Healthy Classroom Birthday Snack

At Walmart I get this packaged blue berry muffins that my kids looooove and complement with grapes and watermelon. The watermelon I also buy pre cut and pre packaged at Walmart and is very affordable. If someone can not eat the muffins for allergies they can still participate with the fruit. A little more expensive but kids usually love strawberries. You could also do a nice fruit salad with orange juice! Yumi! My girl's birthday is also this month and I will be doing the muffins and fruit.

I think the rule is (at least, it is here) that it can't be a homemade snack, it has to be store-bought and pre-packaged.

Which sucks, IMO, my favorite part of my birthdays was sharing my Mom's home-made treats with my class. They suck the fun out of everything! But I get it.

How about packaged trail mix? My girls are big fans of trail mixes. You can buy some really creative ones now. (No nuts or seeds though)

I like the popsicles idea someone mentioned. Or maybe ice cream cups, if no one has a dairy allergy?

Pretty soon, the kids won't even be allowed to crack a smile on their birthday! LOL

It's a birthday celebration. Isn't this O. occasion when an UNhealthy treat is OK?

Small bags of pretzels, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, York Peppermint Patties, Sun Chips.........

ETA: At our school, the kids are NOT allowed any NON pre-packaged, labeled food and they are NOT allowed to consume it at school. MUST be taken home.

I would skip the non-edibles. I don't know about you, but we are up to our ears in pencils and erasers.

How about fruit kabobs or banana muffins or rice krispie treats without the butter? If you want to go and help you could do cut up apples in a bowl with carmel drizzle (easier on the teeth).

Find out from the teacher about the allergy thing b/c we have the same rules at my son's school and have discovered that Pillsbury cake mix and frosting are peanut free, but sprinkles are not! Pillsbury brownie mix is also allergy safe. If there is a nut allergy, but no glueten or dairy issues, you can still make cupcakes or brownies.

Otherwise, why not make fruit kebabs (think Edible arrangements) with marshmallows between the fruit pieces! Depending on the allergy issues, you can dip them in chocolate as well. You can purchase the chocolate dip in the grocery store. You can wrap each one in cellophane paper with a ribbon and a pencil attached.

I lost a tooth on a caramel sucker. Bit into it, pulled the sucker out and there was my tooth! So, yeah, the caramel apples could be an interesting treat for this age group!

I like the Rice Krispie Treat idea. You can make them from scratch using non-dairy margarine like Nucoa. Read the cereal box, too. It should be wheat and dairy free. My daughter is wheat and milk allergic. Rice Krispie treats are one of the things she can eat. Sometimes we top them with milk-free chocolate chips (a little messy) or colored candy sprinkles that you use for decorating cakes and cookies. Just sprinkle them on top while the treats are still warm and use wax paper to press them down. Looks pretty and festive. Make sure to take in all ingredient labels (including the sprinkles) so the teacher can double check for any food allergic kids.

Our school has the same healthy policy. I bring in popsicles for the kids birthday treats. The kids like them and the teachers are fine with them.

I do make cupcakes for all 3 kids classrooms for Valentines day though! Even the teachers say cupcakes are nice to have a few times in the year.

there are just no treats any more that suit everyone.
:( khairete
S.

What about prepackaged cupcakes, like the mini ones you can get with about 4 mini muffins or cupcakes per package? If you do home baked goods (confirm that you can), bring in the box and then include any additional ingredients you used. You could also buy Chex Mix or make/buy Trail mix (add some chocolate chips as a treat).

My DD is allergic to apples and I will be providing her juice for the days that other parents buy juice and don't realize it's cut with apple juice. IMO, it is part of the allergic child's parent's job to educate the child and provide alternatives. Your child's teacher should also be able to list allergies in the class (nuts, dairy, etc.) for you.

