Tips for Packing School Lunches

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts, about it: kids’ eating habits are notoriously fickle. With how busy parents can get, it can be easier to stick leftovers in a paper bag than it is to craft a meal of perfectly balanced portions. Luckily, we have many ideas for packing a healthy school lunch for kids.

Find Balance

Aim for a balance between vegetables, fruit, starches, and dairy. Protein is also an essential component for anyone’s diet. Besides the traditional lunch meats and nuts, experiment with fish, beans, and hard boiled eggs to add variety.

Make these lunchbox classics:

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Bite-sized Taco Salads

Cheesy Baked Chicken Fingers

Avocado, Tomato, and Chicken Wraps

Pizza Crescent Roll-Ups

Try Something New

Add a new ingredient to an old favorite. Try different kinds of bread or switch out sandwich bread for a tortilla or pita pocket. Try avocado, hummus, honey mustard, or cream cheese instead of mayo. Incorporate leftovers into a dish for a new meal experience.

Try these new recipes:

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Pâté

Zesty Turkey Pita Pocket

Zucchini Corn Fritters

Meatball Mini Sandies

Mini Frittata

Switch up the Presentation

Use different ideas to present food to your kids. These don’t have to be elaborate ideas. Try dicing veggies or making fruit kabobs instead of serving them whole. Use cookie cutters to make fun-shaped sandwich bites. Experiment with different lunch bags or bento boxes to create a homemade and healthy ‘lunchable.’

Try out these recipes:

Frozen Fruit Sticks with Passionfruit and Lime Drizzle

Club Sandwich

Applewiches

Peanut Butter and Jelly ‘Sushi’

Butterfly Snack Break

Get the Kids Involved

Encouraging your kids to get involved will give them a more active role in their diets. Plan some time once a week to involve them in meal planning. Have them choose an item and a piece of fruit and help them assemble their lunch. Make this as regular a routine as you can—it’s a great way to spend some time together as a family.

More Lunch Hacks

• Freeze PB & Js overnight, put it in a lunchbox in the morning, and it will be thawed and ready to go by lunchtime
• Use drinks as ice packs. Freeze water bottles, Capri Suns, or juice boxes. This way they will be refreshing for a lunchtime sip, and it will free up room in their lunch boxes for more goodies
• Use empty Mio bottles (or similar small bottles) as condiment dispensers for less mess. This will also ensure that salads won’t be soggy by lunchtime
• If you use sliced apples, prevent them from browning by wrapping it with saran wrap or a rubber band
• Make a snack station in your pantry and fridge. Assemble healthy, kid-portioned snacks and kids will have an easier time finding afterschool snacks and assembling their own lunches

Lunch doesn’t need to be boring for your kids or stressful on you. Find a happy balance that works for the both of you. For even MORE school lunch ideas, check out this printable list for School Lunch Box Ideas.

Snow Day Activities For You and Your Kids

Kids wait year round for buckets of snowfall to determine their fate and become their most anticipated day of the winter season - the Snow Day! A day off of school is a child’s greatest dream, but for parents, it’s a day to break out fun snow day activities.

Make use of the snow.

Put the little ones to work with a shovel and have them clear off your sidewalks and driveways. Spread your holiday spirit by helping shovel off your neighbors driveways as well. They’ll be especially grateful and you’ll teach your children about the season of giving.

Make a snowman.

It isn’t a snow day without a snowman. Grab your favorite hat, mittens, scarf, and don’t forget the carrot to create a snowman with your kiddos!

Spread your wings and fly.

Have some fun in the snow by making snow angels and snow forts. They are a great way to spend some family time in the snow.

Make your favorite holiday cookies.  

Once your toes are too chilly for the great outdoors, cozy up inside by making some of your favorite cookies.

Make your own snowflakes.

Cozy up by the fire with some hot cocoa and marshmallows while making paper snowflakes. Click here for some fun, unique snowflake templates to give your children a challenge!

Have an indoor picnic.

Throw together an indoor picnic with your kids. Spend lunch with good food and good company snuggled up together. Make finger foods and have your children help with the preparation.

Play your favorite board games.

Break out Life, Monopoly, and other fan favorites! With homework out of the question, spend some time playing your favorite board games.

Paint the snow.

Now that you and your children are all nice and toasty, send them back outside with a squirt bottle full of water and food coloring to paint a masterpiece in the snow. You can make this fun by creating a big canvas for each kid to design. This is a fun way to put their creativity to the test.

Snow days don’t have to be spent cooped up inside watching a movie. Spend the day inside and out with these crazy fun snow day activities.

Back-to-School Morning Routine Tips

*Beep beep beep* goes your alarm, and the chaos begins. Walk the dog, get ready for work, wake the kids up, get them dressed for school, fold the laundry, organize the backpacks, make the kids breakfast, (make yourself breakfast) out the door, off to school. Whew, a parent’s morning is stressful. Wouldn’t it be nice if the mornings were less chaotic? Here are some tips on how to make your morning routine a lot easier.

