Food Magnets for Kids

I'm an avid Pinterest user (dcmaedel, in case you'd like to follow me!), and like many, I pin way more recipes, crafts, and exercises than I can actually try in my lifetime.  That said, Pinterest is a great way to find inspiration and solve the everyday problems we all face.  For example, how do you teach your children about healthy eating in a way that doesn't leave them either completely tuning you out or running to the neighbor's house for blue box mac'n'cheese (sorry avid blue box eaters - I prefer the kind with real cheese and cream)?  One potential method is using food magnets - pairing pictures and words make it easier for the toddler to communicate and learn, while putting the pairings on magnets turns learning about healthy foods into a fun game.  

I have seen many versions of this idea on Pinterest, varying from simply pairing pictures and words on a magnet, to also including food group and daily serving information so the child can participate in his/her own food planning (that pin is here).  K is a bit young to understand daily serving needs, but using shapes to show food groups is a great way to introduce her to the concept, so my version of the magnet project includes those.  Taking the magnets one step further, I realized my husband and I could also use them as tools to make it easier to select healthy foods for K's meals - so I added serving suggestions and recipes to the back of each card.  The result?  Fun and very informative little magnets that make all our lives easier!

If you'd like to make your own magnets, you are welcome to start with our template, which is available via this link.  The only disclaimer: the pictures on these magnets are from indiscriminate Google searches, and I have not obtained specific rights for their use.  To make the magnets, print out the first two pages of the template, then print out pages three and four on the back side of the same pages.  Next cut out the individual foods, laminate (I used the Purple Cows Laminator), and put magnets on the back.  For the magnets, I used magnet tape, which already has a sticky side and is easy to cut to size. 

K has already started playing with these magnets, and has used them to tell me she wants an apple (or "appy," as she calls it) or blueberries.  She hasn't quite figured out that the magnets are supposed to live on the fridge, so they are starting to appear on metal surfaces throughout the house.  I guess the next lesson will have to be in toddler organization... :o)

Homemade Snack Bags

When K first started going to daycare, we sent her with several full bottles of milk to get her through the day.  As she got older the bottles shifted to baby food, followed shortly thereafter by finger foods.  There is only so much space in the little refrigerator she shares with her five classmates, so finger foods were stored in small Ziploc baggies (rather than rigid plastic or glass containers), which could easily be made to fit whatever space remained in the fridge.  Every day, several baggies went in to daycare only to be left in the trash after snack time, and I started wondering if there were a better way.  Combine that thought with my newly-purchased sewing machine, and an idea was born.  After a few rounds of prototyping, these easy, half cup sized snack bags were born!  You can even personalize them, which is great in the daycare setting.  These bags are water resistant, and best used for mostly-dry snacks like Cheerio's or cold quesadillas.

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You'll need two patterns of cloth, matching thread, a length of sew on Velcro, and iron-on laminate material.  For the cloth, select a fun and dark pattern for the decorative outside, and a plain, lighter pattern for the inside.  The darker and more complex the outside, the less likely it is that dirt and stains will show.  For the inside, having a lighter color enables you to see if any small bits of food are left in the bag.

Cut the outside cloth into ten inch by six inch rectangles - one per bag you want to make.  It is much more efficient to make several bags at once, rather than making each bag separately, so you can repeat the same step for each bag before moving on.

To make the inside of the bag water resistant, you can either use some form of iron on laminate or buy cloth that already has laminate on it (e.g., polyurethane laminated fabric, aka PUL).  I used Iron-On Vinyl, which was simple to use and readily available on Amazon, but is not specifically intended for food use.  According to the product manufacturer (Thermoweb), Iron-On Vinyl is BPA and lead free, but does include a plasticizer (DIDP), which has not been tested for direct food contact.  If you are worried, I understand PUL is better.

Before cutting the interior cloth to size, apply the laminate to the side you want to be visible on the inside of the bag.  Then cut the laminated cloth into as many ten inch by six inch rectangles as you want bags.  You will now have a pair of rectangles per bag.

Put the right side (i.e., the side that is visible when the bag is done) of both rectangles together, and pin.  Then sew on three sides with an eighth of an inch seam allowance, leaving one short side open.

Turn the bag inside out, so the right sides are showing.  Use a pen or something similar to make sure the corners are pushed out as much as possible. 

 

Iron the bag flat using low heat on the non-laminated side of the pouch.

To close the open end, fold end over and sew flat.  This is now the "top" of your bag.

Cut a pair of Velcro strips (with one rough side and one soft side) to match the narrower width of the as-sewn rectangle.  Sew the rough Velcro strip on the laminate-side of the top of the bag, over the sewing line you just made to close the rectangle. 

If you would like to personalize the bag, print names on a neutral cloth that matches the bag pattern using the directions found on instructibles.com, then cut the cloth to about three quarters of an inch around the name.  Fold the cloth over to more tightly frame the name and pin.

Sew the name onto the center of the outside top of the bag.  This edge will serve as the flap, so sew the name on such that it is right side up from the edge.  This way, when you close the bag the name will appear right side up.

Next, sew the soft Velcro strip about a quarter inch from the bottom of the outside of the bag.

Finally, flip the bag such that the laminate side is up and the top is away from you.  Fold the bottom of the bag up such that when you fold down the top flap, the Velcro strips touch.  Pin the bag in this shape, then sew along the sides, starting at either the folded bottom of the bag or the very top of the flap, and going the entire length of that side.  Congratulations!  You now have a half cup snack bag!