Super Summer Snacks

Ask seasoned homeschool parents everywhere, and they'll all tell you the same thing. What sells a recipe to kids best is serving it with the right presentation and calling it by the right name. The same holds true for summer snacks. With access to fresh summer produce, now is a great time to sell healthy fruits and vegetables to your children with cleverly crafted, name-appealing snacks.

These easy-to-make snack recipes can be whipped up by any school-aged child with a small amount of assistance, and they are sure to be a fun hit with your homeschooling family this summer:

Ladybugs on a Stick

Ingredients:

Red seedless grapes (halved)
Strawberries
Mini chocolate chips
Honeydew melon


Push half a red grape onto one end of a short wooden toothpick for the head. Then, push a strawberry onto the other end for the body. Lightly score the back of the strawberry from top to bottom to create "wings."

Next, create spots on the wings with the mini chocolate chips by pushing them gently into the strawberry with a toothpick. Clean and halve a honeydew melon and arrange the "ladybugs" on the melon using additional toothpicks.


Banana Berry Jungle Juice

Ingredients:

One 8 oz. container of yogurt (fruit, plain, or vanilla)
½ cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
1 medium banana

Mix the above ingredients in a blender until just combined. Serve immediately in a chilled glass. Makes one serving.


Baggy Bugs

Ingredients:

Graham crackers
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Carob chips
Fruit leather (cut and shaped into "worms")

Place two crackers in a zip locking plastic bag and crush the crackers into "sand" with a rolling pin. Add a small handful of raisins and have your children dig for "bugs" in the sand.

Experiment and let your children try other tasty critters like cranberries (ladybugs), carob chips (ants), and dried fruit (worms).