School Lunch Ideas and Mac’s School Supply Checklist

Hi guys! I know many of you down south are heading back to school already so I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible. We still have a few more weeks but I wanted to pop in and share some school lunch ideas and our one stop shopping for back to school supplies. As you know, I’m a big fan of online shopping so I actually took Mac’s school’s suggested supply list for first graders and ordered everything on Walmart.com.

Walmart has everything for back to school, not just supplies like pencils and crayons but school lunch supplies like thermoses as well. They even have it set up so you can shop by grade!

Today I thought it might help if I share some of the foods we pack for our kids to bring to school because I assume many of you have frustrating food moments with picky kids eaters like mine. Actually Mac (who is 6) eats quite a variety. It’s his brother, who is 4, that turns his nose to almost anything that isn’t a processed carb.

School Lunch Ideas

If you don’t have an insulated lunch bag already, they’re durable and keep your child’s food cool in their backpack or locker. I ordered Cam this personalized Paw Patrol lunch bag but because of the personalization it’s not coming until next week and I know many of you are shopping now so I wanted to get this info to you sooner rather than later. I’ll be sure to share photos of it once it arrives.

Mac wanted something a little more “adult” – you know, he’s 6, so he has very refined tastes in lunch boxes ?. This neutral insulated lunch tote looked similar to camo which Mac thinks is super cool since his favorite blogger wears a lot of camo ?‍♀️.

I always recommend these stainless steel bento boxes for those who pack school (or work) lunches. They’re extremely durable, dishwasher save, and don’t have the chemicals some of us worry about from plastic. My kids both have these segmented boxes and they last for years. Same goes for these stainless steel Thermos cups. We have several that are 4 years old! I’d recommend writing your child’s name on them, because they’ll last for years IF THEY DON’T GET LOST by a forgetful child. Lots of kids in Mac’s class carry them, so without their name on the cup they’re likely to get mixed up.

Shop Our School Lunch Supplies

I thought it might be helpful to list a few of the foods even my pickier eater will take in his bento box for lunch. We find giving less options (3 compartments, compared to a bento box we have with 5 compartments) means less food comes with from school.

School Supplies Checklist for First Grade

This is the list of school supplies Mac’s school sent home.

Grade 1

• durable backpack large enough to hold folder and library books
• 1 plastic two-pocket folder
• A supply of sharpened pencils with erasers
• 4 low-odor dry erase markers
• 1 box of 24 crayons
• 3-4 glue sticks
• 1 dry eraser or sock (we opted for the sock)
• plastic pencil/supply case

I purchased all of these items on Walmart.com. I prefer to purchase online rather than going into the store because my kids will beg me to hit up the toy section and be disappointed when we purchase glue sticks and not remote control cars. Here’s exactly what I ordered:

You have to see all the cute backpacks Walmart carries – so many under $15!!

Moms of school age kiddos – when do they head back to school? I’d love to hear from you below in the comments. Mac’s first day of first grade is August 27th. As always thanks for stopping by!

And thank you to Walmart for sponsoring today’s post.