Lunches March 3rd - 7th

Boogs' lunches are inspired by the books we read together. Each night before bed, I read a book or a chapter of a book to Boogs and he reads a book to me. I usually post lunches once a week. To see previous lunches, click on the "lunches" label at the end of this post. Boogs lunches are packed in Easy Lunch Boxes (ELBs) and Laptop Lunchboxes.

Lester's Dreadful Sweater by K.G. Campbell

This is a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee book. Boogs and I laughed all the way through it at the outrageously dreadful sweaters poor Lester is forced to wear. When Cousin Clara came to stay, she brought her knitting needles with her. Cousin Clara made Lester a sweater. It was awful! It had holes in the wrong places, mismatched sleeve lengths, and purple pom poms all over it. Lester's parents made him wear it to school. Lester made sure the sweater was "accidentally" destroyed before he could wear it again. No problem, Cousin Clara simply made him a new horrible sweater, and another, and another to replace each sweater Lester damaged. Boogs and I loved seeing the many ways Lester was able to "accidentally" damage those sweaters. Cousin Clara was such a speedy knitter that she made a mountain of sweaters for Lester. In a delightful ending, clowns saved Lester from the horrible mound of sweaters and from Cousin Clara.

Sweaters of all sorts are in the ELB lunchbox: radish sweaters on spinach, mango & strawberry sweaters, salami and cheese sweaters, and sesame stick knitting needles. Boogs also had a yogurt.


Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler

Oh, those dreadful school days of standardized state testing for the kids. Ugh! I was not very fond (what an understatement) of testing days during the nine years I taught 3rd grade. Judy Finchler captured a peek into the insanity that teachers feel during the days leading up to and the actual days of standardized state tests. Boogs has benchmark tests three times a year at school. Next year, he will be a third grader and will become acquainted with the "joys" of standardized state testing. In the book, every teacher is getting ready for "THE TEST". The teachers tell their students not to worry about the I.P.T.U (I pity you) test, but the teachers start acting weird weeks before the test. The normally nice teachers and school staff seem frantic, anxious, and crazed. Normal classroom instruction stops so preparation for the test can begin. Recess is no longer held outside. Instead, the kids have to stay inside and play things like Multiplication Mambo. Art class assignments involve coloring perfectly inside small circles. Gym class becomes a place to practice Yoga and other relaxation techniques. Even the cafeteria is changed in preparation for the test. It now only serves fish because it is brain food. The illustrations in this book are wonderful. Boogs thought it was pretty funny and it gave us a chance to discuss standardized tests.

In the Laptop lunchbox: Miss Marlarkey ham & cheese sandwich, pita chip testing papers, Goldfish Crackers for brain food, carrot stick #2 pencils in hummus, mango, blackberries, and strawberries.


Lego Lunch

We finally made it to the theater to see The Lego Movie. Boogs has been waiting for a day when the three of us could go to see it as a family. We all enjoyed the movie. Boogs has had a Lego Magazine subscription since 2011. He looks forward to receiving it every month. He even had a Lego birthday party when he turned six. (You can see it HERE.) I had to make a Lego lunch this week after seeing the movie.

In the ELB lunchbox: cheese Emmett on top of ham & cheese sandwich, dried papaya "piece de resistance", Lego candy pieces, kiwi & mango Lego pieces, spinach, broccoli, carrot Kragles, radish Lego head, and tomatoes.


We Love You, Ms. Pinkerville! by Naomi Carlson

Boogs brought this home for reading homework. Ms. Pinkerville makes school exciting with her quirky and odd ways of teaching. Her students love her, except for the way Ms. P's sings in a horribly off-key voice. Ms. P thinks her singing is so great that she goes on a television singing contest. Ms. P lost the contest and realized she was not a very good singer. She became so sad that she lost all of her fun, quirky and odd ways of doing things. Luckily, her students had a plan to bring back Ms. P's joy. Boogs enjoyed reading this little book. 

In the Laptop lunchbox: Babybel Ms. P, almond butter & jelly cat sandwich, "la la la" mini marshmallows, raisins, Pirate's Booty, salami, carrots with hummus, kiwi, and grapes.


Tumbleweed Tom on the Texas Trail 

Texas Independence Day occurred this week. Books and I looked for a couple of books about Texas facts, history, and state symbols. This book shows Tumbleweed Tom's journey across Texas. As Tom travels from city to city he tells a little history about each city and describes the types of plants, animals, and events that are in each area. Boogs has been studying Texas state symbols in school. He had a great time locating those symbols in this book.

In the ELB lunchbox: pb&j Texas sandwich, coastal Goldfish Crackers, grapes grown in the hill country on cowboy/boot picks, kiwi, Chex Mix tumbleweed, and broccoli.

Be sure to check out the wonderful sites I link to on my sidebar! If you want to see more book inspired lunches, click on the "lunches" label at the end of this post or go to My Story Themed Lunches board on Pinterest. I would love for you to leave a comment to let me know you stopped by.