Easy Kid-Friendly Snacks for the Summer Season

With the summer season getting into full swing, many parents are trying to plan quick, easy snacks for their children to eat. Why not pick delicious, healthy choices that children can help to make for themselves? Here are four simple recipes for nutritional snacks that parents and children can enjoy making and eating together:

Ants on a Log

This yummy, traditional kid-friendly snack requires no cooking and is perfect for children to make together. They will need four or five stalks of organic celery, approximately 2 or 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter, and half of a cup of either organic raisins or dried cranberries (depending on their preference). For younger children, the parent may wish to slice the celery stalks into 2-inch sections rather than have the children cut the celery themselves.

The children then take a dinner knife or cake icing spreader and spread peanut butter in the middle shaft of the celery stalk. They then can take the raisins or the dried cranberries and place them in a line along the peanut butter. Now, this snack is complete and is ready to be consumed.

*A note of caution: do not make this snack if you have a child who has an allergy to nuts.

Fruit on Skewers

This refreshing snack also requires no cooking and is fun to make. If younger children are taking part in constructing this snack, this author recommends that an adult be present since the skewers often have sharp ends.

For this healthy, colorful snack, the children will need a cup of watermelon pieces cut into chunks, a cup of organic strawberries that are quartered, a cup of organic red or green grapes, a cup of fresh pineapple cut into cubes, and approximately four or five medium-sized skewers. The children then can place the fruit onto the skewers in a pattern of their choice.

Once the children complete their fruit design on the skewer, this author recommends breaking off the sharp ends of the skewers in order to prevent possible injury. After taking this precaution, the children can enjoy eating their delectable creation.

Fresh Vegetables and Ranch Dressing Dip

This wonderful snack is easy to make and helps children and parents alike to get those needed nutrients into their diets. For this edible creation, the children will need a bag of organic baby carrots, five or six stalks of celery that are cut into 2-inch slices, a bag of fresh organic broccoli florets, a red or yellow pepper that is sliced into kid-friendly pieces, and a bottle of Hidden Valley or Paul Newman's Ranch dressing (parents can also purchase the packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix along with the needed ingredients to make the dressing from scratch).

The children simply can place the veggies in a colorful design on a platter and place the ranch dressing in the center. Then, parents and children alike can indulge in a healthy, delicious delight.

Homemade Lemonade

This refreshing beverage is the perfect accompaniment to any snack and helps to keep children and parents hydrated on a hot summer day. For this summertime favorite, the children will need six cups of filtered or bottled water, approximately 6-8 lemons (the children will want the equivalent of ½ cup of juice), ½ cup of organic sugar or your children's sweetener of choice, and 6-8 ice cubes.

The children can slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice from the fruit by using a citrus squeezer or by hand. If squeezing the lemons by hand, the children will need to run the juice through a strainer in order to remove seeds and excess pulp.

Once the lemon juice is ready, the children can mix the water, the juice and the sugar into a half-gallon pitcher and stir the mixture until all of the ingredients are well blended. The children can add ice cubes to the lemonade to help chill it or refrigerate it for a few minutes prior to serving.

Parents and children can enjoy making and indulging in these summertime snacks together. Give these goodies a try, and have a happy summer!