While it sounds cute, I don't see how it could be considered healthy. It would be mostly sugar. A cookie or muffin probably wouldn't be any less healthy as long as you chose something with moderate fat.

Could you do something like celery with something on it? I was thinking ants on a log with peanut butter and raisins, but perhaps peanut butter is a no-no.

Or carrot and celery sticks with some kind of dip? You can use yogurt that is drained a bit to firm it up if need be in place of sour cream to keep it more healthy.

Or fruit with a yogurt and brown sugar dip. Even with a chocolate dip, it would be better than jello - at least it would be fruit with some fiber and vitamins along with a bit of sugar.

I've made dirt cups. I make my own pudding though, and use real whipped cream. And then just a Tablespoon of crumbs per "cup".

I don't think the jello aquarium is any much worse than a packet of those over dyed fruit snacks.

Yogurt parfaits work too. Little fruit/berries and vanilla yogurt.

Another is pizza sandwiches. Ritz type cracker, slice of pepperoni and little square of mozz, sandwiched...My kids dip in spaghetti sauce, but on the road they just take them without the sauce.

I also make "snack" mix. Teddi grams, goldfish, chocolate chips or butterscotch chips or mini M&M's. Pretzel sometimes too. Raisins, craisins...You get the drift.

Let your little one pick the snack mix ingredients. They get a big kick out of bragging that they "made" it.

I'm wondering if you could also try hummus and a few veggie sticks. Carrots and Jicima..At preschool age, they pretty much will try anything everyone else is eating.

Mini muffins are great too. I've found most kids go for chocolate, but banana is usually a good choice too.

oh and to also add to the pizza sands..

Cheese sticks cut in half with pepperoni bites.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alphabet snacks

No, I can't even imagine Jello being considered healthy, there is zero nutritional value that I know of, other than a little bit of protein, no vitamins at all to speak of, and a lot of sugar/carbohydrates.

If I wanted healthy, I'd go with the pudding cups, or trail mix/cereal mix and let your kid choose the ingredients (within reason). Makayla's favorite mix included cereal, raisins sunflower seeds and those little graham cracker bears.

Cheese cut into shapes is healthy and fun and mini muffins can be relatively healthy, something like carrot or banana or zucchini could add a little vegetable into the mix.

But if you want the "wow" factor for preschoolers, it's going to have to have sugar, I think, cheese or fruit or muffins probably isn't going to do it.

Annie

One my DD was in preschool snack was usually one dry good (ie crackers) and one fruit. Cut up bananas was huge hit (they should be cut right before serving. Also canned mandarin oranges or canned pineapple.

I like the idea of cheese cut into cute shapes but that is a lot of work for 13 kids.

I wouldn't disagree with the Jello -- Jello actually has few calories and is pretty harmless I think.

I'm not a jello fan either, but you could make healthy jello jigglers using knox gelatin and fruit juice. The kids would probably like the idea of picking it up with their fingers. One parent I know always makes layers of gelatin in little cubes served in a paper muffin cup.Cute presentation.

I can't think that anything that is essentially blue dye artificial flavoring and sugar can be considered healthy...I would rather straight sugar water...at least it wouldn't have thedyes and stuff.
I'll second Eileen's suggestion of jello made with real fruit juices.....and cheese.
When I have little kids to feed a snack to, I make a dip from cottage cheese and flavorings of choice, my kids and grands like blue cheese, but a bit of garlic, a little worchestershire and some grated parm will do....then serve veggies and healthy "chips" made by toasting whole wheat split pitas, actually drying them in a 300 degree oven.
Another cute thing I saw was kids building a "house" from graham cracker sticks and canned frosting....but you could use home made cream cheese frosting.
Then, of course, you eat the house!
Linda C

How about 1/2 mini bagel (or a graham cracker) topped with strawberry cream cheese and a fresh strawberry?

Or celery logs w/ants? celery stalk spread with peanut butter or cream cheese (if a risk of peanut allergies) topped with a couple of raisins in a row (the ants)

More good veggies for dipping miniature corn and snow peas.

When my kids were in preschool I was the hero for bringing homemade pound cake with NO frosting for a birthday treat. I did a dusting of powdered sugar. But the lack of frosting made the whole event much easier on the preschool staff.

Maybe mini pound cake muffins? A three year old rarely eats a whole cupcake. But they will eat a couple of mini muffins. No frosting will make transport easier, too. And they have that cute factor. You could serve a whole (trimmed) strawberry and a mini muffin to each child. Each in a mini paper liner.

Ants on a log are a hit in my house. You could use soy or almond butter instead of peanut butter if allergies are a concern.

My daughter always brings in a fruit bowl - lots of colorful fruits cut fairly small - and the kids eat it like they've never seen fruit before. Mom's tell her that their child NEVER eats fruit at home.

