A Treat Idea For Classroom Birthday Parties

Growing up we lived across the street from a family with a boy who had a severe allergy to shellfish. I remember my mother having to be very cautious about what she served because his food could not even be on the same cutting board as shellfish or he would have an anaphylaxis reaction. He was the only one we knew though. Now, it seems like every class has a child with a severe allergy to something. In fact, there was just a Newsweek article about the issue. Anyway, both Spencer and Owen have several children in their classes with severe allergies and both have a communal snack for which the parents are responsible. There are lists and you can always bring a fruit or vegetable, but, for me, it is still nerve-racking.

So, for Spencer's class birthday treat I decided to send applesauce (I buy the natural applesauce without added sugar). Although not as exciting as cupcakes, it is safe for the children with allergies and he really does love it. I jazzed them up a bit with paper covers for the tops, a few stickers and some curly ribbons for the ends of the spoons and it was a hit:

Here is a link to the template I made in Word. Just double click on writing to replace Spencer's name, then just copy and paste for more and attach to the tops with double stick tape.