Fun lunch ideas for the new school year

Summer may be over, but the fun doesn’t have to stop. Try these cool tips for kid-pleasing lunches.

Not so cookie cutter — Toy dough cutters are one way Amy DeLeonardis of Piedmont enhances the old cookie-cutter sandwich trick for her kids, ages 7 and 5.

Notes – DeLeonardis also uses lunchbox love cards, sealed in a baggie for reuse later.

Pictures – For very young kids, hand-drawn pictures are a fun alternative to written notes. Kindergartners can still recognize the words “mom,” their own names and a heart.

Go bento – Sheila Van Bergen of Easley loves Yumbox bento-style, plastic lunchboxes for her kids’ lunches, available for about $30. Less expensive choices of thinner, disposable compartmentalized plastic boxes are now available, but some are not recommended for leak-prone foods.

Healthy but simple – Van Bergen makes a sandwich with two types of fruit or veggies for her kids daily, with hummus and yogurt as dips.

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