Butterfly Snack Bags

Somehow I always end up getting signed up as snack helper during the first week of school.  But really, that works out okay for me because classes haven't started back for me yet at the university so that makes it a little easier; and also, it gives the kids an opportunity to be the classroom helper for the day, which I think is a good ice breaker for them.  Our schools really prefer that we send healthy snacks for the kids, and you know that I'm on board with that, so these cute little butterfly snack bags are what we chose to make for "round 1" of snack helper.  FYI - This academic year, I'll have kids in the 11th, 9th, 1st, and kindergarten!  Lord have mercy on me!     

These snack bags give the students a balanced and healthy snack of fruit, cheese, and crackers.  It's not messy, and very kid friendly!  I'm hoping that the bright colors and the cute packaging will make it even more fun to eat. 

There's not really a recipe, as you could put whatever you wanted to in them.  Here's what I used:

Ingredients:   

• Red and green seedless grapes
• Multicolored goldfish snack crackers
• Individually wrapped string cheese 

Craft supplies

• Snack sized zip top bags
• Wooden clothespins
• Fuzzy pipe cleaners, cut in half
• Googly eyes
• Glue (like Elmer's) 

Step-by-Step:    

By all means, if your young elementary-aged child, or even preschooler is making these for their class, please enlist their help.  So many elements of this project is beneficial to them.  Even if it is just sorting or counting out the grapes for the bags - it's all part of the learning process.

I recommend gluing the googly eyes onto the clothespin first, so they will have time to dry.

We found that 10 - 11 grapes worked best in each bag, depending on the size.

Add a small handful of goldfish to the other side of the bag.  Pinch the bag together in the middle to keep the contents separate with the clothespin.  Cut a pipe cleaner in half and fold it into antennae.  Place the antennae into the "mouth" of the clip.

I used Elmer's Glue-All on the rounded side of the string cheese so that it would rest on the flat side for more stability.

Press the butterfly firmly down onto the glue and set somewhere to dry for a while, like on a large cookie sheet.

And then you have these cute little guys!

...Who sort of multiply into a whole happy little butterfly colony!

I have them all on cookie sheets, as I mentioned, so that I can pop then back into the refrigerator while the glue is drying.  This is where they will stay until we are ready to bring them to school.

Some other things you could fill them with?  Hmmmm.... raisins, trail mix, granola, nuts, berries, dried fruit, dry cereal, mini pepperonis.  I guess your imagination is the only limit. 

You'll notice that the top of the cheese in the photos is nice and round.  This is where the package has a split for easy opening.  It thought it looked too tall, so I folded it back and just taped it down.  That's optional, but I just wanted you to know what I did for the sake of clarity.  There are also other varieties of individually wrapped cheeses available (cheddar, cheddar/jack, etc).  But string cheese is very mild, and pretty well accepted by lots of kiddos.  It's fun to eat because it pulls apart into "strings," hence the name, and tastes similar to mozzarella.

Looking for more healthy snacks for kids?
Check out this wonderful resource - 

99 Healthy Snacks for All Situations 

I hope you enjoyed this simple and healthy snack idea!

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