Thursday, October 30, 2014

Nut-free, gluten-free, homemade-free? Options for School Parties

Gluten-free, Nut-free, Homemade-free? Options for Halloween Parties at School
The e-mail request on the surface seemed simple enough. The room mother still needed treats for the goodie bag for the class Halloween party.

And then I got to the end of the message.
Also, please make sure none of the treats include peanuts (SEVERE peanut allergy) and 2 kids are gluten free!
Wow. That moment gave me pause. Because while I've learned to adjust to my child's friends' food allergies in real life (play dates, parties, etc.), I had no idea what to do in a classroom setting. And it was even made worse by a school rule that said no homemade treats.

At one of our local stores, I scoured product after product for ideas that might satisfy both requirements. I learned quickly that there is no labeling standard for nut-free or gluten-free products. I even asked a store employee, who asked two other employees for ideas. They just looked at me sadly.

If you're in the position of searching for last-minute party bag treats as I was, here are some ideas to get you started:



  • Gluten-free candiesA list of many gluten-free and gluten-friendly candies. So apparently not all candy is off the list.
  • Non-food items: Personally, I'm opposed to spider rings, stickers, plastic toys and any other item that can clutter up my home. But think about pencils, glow sticks for trick or treating, Play Dough or other ideas.
  • Carmel apples
  • Mandarin orange fruit cups decorated with a jack-o-lantern face on the top.
  • Rice Krispy Treats
  • Popcorn balls
  • Clementines decorated as a jack-o-lantern
  • Grape "Eyeballs"

Have other ideas for gluten-free, nut-free celebrations? Please share them below!

8 comments:

Megan said...

Where we live, many things are labelled as nut-free, which makes life so much easier! But the easy things are fruit, Rice Krispie treats like you mentioned, raisins and craisins (depending on the manufacturer), and of course, the non-food items. I like that you included them, because they're a great option!

Marie Beausoleil said...

I love the idea of non-food treats since it takes care of children who are sensitive to sugar and chocolate, too.

Godly Homemaker (Andrea) said...

read the labels, read the labels, read the labels! (I'm an undiagnosed Celiac) - SO important we be aware of what's in the stuff we eat!

Unknown said...

So many things to consider when feeding children with food allergies or health problems. Your suggestions will certainly be a help.

Unknown said...

Yes, it can be so hard. Starbursts are a good option...and maybe small bags of potato chips...although then you would have to make sure they weren't fried in a nut oil. It is so crazy that with all the modifications to food being made nowadays, there are also so many more allergies as our bodies weren't made to consume that junk.

Melanie B. said...

Non-food items are the best option, I think.

Marissa Writes said...

There are some awesome possibilities in the non-food options. Especially with stickers and small craft supplies that kids often love.


Marissa

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Kristi said...

I really like the no food options too! But for food, popcorn is an easy one and a inexpensive option even organically.