Organize Backpacks the Night Before

To save time, gather school supplies the night before and organize them in your child’s backpack. This will ensure that there will be no missing items and you will not have to spend your morning searching for lost supplies.

Turn On the Tunes

Listening to upbeat high-energy music in the morning will get you motivated and will get your children moving as well. Listen to music in the bathroom when getting ready and even dance around. This will add excitement and fun to your morning routine.

Provide Incentives

Motivate your children to wake up and get moving by offering small incentives that will be given throughout the morning- maybe a special cereal or breakfast food. You can even offer them a surprise treat in their lunch box.

Hair and Outfits

Picking out outfits the night before will save you lots of time. There will be no digging through closets or hurrying to find matching socks. Your child’s outfits will be prepared and ready to put on right as they wake up. If you have a little girl, consider doing her hair the night before as well. (There are a ton of quick hairstyle ideas on Pinterest.)

Create a Checklist

Create a morning to-do checklist for your children. Delegate different jobs to each and award them if they complete their checklist. This will keep them on track and will save you some time and energy as well.

Make Breakfast Easy

Make quick and easy breakfast meals that can be eaten on the run. If you plan ahead, you can prepare some of these the night before, too. Discover some healthy and quick breakfast meals here.

So make your mornings less stressful by following the tips above. Also, make sure to follow Paragon Promotions on Twitter and Facebook. Stay updated on our 2015 Fall Prize Program: Here Come the Minions! Have a wonderful and organized school year!

Summer Swimming Safety Tips

When it comes to summer activities, swimming is on the top of the list for many children. Kids flock to local swimming pools, beaches, and lakes looking to soak up the sun and have a little fun in the water. As parents, this means it is very important for us to teach our children safe swimming practices. Here are 5 swimming safety tips to ensure that your child is safe while swimming this summer.

Diving

Typically it is considered unsafe to dive into less than 8 feet of water, but that does not stop some kids from jumping into the shallow end. Many jump head first into the water, not knowing their surroundings or the distance to the bottom of the pool. It is important to teach your children not only when and when not to dive, but also how to dive properly.

Sunburn

Many believe that if they are under the water they are unlikely to be sunburnt. That is simply not the case. In fact, the sun’s rays can be strengthened by 50 percent due to the reflection of the water. This can cause serious sunburn if your child is not protected. Always make sure they are wearing waterproof sunscreen while enjoying the water.

Flotation Devices

Flotation devices are very popular in the water. There is a wide variety to choose from, including water wings, noodles, and inflatable rings. While these devices are popular, it is important to understand that they cannot be relied on. They may do the job, but it is still important to have adult supervision when using them, as they can deflate or slide out of a child's slippery grip. The safest swimming devices to use are the U.S. Coast Guard’s regulated swimming aids, which are tested and proven to be safe.

Running

One of the first things every child should know before going to a local pool is to not run around the edges. Many injuries, accidents, and even deaths have occurred due to a child running on the outside of a pool. Always make sure they are taught to walk and look out for wet areas.

Supervision

While most lakes, beaches, and pools have certified lifeguards near them, it is always important to go into the water or stay near the water with younger children, even if they have flotation devices on. Accidents do occur so be careful and assist your child when needed.

When practiced safely, swimming is one of the best activities your children can do during the summer months, just make sure they know the swimming safety tips from above before they enter into the water. So get out and enjoy the sun and the water with your family. Safe swimming everyone!

Family Matters - Meet Sarah Stone

As most of you know, family is extremely important to fundraising - not only for the school and the children participating, but for our team at Paragon Promotions. Today we would like to celebrate a member of the Paragon team that has grown up with fundraising in her blood!

Sarah is the daughter of Tom and Diane Stone, our President and founders. Graduated from Reitz Memorial High School in 2011, Sarah demonstrated her love for teamwork and staying active. In high school, Sarah took the ladies soccer and basketball teams to state - and brought home state titles for both! She is currently a second year senior at the University of Indiana (IU) studying Psychology. She represents IU by acting as the starting goalie on the women's soccer team for the upcoming season, and all through 2014.

Before Sarah became who she is today, she used to hang around Paragon Promotions quite frequently. Each and everyone of us are extremely proud of all Sarah has accomplished. Tom is especially proud and supports Sarah in everything she does. He attended every one of her soccer games in the 2014 season! Every employee who has worked with Paragon long enough remembers Sarah coming in as a little girl wanting to help out wherever she was allowed. Over the years, she has helped in numerous departments, such as the tally department assembling brochures, filing in the office, and more!

Nowadays, you may see Sarah helping out with some of our Kick-Offs and Open Houses at local schools. Since the University of Indiana is not far from Paragon's headquarters, she is able to participate in these events and loves every minute of it! She also helps her Aunt Chris Reitz Mcneely, our Project Consultant, around the Indianapolis area.

For many of us at Paragon Promotions, we see Sarah as one of our own. We have loved watching her become the smart and capable young woman she is today. Keep it up, Sarah!!