Snack ideas for kindergarten

[Madders]

My DD is starting kindergarten and I will be responsible for providing snacks for 24 students two days each month. I need ideas!

What would you send?

[Evergreen]

I usually sent a couple bunches of bananas. Sometimes a few sleeves of saltines. I once made chex mix and divided it into snack baggies. For her birthday I sent cup cakes. I work f/t and have other children so I don't spend a lot of time on snack. Some mothers made chocolate covered marshmallow mouse things and stuff like that which is awesome but not something I am going to take the time to do.

We only had to do it once a month. If there are 24 kids in the class why do you have two snack days per month?

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Are there restrictions? We have one nut-free room that always makes it more challenging and they try to avoid dairy because so many kids are lactose intolerant. There is also a stated guide of "healthy", though that is left up to each parent to interpret. We also have "routine" snacks and then twice a year (birthday and "start of the week") the kids get to bring a special snack. For special snack days I usually bake something because I love to bake. For routine snacks I try to send a fruit and something else.

Popular fruits include: bananas, apples, grapes, tangerines, berries
Other options that are popular: pretzels, cheese crackers, popcorn, granola/protein bars, cookies (I generally make oatmeal ones), sugar pita chips, mini bagels, peanut butter/sun butter (no nut alternative) and apple slices, mini carrots and ranch dip, cheese (especially baby bels),

Some special things that I've done that went over really well: mini apple or pumpkin pies, pumpkin empanadas, fruit smoothies (have to be made and taken quickly)

[Hey Mama!]

I'm also wondering why you have to provide it twice a month? Anyway, at the school my children attend we cannot send homemade snacks, and just this year they want things to be individually packaged as well. I used to send a big box of Cheezits, and dd would be made because she always brought the "healthy" snack Now I guess I'll do granola bars.

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I know a lot of the public schools around here have "commercially made, individually packaged" rules as well. Luckily they make lots of options these days (including cheezits). I've also found most of the Annie's snack stuff in individual packets. Annoying for the environment, but given the number of kids with allergies and restrictions, I can see where the teachers would want to be completely certain that the items they were giving were safe. Not to mention as quick and neat as possible to hand out. Though I'm glad that our school allows homemade options because I really like to have the kids help make their special snacks.

[GuildJenn]

Honestly we mostly send muffins (oatmeal), cheese (we slice it off a block that morning) and crackers, mini bagels and cream cheese, or fruit. The first year I was more elaborate but I've come to appreciate just a simple snack that doesn't burn off fast and leave the kids crashing just as people are picking them up.

[octobermom]

I did snacks for DD preschool having no imingation at all I eaither brought in like 4 bannanas and each child got 1/3 of a bannana
or a box of annies bunny crackers (pick a flavor) and little dixie cups
I uusally brought water the school provided milk or juice (juicy juice)

Deanna

[mommariffic]

granola and fruit [dried fried or bananas]
a loaf of some kind? cranberry and orange? banana?
cheese sticks or cubes and grapes

[ShadowMom]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but these are good suggestions. At my son's school, they take turns and provide snacks for a whole week at a time. I'm not used to that at all, so the snacks will need to keep well. I could maybe send banana muffins the first day and the snacks could get increasingly well preserved as time goes on.

The teacher apparently has no way to refrigerate them, as well... and no nuts.

If anyone has other suggestions, please post them! I like for snack time to be kind of special and neat but healthy at the same time.

[annethcz]

I usually send individually packaged cheese & crackers or peanut butter & crackers.

[cedoreilly]

Those indivudual apple sauce cups? At least that is what I sent in last year when the teacher asked for snacks for when kids forget them. During the summer, I sent in grandola bars to the teacher's stash after we forgot my DS2's backpack at home and he had to go into the teacher's stash (I felt really guilty. It was sitting on the stove and I forgot to remind him to take it with him).

[velochic]

I usually sent the same kind of foods I send as sides for lunch... many mentioned here. Since dd doesn't eat breakfast, morning snack is something to get her going in the morning and I sent in snack with that mindset for the rest. Usually fruit or grain and dairy.

One of my pet peeves is excessive packaging. When I was on snack duty, this was something that I took care to mind. I saw too many examples of not just excessive trash from the packages, but kids taking one bite of something and throwing the rest of the package away. The waste is positively depressing.

[jen in co]

Our 2nd grade teachers last night asked us to make sure all snacks we send in our individually packaged (they don't have to be done commercially packed, you can use little snack bags) -- they used to serve snack family style on coffee filters or paper towels in the middle of desk pods, but b/c of H1N1 they want to be a little more careful about germs and food sharing this year. Our school generally operates on the honor system as far as snacks go and the teachers just ask parents to bring in snacks periodically as they're running low. I wanted to bring some in for the start of the school year, so I did a bunch of whole grain goldfish in small snack sized ziplocs and did some stretch island fruit leather too, but I'd love more ideas for (relatively) inexpensive snacks that either come individually wrapped or can be easily partitioned in snack bags.

We haven't officially found out about allergies yet, but I always assume no nuts and I know one of her friends has a gluten allergy.

[umsami]

I have to do snacks on Monday. Our rotate every 18 days.

This Monday, I'm sending Danon Drinkables (plus one soy yogurt for the boy who has a dairy allerge) and graham crackers.

My other plans are...

hard boiled eggs (peeled) and whole grain crackers

cheese sticks and apples

hummus and pita bread

dates and milk (haven't decided if I'll de-seed the dates or not)

mini-banana muffins

In the winter, I may send a crock-pot of vegetable soup... but only if I'm feeling super-Martha.


We do have a refrigerator available.

Other ideas...

veggies and ranch dressing

bananas and other fruit

apple sauce

graham crackers and milk

little sandwiches

plain yogurt with some honey/agave syrup on the side and maybe some fruit to add in

[eepster]

At DS's school it has to be packaged and not from a plant that does either tree nuts or peanuts, uncut fruit, or sealed from a supermarket bakery.

Things I've sent include:

• apples and cheddar cheese
• strawberries and greek yogurt
• bottled stonyfield farm smoothies and whole wheat bunnys
• cupcakes and bottled smoothies (on DS's b-day)
• chedder bunnies and apple sauce
• ak-mak crackers, spreadable cheese (it might have been brie, but I don't quite remember) and grapes
• Trader Joe's organic string cheese, and pears

I always try to get something that DS will like, and is something I am happy to give him.