Young Toddlers...


Eat lunch too!
Enjoying each others company....

learning to eat together....


getting a little help when we need it....



filling our bellies for big afternoons!

Summer is still in full swing at BCS. We have been picking up weekly donations of veggies from our good friends at Digger's Mirth Collective farm.
This weekend we received a big bunch of green beans, some beautiful chard, and a giant cantaloupe, all of which was served yesterday - delicious! I lined the serving bowls with big chard leaves, and then spooned sauteed green beans over them. The preschoolers ate them all up, including the chard, which had been warmed just a little by the buttery beans.
The melon was fresh and amazing. We can't thank our farmer friends enough!!

We've also been packing lunches for outings quite a bit. This Wednesday the Big Toddlers will take a trip to the ECHO Lake and Science Center on Lake Champlain, so my helper Leah and I will pack them a take-along lunch this afternoon. I found a nice little resource on making wraps for kids on the School Connections US Department of Agriculture website. Lots of ideas for portable sandwiches.
All you have to do is mix and match ingredients.....

Fillings:
cheese
turkey or leftover chicken
eggs
beans
nut butter
hummus

Spreads:
salad dressing
garlic
mustard
mayo
hot sauce
ketchup
cream cheese
miso
pesto

Veggies:
bell pepper
lettuce
grated carrot
sliced cucumbers
mushrooms
greens
tomatoes

Wraps:
whole wheat tortillas
big sturdy lettuce leaves
pita
rice paper wrappers
crepes
lavash bread

Fun right? They can be put together in bulk to serve to lots of kids at once (like I do!) and they make a nice change from the usual sandwich if you pack your own kiddo's lunch for school.

They're even a nice, no-oven-required dinner idea, served with a big salad.

Happy Summer!
-Erinn



barbecue chicken, fresh green beans, corn bread, carrots, and apples...


Summer at BCS means...

Picnics at the Intervale, taking care of the raised beds at school, eating fresh mint that grows on the playground, making lemonade and popsicles, and the soon-to-be-kindergarteners hard at work on their production of The Wizard Of Oz..
It also means preparing for the end of this school year and the beginning of the next. We call it Transition, and it includes younger kids visiting what will be their new classrooms at the end of August.
In honor of the Big Toddlers (2 and 3 year olds) and their impending Big Move to the Preschool, I wanted to focus on them a little, and give you a peek into their lunchtime.

Eating family style...


Enjoying apples, carrots and cornbread...A little silliness is to be expected...

because lunch is fun, after all.
Thank you toddlers and wonderful teachers for welcoming my personal photographer (also known as my husband!) into your classroom. You are all terrific!


But there's more!
I have a new assistant in the kitchen!
Leah is a 17 year old volunteer, and she's helping me out three days a week until it's time for her to return to school for her senior year. She has already made herself indispensable! She usually cleans and sets the tables, then helps me with fruit and veggie prep before we serve. After enjoying some of our work herself, we clean up together and prep for the next day. I'm still alone on Mondays and Fridays, and boy do I miss her! We're so glad she's joined us for the summer, and I'll post some photos of us hard at work soon.

In other great news, our July Family Dinner was a huge success. Even though it literally rained on our picnic and we had to move indoors, over 60 people came together to connect and eat delicious food. We had turkey roll-ups with greens, potato salad, watermelon, and all of the amazing dishes brought by our families. We even had a homemade pinata!
So you can imagine how pleased I am to tell you that as of this week, BCS is the proud and grateful recipient of some generous funding from City Market to continue our Family Dinners! We are so excited for our August get-together, and are now busy planning them for the rest of the year. THANK YOU City Market!