My grandson, who loves veggie slices dipped in ranch dressing, at home, won't touch it in his lunchbox at preschool. Go figure.

Thank you all for your opinions. I am thinking about modifying the cup by putting small cuts of mixed (fresh) fruit at the bottom for the ground or pebbles.
Thanks for all the snack ideas also. Terri, I hadn't even thought about doing yogurt parfaits, those would look really cute in a clear cup also. I completely agree about the dried fruit. I was at Costco, and sampled a mixed dry fruit that was really good. I went ahead and bought a (large) bag. Later, when I looked at the sugar content, I couldn't believe it, it was off the charts. Now I TRY to look at the back of any snacks I buy the kids.

If you have a few extra minutes and an Asian grocery nearby, you could try making the jello cups with Agar instead of Jello. They're clear threads, and basically, you'd boil some juice, snip a few little pieces into the pot, stir until they dissolve, and cool it in the fridge until it sets. If you wanted it to be see through, you might try using apple juice. If you want color, and you happen to have beets around, these work great-- you can either juice them, or cook them and use a little of the cooking water.

Or if you don't have any gluten allergies in the class, you could make cupcakes or muffins and add some fibersure or hi-maize and some gluten. These are pretty hard to detect, so the kids would be happy, and if you have any snotty parents going on about refined sugars and such, you can casually mention the fiber and protein content.

Hope your snack turns out to be a hit!

I would just send in goldfish crackers and raisins. Not to rain on your parade, because what you're doing is wonderful. But it is such a hard act to follow, that I instinctively feel for the other moms who, for whatever reason, cannot provide a creative snack. I deliberately signed up to be the first to bring the snack for my son's soccer team (8-9 yr olds.). I brought goldfish and juice boxes. I wanted to set an example that would be easy to follow. Really, though, I love the ideas you have gotten and my hat is off to you for your desire to do something healthy and fun. I might suggest apples cut in half to make the star, or clementines, when in season.
jo

Fruit and/or veggie kabobs are fun too.
Mix and match. You can make mini ones on Sandwich picks or just cut wooden skewers in half (and lop off the sharp parts).

Anytime my kids could "make their own", they loved it!
Burritos, tacos, chef salads, etc.

What about graham crackers, peanut butter, cream cheese and choice of toppings like mini M&M's or choc. chips, dried fruits, nuts. Smear some "sauce" on a cracker and let the kids add the toppings!

Deanna

I was never a fan of blue jello. Blue jello and gummy fish is pure sugar. Blue jello and goldfish just sounds icky. When I was a kid I loved sliced bananas in strawberry jello. Sure, the jello was pure sugar and food coloring and artificial flavor, but there wasn't that much and into each life some jello must wiggle.

I have made "dirt" cups with lowfat chocolate pudding mixed with crushed chocolate grahmns--still very sweet but not totally off the charts. Mix in one gummy worm for fun. Kids really liked that.

You could make updated "ants on a log" with celery, hummus and quartered black olives. Kids love the ones with peanut butter but you can't mess around now days with peanut allergies. I had a friend who died from just a candy bar with a trace of peanut oil in it, (his lungs collapsed) and I have been paranoid ever since.

Finger sandwiches cut with cookie cutters? No bakes? Chinese chews (melted butterscotch chips mixed with crunchy noodles).

Some of this is healthier than other things. Depends on whatever else the kids have been eating during the day. I'd prefer to err on the side of healthy, just to be a good example since this snack time is a regular thing. Sweet treats are for special occasions like parties, IMHO. At least if you are trying to set some kind of reasonable example.

I don't want to be a party pooper, but please be careful about taking peanut butter or anything with peanuts in it to school. Most schools don't allow it at all because of the large number of kids with peanut allergies. And preschool age kids might not avoid the food even if they know they have allergies.

You might consider healthy homemade mini-muffins, maybe with a "surprize" like a little jam or a bit of fruit in the middle, if you want to get really fancy.

There are some awesome ideas here!! No for my vote for the jello....especially the sugar free....unless a child has diabetes and can't have sugar, feeding non sugar substitutes is not really healthy. Frosted mini wheats dry are a fun snack and the kids really like them (fiber, a little protein, good carbs, a little sugar, and some vitamins). I am going to use alot of these ideas for my Family. Thank you guys!

Hey, colleen, did you know that they make a CHOCOLATE frosted mini wheat? I eat them for snacks regularly, I love 'em.

Annie

I LOVE the trail mix idea. My son is two and I often pack him trail mix for his lunches. A bit of candy or chocolate chips would make it more festive. I usually use Kashi Heart to Heart, Craisens, and Whole Grain Goldfish...it's a nice blend of sweet and salty.

Little parfaits would be cute too...but I know several toddlers who do not like their foods to "touch."

One year I took chocolate covered strawberries for my daughter's class...she was 10...they were very easy and were a big hit.