It’s back-to-school season and with that comes the return of never-ending school lunch preparations. Packing lunches can be both boring and tough. When kids are off at school, they seem to only eat the parts of their lunch that they want…even though you lovingly packed carrots.

The good news is, we as humans eat with both our stomachs and our eyes—adults and kids alike! Dress up fruits and vegetables with a little peanut butter (or chocolate spread!) and some pretend bug eyes, and your children won’t be able to resist.

But the best thing about these insanely fun pest-themed school lunch ideas? They’re so easy. We know you have more to do with your day than make lunches. These quick snacks will barely take longer than your normal go-to lunches, but they’ll be sure to brighten everyone’s day!

Butterfly Snack Bags

These are our personal favorite. They’re incredibly easy, a fun craft for your kids, and best of all, reusable! You can keep on packing these adorable clips in your child’s lunchbox throughout the school year.

You will need:

• Zip-top plastic bags, snack-sized
• Clothespins
• Super glue or hot glue
• Sticky-back craft eyes
• Pipe cleaners, various colors
• Scissors
• Snacks (pretzels and chips work great)
• Paintbrushes and paint (optional)

If you choose to have your kids paint the clothespins, start there. That is, after you’ve fortified the workspace with newspaper, plastic wrap, or whatever media best protects your home from paint in the hands of a child.

Once the clothespins are dry, have your kids choose their favorite colors of pipe cleaner. If you want to get fancier, intertwine two pipe cleaners in different colors. Cut off about a 3” length, pinch it in half, and hot glue the pinched section to the inside front of the clothespin (be sure to keep the hot glue out of reach for any little ones!). Once the glue dries, curl down the ends to look like little antennae.

Now get the craft eyes and carefully adhere two of them to the front top of the clothespin. If the sticky back doesn’t seem quite secure enough, go ahead and use the hot glue again.

You’re ready to use your DIY butterfly clothespins! Fill each side of the snack-sized plastic bag with any snack you’d like, and be sure to leave some room in the middle. Twist the bag a couple of times in the center, but make sure when you’re done that the zip top is facing up on both sides. Slide your butterfly pin on top of the twisted center, and you’re done!

Dragonfly Celery Bites

Getting your kids to eat celery has never been easier…literally!

You will need:

• Celery stalks
• Peanut butter (or another spread if peanut allergies are a concern)
• Grapes, red or green
• Strawberries
• Pretzels
• Candy eyes

As you can see, there are a couple different versions of these little bites. For both, you’ll want to start out by cutting the celery stalks into 2-3” segments. Then add the spread of your choice to the inside of each piece. Cut a red or green grape in half, orient it horizontally, and use the spread to attach two candy eyes onto the rounded side.

For the pretzel version, go ahead and attach the grape “face” you just made onto one of the ends of each piece, and place two pretzels in the peanut butter “body” so they look like wings.

If you’re making the strawberry version, cut the strawberries into vertical cross sections. Lay two cross sections mirroring each other towards one end of each celery segment. Cut additional grapes in half and use more spread to attach them to the tops of the strawberries and down the length of the celery piece. Be sure to attach one of the cute little faces you made earlier on the end!

Ladybug Apples

Of all three snack ideas, these ladybug-inspired apple slices are definitely the easiest!

You will need:

• Apples
• Chocolate chips
• Red grapes
• Peanut butter (or chocolate spread, frosting, or anything else sweet)
• Candy eyes

After coring your apple, cut it in half through the top. Then cut each side vertically in half again. Next, apply peanut butter to the exposed inside of each apple quarter. Also using the spread, attach chocolate chips onto the outside of each quarter to look like ladybug spots.
Now place two matching apple quarters so they meet together at one end and are slightly apart at the other (check out the above picture for reference). The goal is for it to look like slightly open wings.

Lastly, make a head for your ladybug by cutting a grape in half, orienting it horizontally, and attaching the candy eyes. Attach the “head” onto the point where the quarters meet. Then you’re done! We recommend you eat these creations as soon as possible while the fruit is fresh.

 

We had fun making these, and we know you will, too! Test out these cute pest snacks and let us know what you think. We’d love to see your creations! If you notice pests around your home—other than these adorable bites—check out some of our pest control resources or contact us for more information about our regular services. We’re here to help protect your home…and make lunchtime more fun!