Lunchbox Notes

It seems a bit of overkill to write a blog post about lunchbox notes.

Then again, on Sunday, I tore Ryan away from a neighborhood game of Hide and Seek which stretched across 5 backyards to go to “running club.”

So here I go. Overkill with me, okay?

I’ve been alternating between my hand-drawn/written notes and these printable Halloween notes from one of my favorite blogs, All For The Boys.

I had lunch with Ryan in the school cafeteria last week (never has the Spongebob Squarepants theme song seemed so irresistibly wholesome and fun as when sung responsively by the school custodian and a cafeteria full of kindergarteners and second graders). One of his friends recited all of the week’s jokes and asked me if I made them all up. I  don’t, though I usually read the jokes to Ryan over breakfast so he can share them with his friends later.  The pictures help Ryan “read” the jokes and I think they are a pretty good literacy tool. What better incentive to struggle through new words than getting a smile or laugh from your peers?

All for The Boys also has a template with blank spaces for notes you can write yourself and I found myself 180 additional jokes for kids here.  I know Ryan likes seeing my handwriting and drawings so I try to add a note or draw out a few extra words from the joke.

I would totally try this “note” my sister sent in her daughter’s lunchbox (etch with a toothpick – it will brown overnight), but fruit is still on Ryan’s “Do Not Travel” list.

When the jokes get old, I may try these sweet -but not quite mushy – lunchbox starters from Fresh Whimsy

I paused thinking of the more serious days ahead when I might need/want to send these kind of affirmations to my kids:

Remember that web site Festisite where I customized dollar bills for my kids? I’ve also used the site to create little word mazes that I can put in Ryan’s lunch.

 The start and ends are indicated by the gaps in the maze block; the capital letters and punctuation seem to help.  You can send a crayon or pencil along, but they are small enough for kids to trace the message with a finger.

You can download and print my Lunchtime Puzzles here.