“Chique” Tip: Simple Sweet Treat

A few years back, I was struggling with what to bring to school for PJ’s birthday because the classroom allergies were so limiting.  So no dairy, no wheat and no nuts left me with fruit, not necessarily the typical birthday snack.  Of course, another brilliant idea from my mom saved the day. She suggested making mini “Jack-o-lanterns” out of clementines. Brilliant idea since it is super cute and very seasonally appropriate for a late October birthday!

Now it has become tradition, since each year there are new kids in the class and the older kids look forward to it. Birthday celebrations in a Montessori classroom are so sweet and even though we have been participating for over six years it still warms my heart.  All the children sit on the line and the birthday boy or girl walks around the “sun” represented by a candle on a pedestal with a tiny globe in their arms.  They travel around the “sun” as many times as they are old, while the parent reads a short story about each year of their life.  Then the children shake hands and exchange handmade cards with the birthday child.

After PJ traveled around the “sun” 6 times, he shared the tiny edible pumpkins. Really a clementine turned into a Jack-o-lantern by drawing on it with a permanent black marker.   Just beware, the natural wax on the fruit rubs off onto the marker so you need to wipe the Sharpie in between. This adorable snack is a great alternative to candy or cake this time of year.

So impressionable, so adorable, yet so simple and “Chique”. Who doesn’t love a juicy sweet “treat”?