In light of all the sweets and treats my daughter is going to bring home from school today for Valentine’s Day, I decided to take a different approach. Together we decided to give out healthy apples and oranges as a treat for her preschool friends.
I found the fruit tags on Pinterest and printed them out from Craftaholics on card stock. The tags were cut out using my paper-cutter for the sides and scissors for the top. The heart cellophane bags are from my local party store for $.39/each. Oranges and apples came from Trader Joe’s. I have a giant roll of red baker’s twine and I love any excuse to use it.
My little helper decorated the oranges with a face using a black marker. Then she wrote her name on the back of each tag. It was an exercise in patience for me as I watched her write her name and struggle when she made a mistake. Although I didn’t want to waste tags, I knew it was important for her to take the time to make them just right for her friends.
I know she will come from school today with a goodie bag filled with candy full of artificial ingredients. She will be happy and I will let her have her candy in small doses. (Read why we try to avoid artificial dyes.) At least if my daughter and her friends learn at a young age that there are other fun gifts to give besides candy at Valentine’s Day, there is hope for them to make their own healthy decisions down the road.
Happy Valentine’s Day, from my family to yours!
Oh, Emily, I absolutely love this. And you actually managed to make healthy Valentine’s treats look like treats! I’m totally stealing this for next year. 🙂
Thanks Joanna! I think they were cute and the kids really liked them. ~Emily
We just did regular Valentine cards and I brought in organic fruit dipped in organic chocolate for a snack. There was sooooooo much candy though. I cringed. I threw all the candy he got at school away, and replaced it with homemade/organic candy.
Great idea to dip the fruit in chocolate! My little one’s bag was filled with lollipop’s…I should pick up a few organic/dye-free ones to swap out. ~Emily
Don’t worry, once she his the public schools here, there are no more food items allowed. My older girls brought home a few pencils and mostly cards from their classmates!
Shanna, I’ll actually be sad when I can’t send her to school with treats. I love sharing new recipes and ideas with families and this is a fun way to do it. Plus, I’ll miss hearing a mom say how much her kid loved getting that orange today. ~Emily
Fantastic idea, Emily! We are not allowed to bring sweets or treats in our preschool so we had fun creating some homemade cards. I love, love, love the healthy treats you and the kids made. I am sure it made a lot of children and their parents happy. Well done, well done. Your gifts are so thoughtful and always beautiful. Love it. Great pics, too.
Cute tags! We bypassed candy too and opted for bubbles. I wasn’t sure what the school’s policy was, plus I think it’s nice to give something different.
Nina~ my daughter also brought home bubbles, along with an adorable handmade tag made from recycled cardboard. I’m saving that idea for next year! ~Emily