Everyone understands that children will eat foods they have a hand in selecting. This is particularly important when children go back to school! Without a parent nearby to supervise, many snacks and meal items find their way into garbage bins. The idea of food being thrown away bothers me a LOT, so I make a point of packing school lunches that I am confident my children will actually eat.
Back-to-School Snack Mix is perhaps the easiest, most failsafe item to pack in lunchboxes. By allowing children to select the ingredients (within reason) and fill individual snack bags themselves, you are increasing the odds that food will be consumed rather than tossed away.
Ingredients (Makes approximately 40 snack-size servings)
6 cups ready-to-eat breakfast cereal (Avoid sugar as the first ingredient!)
2 cups small crackers, pretzels, or pita chips
2 cups seeds or nuts (We used peanuts, but sunflower seeds work well as a nut-free 
alternative)
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup chocolate chips or tiny candies
Directions
Simply mix ingredients together in a large bowl, and ask your mini-chefs to fill snack size bags! Double check that each bag is sealed, and store in a large container (a shoebox works well).
Crowded Earth Kitchen 