How about those little pre-package bags of apples slices? You can also buy the little containers of caramel dipping sauce for those who want to dip. It has become too complicated to meet the criteria for classroom snacks with all the allergies, preferences, etc. Or you can do a fruit salad with all different kinds of fruit cut into different shapes. I don't see how you can go wrong with fruit. Although, not real exciting for kids. Check with the teacher on what she might suggest to get a feel for what will and won't work.

We can't do food treats at all. Last year when my daughter turned 7, I came in with her favorite book read it to the class, brought her lunch and ate with her and she handed out"goodie bag" things from target (cheap!)...gummy lizards and puzzle erasers.

What they are saying is that what ever you bring has to be still in the box. Unopened with the label intact. If she wants to bring cupcakes they are most likely not going to say they can't serve them if they are purchased at the store and still in the box with the label on them with the list of ingredients printed.

I think that you can just ask the teacher some of the other items she has seen the other moms bring.

I made my own snack mix. It had gold fish crackers, gold fish pretzels (because of the convenient size), craizins, yogurt covered raisins, dried pineapples (the kind with a sugar coating) and some m&m's.

I don't know that it qualifies as healthy, exactly, but it salty & sweet, most kids will like it, no nuts of any kind and not as sugary as cupcakes.

I used these on Halloween, also, and the teachers appreciated a less sugary snack.

By the way, I'm all for healthy eating, but I also agree that a birthday treat really could be an unhealthy, super yummy, treat! It is a birthday, after all!

My son had 3 highly allergic class-mates. We bought 'pencil bags' at the dollar store and stuck puffy dino stickers all over them, then used fabric paint to paint their names. There were only 11 in his class, and it was less than $15. Almost all of the parents commented on how great they were.

We were going to do rice-a-racas (to match my son's Cinco de Mayo bday theme), but the paint didn't stick and they became very messy. I didn't want to pass on the mess to the other families.

Good luck!

I would email the teacher and ask her for ideas. She knows the kids in her class better than anyone and can probably give you some great suggestions that fit the guidelines.
One of my daughter's favorite treats to bring in was popsicles! Maybe that would work? You could do the healthier ones. The kids always got a kick out them because most kids either brought cupcakes or donuts on their birthday so popsicles were a novelty. My daughter would take them up to the office and the secretary would put them in the staff freezer. Then my daughter would go back to the office to get them when it was time to pass them out :)

My son's classroom has a no-food policy for birthday celebrations. The teacher was going over some non-food celebration ideas and one was that they could request extra recess for their class that day. I thought that was kind of creative!

Our school requests "healthy" too, but they DO allow cupcakes for birthdays, and if you buy them from a bakery at a store, the list of ingredients will be included (check with your bakery to make sure, but the Albertsons, Krogers, and Publix where I've bought before list the ingredients on the container). Ask the teacher if this is ok, I'm sure it would be.

Chocolate dipped strawberries?

You can make your own. Fruit, and chocolate... how can you go wrong?

Ooops... forgot about the individually wrapped part. Ugh.

We're not allowed to bring any food items into the classroom. But, you could do the apple slices in bags or individually packaged baby carrots. I guess fruit cups would be okay too as long as your provided napkins and spoons.

Recently, a birthday girl handed out reusable water bottles to the class (the kind that folds). The kids loved them as did the teacher because they are allowed water bottles at their desk.

Email the teacher and find out what is acceptable. You cannot go wrong there!

How sad that they can't have cupcakes or something sweet, its a birthday for crying out loud! My kids can still take donuts for their birthday. I think they would cry if they could only take carrots or something healthy! =/

Anyway, what about sugar free pudding cups/applesauce cups? That's what we do for my step daughter, she can't have sugar. Maybe check with the teacher for suggestions. Good luck!

I was going to suggest Rice Krispie treats and then read your note about the dairy allergy. I have a milk allergy in the family and make Rice Krispie treats with the soy margarine and they are still delicious. You can throw in some sprinkles for a little color and crunch... maybe not the healthiest, but it's fun!