By Leana Greene
Leana GreeneIt’s that time of year again! School supplies freshly bought, new clothes ready to be put on, another school year of opportunity awaits! With the new school year rapidly approaching, now is a good time to stress the importance of keeping your children well nourished while class is in session. Here are 3 tips to ensure that your children are staying nutritious, even while at school:

1. Stay hydrated!
An often overlooked but crucial part of the day. Kids need to make sure that they have more than enough water on a daily basis, especially if they’re going to be active during hot recess days or participating in sports after school. How can your child be sure they’re hydrated enough? Pediatricians offer a simple measuring test: checking the color of their urine. “Your child should drink enough water that their pee looks like water. If it’s too bright yellow or dark yellow, they’re not getting enough liquid in.”

2. Pack a healthy lunchbox
The more fresh ingredients the better. The greener something is, the better. Go with fresh deli meat instead of packaged, processed cold cuts. Try to avoid all frozen food. Go organic with fruits if you can afford it. I like to make a two-week rotating snack or lunch schedule. This makes buying cheaper and prepping meals faster in case you’re in a time crunch. To reward my kids for eating healthy all week, I like to give them one day of unhealthy food/junk food in their lunchbox. This keeps them on track and motivates them to keep eating healthy!

3. Have your child participate
A fun option when making lunch: have your child participate with you when you make it! I like to take my children to the grocery store or farmers market with me so they can pick out what they want. If you have more than one child, give them each days to be in charge. Cooking together is fun and sometimes a way to make kids eat something that they never would have tried before. Having them involved in the process gets them more excited to eat what’s in there, even if it’s super healthy!

Leana Greene, founder and CEO of KidsInTheHouse.com, the world’s largest parenting video library, is an entrepreneur and mother of three.
http://www.kidsinthehouse.com