Lunch Room Eat This We aren't the only ones who get tired of the same old same old. Kids thrive on variety, and it's easier than you think to get them to eat that dreaded school lunch. Lunch Bag Riddles Include one of these kid-pleasing jokes in your child's lunch bag every day, or once a week for a noontime giggle that they can share with their friends. Perks and Treats An occasional surprise nestled in with the tuna sandwich and the apples will give your students a pick-me-up. Resources Cookbooks, story books and Web sites for inspiration, ideas and just plain help. Eat This Did you know that a child will likely eat upwards of 2400 lunches during the school years? Most of these are brown-bag lunches brought from home. Imagine 800 peanut butter and jam sandwiches, 800 cheese sandwiches and 800 tuna salad sandwiches. It's not surprising that a lot of lunches end up in the trash. This is boring! Keep them interested. Kids eat foods that they like, that are tasty and that are fun. Ask your kids what they would like in their lunches. Do they want pizza, sandwiches, wraps, bagels, soup or stew? What kind of fruit do they like? Do they like cookies and squares, pie, pudding or cake? Do ask, because just as your tastes change and evolve, so do theirs. And by getting a discussion going, you will learn new things about your children's appetites. Take the kids shopping. Allow them to assist in selecting things that will go into their lunches. Their choices and likes are much less likely to be traded or trashed. Keep a selection of breads and ingredients on hand, including condiments, for kids to get creative with when they make their own lunches. Pickles, vegetable sticks, cheeses, sausage, crackers of all kinds, pretzels are all options. Remember kids are more likely to eat food that they have prepared or in the case of little ones, that they have helped to prepare. Cut out sandwiches or vegetables in cookie-cutter shapes. Use different cheeses and cold cuts. Groom your little gourmets early. Use cream cheese, Swiss, mozzarella or Jarlsberg. These mild cheeses are preferable to processed cheese foods. Lots of deli meats are kid-friendly. Buy a selection to see which your kids like. Salami and pepperoni aren't only for pizzas. Sometimes kids request the same sandwich day after day. Give it to them. Kids often go on eating jags, and as long as they are getting variety in their other meals, this isn't a big deal. Food Try some of these. Different kinds of breads: rye, raisin, cheese, focaccia; bagels, tortillas, pita bread, seed rolls and Portuguese buns provide needed variety. Leftover chili, stew, casseroles, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, spaghetti and chicken are welcome. Cold meat loaf in sandwiches and leftover pasta in salads are better the second time around. Use mustard, chutneys and relishes or pickles in sandwiches. Colourful foods, such as red, green and yellow peppers, carrot and zucchini coins, will be gobbled up. Yogurt, applesauce, cherries, grapes, trail mix, dried fruit, nuts (not to be shared in case other children have allergies) offer a change of pace. Fruit breads such as banana bread, blueberry bread and orange and cranberry loaf provide new flavours. A bag of popcorn is an unexpected treat. Beverages Occasionally include something besides milk such as Hot chocolate Energy drinks Tea or chai (for older kids) Exotic juices: mango, passion fruit, papaya Italian sodas Bottled water Tips Use insulated food containers to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Make sandwiches using frozen bread. Freeze beverages to use as a cold pack. They will be thawed in time for lunch. Make lunches the night before and refrigerate or freeze if possible. Avoid smelly fillings such as fish, garlic and eggs. Salads travel well in wide-mouth thermoses. Pack cookies and fragile items in plastic containers. Pack sugarless gum or hard crunchy foods such as carrots and apples. Kids can't brush their teeth after every meal and these help prevent tooth decay. Lunch Bag Riddles What did the tomato say to his friend? "You go ahead. I'll ketchup" What has four wheels and flies? A garbage truck. What runs all day but never gets anywhere? A clock. What has a head but no eyes? A match. I travel north, east, west, and south; I have two tongues but not a single mouth. What am I? A pair of shoes. How do you catch a squirrel? Climb up a tree and act like a nut. What kind of teeth are smart? Wisdom teeth. What do rain clouds wear under their silver lining? Thunderpants. What has eyes but no mouth? A potato. Can giraffes have babies? No, they only have giraffes. What does the Invisible Man drink? Evaporated milk. Where is the ocean deepest? On the bottom. What did the beach say when the tide came in? Long time no sea. What do you need to spot an ice berg twenty kilometres away? Good eye sight. How are trees and dogs alike? They both have bark. Why didn't the chicken cross the road? Because he was chicken. What did the sock say to the foot? You're putting me on. Why was the belt arrested? For holding up the pants. What do you call a book about eggs? A yolk book. Why did the little boy throw a clock? He wanted to see time fly. Perks These aren't the kind of perks that adults are used to but the concept translates to kids. Perk up your student's day with a lunch box surprise. Try a mash note, "I love you, Mom"; a special sweet treat ­- like gummy bears ­- or a gross treat such as gummy earth worms; wax lips, which are goofy but fun; a certificate with a promise of a special after school treat, such as an ice cream cone or a pampering gesture like a bubble bath. Tuck in a ticket to a baseball game, the option to choose the next video rental, a riddle, a fortune cookie or a funny photo. Stickers or tiny toys, a new pencil or cool eraser will give kids a lift. Resources Super Easy Bag Lunches Edmonton school teacher and mom has written a book packed with advice, recipes, nutrition hints and fun ideas for parents who are down to the last swipe of peanut butter in the jar and need HELP!!!! Lazy Gourmet Cookbook Busy Vancouver mom and caterer Susan Mendelson has written a great book with lots of kid-pleasers in it. Cheese Louise A colourful story about a cheese full of holes named Louise. Young kids will enjoy this tale as Louise schemes to become someone's lunch. She battles other foodstuffs to be chosen and has many adventures and dilemmas in her quest. Top