Fall Leaf Fun

I used today as a fun opportunity to link lunch with some learning activities, as well as a delicious, simple snack for all of us. First, the snack! Really, you can make these yummy, crispy pitas in any shape you'd like for any holiday or occasion, but leaves were the theme today, so leaves it was! Not only were these so good last night, but they were devoured in today's lunchbox as well.

Crispy Parmesan Herb Pitas
All you need for these is a package of Greek pitas (the flat ones, not the pocket ones), ~1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, seasonings of choice (I use dried Italian herbs), and fresh or grated Parmesan (or other hard cheese). Cut your pitas into the shapes you'd like. Brush with olive oil. Lay on foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with herbs and cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned. Let the pitas cool, if you can stand the wait, as they crisp up during that time. Serve with marinara or hummus. We prefer hummus! Enjoy!

Pita crisp, Swiss cheese leaves, red grapes, Mozzarella cheddar cubes, hummus, carrots, cherry tomatoes, dill pickle, and white meat turkey hot dog.

We added some fun leaf projects today, as well. We did crayon leaf rubbings, which for some reason didn't make it into the picture, but I remember doing all sorts of nature or texture rubbings as a kid and loving them. I think I was the one having the most fun with them still! I also set up a outline for a tree to be painted, and I thickened the paint a bit so we could use the paint as glue and put some fabric leaves right on the tree. We did a leaf color/counting project, dot stamper, and also tried out a 1-10 style puzzle, which was a big hit. We will definitely be creating some of these more often.

In this lunch...