Now that summer is here and school is out, kid are looking for things to do. Day camp is a great way to get the kids out of the house and continue their education. Camp helps with children’s self esteem, helps make lasting friendships, and it can teach life long skills. In the Forkly test kitchen, we took a look at how best to pack a lunch for day camp. We came up with 5 great ideas that will make packing lunch a breeze this summer.
All year kids get sandwiches in their lunch at school. Make summer different by making easy wraps for a change. We did these ones with cream cheese, re-fried beans, salsa, and shredded cheese for a simple lunch burrito. You can layer lunch meats and vegetables for other options. The wraps allow you to be more creative than with bread, so try new things with this!
We packed chopped up celery with blue cheese dip for a healthy snack to nibble on. Keep things cut small so it’s easy for little fingers to grab. Use your child’s favorite vegetables. Carrots are a great choice. Dip helps makes vegetables more appealing to picky kids, but make sure not to pack too much of it. You still want this to be a healthy meal after all!
The big difference between school and day camp is the environment. A packed lunch indoors at school can stay fresh for all day. Playing outside at day camp can mean that their lunch bakes in the sun. We packed heat safe foods that would be fine warm. These pepperoni sticks are safe hot or cold and are fun to eat. We cut these small so a child can eat them through the day as a snack or at lunch.
Keep the rest of the lunch healthy and you won’t feel bad about including a sweet treat. To keep with the Mexican theme, we made mini churros that are a fun alternative to cake or candy. Remember that chocolate bars can melt into a liquid mess at day camp. Replace this with fruit salad or cut up apple with caramel sauce.
Unfortunately, day camp can be a fashion show. Kids want the cool backpacks and new clothing so they can impress their new friends. We packed everything in a Laptop Lunch Box. On the bottom of each container there is a place to write their names so nothing gets lost. The lunch boxes come in a variety of colors and styles so even mom and dad can find one they like for work.
The individual containers are removable and dish washer safe. Packing a lunch in little compartments make it seem like a bunch of snacks. This will help keep things fun for lunches and it makes packing a breeze!
