Off to Great Places! Off and Away!
All across the country, a newly minted crop of young children will head off to school, en mass, for the very first time. With their overbearing Dora the Explorer backpacks and lunch pails, 3, 4 and 5 year olds will trek off towards the next major phase in their lives as parents look upon their babies with abundant pride, anticipation and hope for the future.
In a few short weeks, I, too, will be such a parent.
Rather than labor under the delusion that some miracle will take place on the first day of school, allowing my daughter to both peacefully and wistfully make her way into her preschool classroom and prepare herself for a lifetime of academic rigor and discovery, we are trying our best to reassure her via books, like her favorite, Oh The Places You’ll Go!, by Dr. Seuss. But what seems to be alleviating most of her fears AND elevating her excitement is the discussion of F-O-O-D.
No secret that my children like to eat. What better way to get my daughter geared up for school than to talk about the communal snack time, the snacks that mommy will pack for her, and most importantly, her very own/special snack box (es)???
I recently took my chickadees to the Korean market, where they always have an adorable selection of Korean and Japanese food containers (snack traps, bento boxes, etc). My daughter chose three containers, each with an unique storage system. Since this trip, she has wandered around the house and the neighborhood with one of the three boxes, stuffed with her pretend play food and a few raisins. The thought of opening up her brand new snack box to a patiently awaiting snack during her classroom’s snack time is now, beyond thrilling for this 3 year old – it is ecstasy….
As I don’t want to spoil her precious food fantasy, I’ve spent a little time thinking about her snack for Day 1. After a trial run, I’ve decided I’ll bake Ellie Krieger’s Apple Muffin Recipe. This recipe is seriously foolproof, scrumptious (meaning, you can’t tell it is low in fat) and will offer my daughter some middle-of-the-morning nutrition and sustenance. Note: I grate the apple instead of dice them.
And for all you kids, I leave you with wise words of encouragement for YOUR very first day of school!
“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!”
-Dr. Seuss
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