cheese, sweetened to taste with honey. The kids love to put the frosting on themselves.

Popeye the Sailor Man

Popeye Power Punch

Bowl of green grapes

Mini-Spinach Cake Muffins

Infinity and Beyond!

Fruit Rockets

Space Shuttle PB&J Mini- Sandwiches

Cheese stars: Cut cheese into star shapes with a cookie cutter and serve with crackers or bread “Moons” (cut in circles)