The Daily Bite

There it is, tucked between the orange and the juice box: a scrap of paper with a cartoon, bit of trivia, joke or reminder to take out the trash. Perhaps it’s a napkin with good-luck wishes for basketball tryouts or a little heart to buoy a kid through a difficult day. Jotted on a napkin, scribbled on a sticky note or carefully lettered on monogrammed paper, lunch notes are a low-tech way to let our kids know that they’re loved.

Here’s a roundup of inspiring lunch note ideas:

Try this nifty “secret message banana” trick if you’re packing lunch for Harriet the Spy or Encyclopedia Brown (kids still read those books, right?). Use a skewer to poke tiny dots into the skin of the banana: pictures, jokes, spy instructions—anything goes. As the puncture marks oxidize, the message “develops” like magic, appearing just in time for morning recess or lunch. The idea comes from Cute Food For Kids, but I love the messages from Laura at Come Together Kids.

Silly Eagle Books blogger Vanessa Rough takes a less ephemeral approach with her homemade “I Love You” sticks. She writes that she hopes her daughter might save her little stick notes and pull them out whenever she needs a reminder of how special she is.

Lunch notes can be interactive, too. Check out this smart lunch survey from artist June Pfaff Daley, who uses the two-way note to connect with her school-bound kid and find out about their day. If you want to write your own message, these downloadable lunch notes from illustrator and Fresh Picked Whimsy blogger Lori McDonough are also adorable.

Every kid I know loves a good giggle (my youngest has recently taken up what she calls “nik nak” jokes). Tonia at The Gunny Sack developed these clever (free!) downloadable lift-the-flap jokes to tuck into your little comedian’s lunch bag. For pure silliness, I love these mini notes from Kid Crave. I ask you, what tangerine doesn’t need a mustache?

And don’t forget a poem or two. This Ken Nesbitt poem on lunch box notes by has a great ending. Perennial faves Shel Silverstein or Dennis Lee are surefire hits, along with any of these bite-sized rhymes from this list from Alabama poet Charles Ghigna. You can find more perfect poems at the Poetry Foundation.

Of course, notes and sandwiches need somewhere to nestle. CanadianParents.com has a great roundup of cute lunch boxes, but I love the idea of making the lunch note and lunch box one and the same. These personalized chalkboard lunch boxes are so sweet, I want one for myself. If you’re crafty, you might try this tutorial for making your own. This girly version, from Me and My Bucket is sweet, too.

How do you make your child’s lunch special?

Images via : Kid Crave, Come Together Kids, Silly Eagle Books, The Gunny Sack, Name Your Design

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