Ahh, back to school time. Some kids are excited about it. Some kids dread it. I was one of the few who got excited about it. I’d lay out all my new school supplies days ahead of time. Sharpening all my new pencils perfectly, zipping them up in the little plastic pouch in my Trapper Keeper. And who can forget the smell of new school clothes?
School lunch was a memorable experience, too. Occasionally, I’d get watermelon in my lunchbox (thanks mom!), which happens to be the topic of this post.
Moms everywhere: If your son or daughter is packing a lunch this year (I’m assuming kids still do that), please consider changing up the ol’ apple and orange fruit rotation by putting a little watermelon in there now and then. (And by “little watermelon” I don’t mean the pint-sized treat pictured above, although that would be pretty cool if you could find it.)
If you need some ideas, you can find some fun recipes for kids on the National Watermelon Promotion Board website. Some might be good for lunchboxes. If you want to do something simple, consider just a few chunks of watermelon in a baggie. It’s nutritious, it’s delicious… it’s fun! Throw in a few banana slices and grapes, put it in a plastic container, and that’s great too.
I assure you, a non-profit group of children who are fed up with boring lunches didn’t put me up to writing this blog entry. It’s just a simple plea from the kid in me who remembers how great it was to get some watermelon for a mid-afternoon snack now and then.
Dr. Penny Perkins-Veazie
Chef Harry Schwartz
Elizabeth Somer, M.A.
Josh Bailey
J-Slice
For all you teachers out there- my students and I enjoyed kicking off back to school by making watermelon playdough to put at our art center! We added watermelon flavored kool-aid to our dough and enjoyed the delicious smell all week at our art center!
That’s a great idea, Sarah. I’ll bet there are all sorts of things you can add watermelon flavored kool-aid to. My mind is working overtime thinking of the possibilities.
Just had to share this, I grew a watermelon just like the one in your pic. It is no larger than a softball.
Very cool, Lee! I’ve seen watermelons that small in the stores, but I’ve never tried one.