Kidlet is back in school now, week 2. I feel like I’m just starting to catch my breath again! Last few weeks have been a whirl of renovation dust and back to school chaos, and my son’s new medic alert bracelet and his Funkins arrived just in time.
Here in Ontario, kids eat lunch at their desk (at least, starting in Grade 1), which is a huge relief to me as an allergy parent. One less thing I have to worry about… that someone wiped allergens all over where my kid might be sitting, putting things into his mouth. We did communal tables for two years in Kindergarten. Peanut butter is a no-no at all schools in Hamilton, so at least we didn’t have to worry about that, but you’ve never seen what mess kindergarten kids are capable with with a yogurt tube!
While the teachers were very good in wiping the tables down after every snack break, ever since the start of junior kindergarten, I’ve packed a tea towel with my kid’s lunch to use as a little place mat. This year, we found Funkins. They’re hand-sewn, 100% cotton, eco-friendly, and use low-impact dyes.
They fold much smaller than my tea-towels, come in a size that’s perfect to use as a place mat OR a reusable napkin (15″ x 13″), and have all sorts of fun patterns printed on them for boys and girls.
They’re helping me keep my son safe by making sure his food doesn’t touch any surfaces that may have been contaminated by a classmate. And while you may not have food allergies in your home, products like Funkins can help your kids keep their friends with food allergies safe by helping keep lunch messes contained and cleanup easy. All my son has to do is fold up the corners of his Funkin to take it over to the garbage can to shake out. Spills and dribbles can go right into the washing machine.
Funkins aren’t just great for kids–they’ve got ones perfect for packing in your own lunch, too. You might wonder why you should use a reusable cloth when napkins are so cheap. While the investment looks higher than a paper towel, there’s a hidden cost to using paper that you don’t see: 3,460,000 TONS of paper towels and napkins end up in landfills every year. 20,000 gallons of water goes into making every ton of paper towels, and when they decompose, they produce methane gas. American kids are throwing out 4.6 billion pounds of lunch waste every year.
It’s time to think litterless lunches.
Shop for Funkins here! And get 30% off with promo code: CANADA30 (valid until Sept 30th, 2015).
We’re also giving away Funkins! Feel free to enter to win!
Peady @ Tempered with Kindness says
Love the idea of packing a tea towel in the lunch boxes! I think I’ll add that to my daughter’s routine.
We have always “set a place” in fast food joints – as a way of making it a bit more civil and sanitary – with the kiddos. It makes them aware of the space and helps with clean up as well! So paper napkins get sent to school, as well.
I don’t know why I didn’t think to add a tea towel! You are brilliant! 😀