As we begin a new year my head starts to focus on organising lunches (yawn).
Oh how lunches have changed over the decades! Far from the simple sandwich and apple solution when I was at Primary School, today’s lunches are much more exciting. Even so, there have been days when almost the complete lunch comes home, so I got savvy and enrolled the kids to make their own.
The benefits of having the kids create their own delectable delights are many. Firstly it saves me time. Secondly they actually quite enjoy the whole process of learning what to shop for and how to prepare it. Thirdly, they eat everything because they appreciate the effort taken and it’s food they have chosen.
Here’s what I do…
- Decide on the boundaries for lunches. For example, the food must keep well in hot weather, be nutritious, have limited litter, and include at least two serves of fruit or vegetables.
- Decide on a budget for lunch shopping.
- Have each child pre-plan what they would like to put in their lunch boxes for the coming week.
- If you want to make it a fully integrated educational shopping experience, then take the kids to the supermarket and allow them to choose, weigh items, and check out good deals. They also get an idea of the value of food. Over time, you may choose to do what I do now, which is online shopping, however the kids have chosen their items and written them on our shopping list.
This simple planning makes it super simple for your children to make their own lunches either the evening before or the morning of school.
Now that’s lunchbox bliss 🌷
_________________________
If you're a frazzled Mum juggling care + career, looking to connect with likeminded ladies, check out our Reset + Reconnect Private Group on FB.