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My daughter starts Kindergarten this year. Even as I type this I can’t believe it. My “baby” is starting school. It’s almost surreal to me. It happened too quickly! The time went by in a flash!
She’s watched her 4 big brothers head off to school on the bus her entire life. I don’t think she remembers a time when they didn’t all go off on that “big yellow bus!”

Now it’s her time.

And she’s a little nervous.

She doesn’t know many kids in her Kindergarten class, so it’s a little daunting for her because it’s the unknown. Of the 5 little girls she knows at her school, none of them got the same teacher as her. She’s been “OK” with it so far, but I know she’s worried about meeting new friends on the first day of school.

We’ve been having some fun reading her books about starting school and meeting new friends. It’s been the best thing in the world because I see a smile on her face every time we finish a great book. It’s a wonderful way to start a conversation, too with her about meeting new people and being nice to her teacher and being kind to everyone.

She’s OBSESSED with a new book right now that I think is just awesome for kids starting school this year! If your child is heading into elementary school – you need to get the book: We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins. It’s a perfect back-to-school read for kids!

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates allows kids to explore school anxiety with laugh-out-loud humor, which is such a wonderful way to approach it. The premise of the book is… It’s the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can’t wait to meet her classmates. But it’s hard to make human friends when they’re so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all.

What I love about this book is that I kept saying to Victoria, “You’re not going to eat your new friends, right!?”

And she would laugh and laugh and laugh.

Ryan T. Higgins hits a homer with this read… he’s the author and illustrator of the New York Times best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor; Hotel Bruce; BE QUIET!; and Bruce’s Big Move. He lives in Maine with his wife and kids and lots of pets. He’s someone who really knows how to capture the heart and the soul of a child. I appreciate that so much!

So… to get Victoria extra excited for back to school, we’ve been coming up with some fun after school snack ideas together!! She loves coming home and having some a fun snack and sometimes that’s all you need when you’re a kid. You need something fun to look forward to before and after school!

So what DINO-MITE snacks did we come up with together? I told her these were ones that Penelope Rex would LOVE!!

I’ve got 3 fun ones for you!

#1 Fruit Kabobs!

I’m big into fruit being a snack that I want my kids to eat, but you just need to make it FUN! All it comes down to is how you serve it. We love to make kabobs at home for dinner with various veggies and meats, so we just decided to add fruit! I’m telling you – your kids will love this!

#2 Pancake FUN!

We’re big into breakfast foods all day! My kids love a fabulous breakfast for dinner once a week! It’s always so much fun for them! So I decided to play with pancakes with Victoria for an after school snack, too! She loves pancakes (and that’s a secret – use what your kids love!), so we decided to add some fun add-ons with fruit and some strawberry jam! It’s a hearty snack, too – which is extra good.

#3 Cereal Necklaces

These are amazing and so much fun to make AND eat! Victoria loves Cheerios, so we take string and (literally) just make cereal necklaces together. She can wear it and eat at the same time! These have continuously been a HUGE hit in our house!

I hope you all have a fabulous back to school year!! Make sure you pick up a copy of Ryan T. Higgins’ book – We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. It’s a wonderful way to get your kids excited, and ready for back to school time. Go on and laugh out loud with your child!

Buy your copy here!