BACK-TO-SCHOOL HEBREW FOR ALL -- ALL ABOUT HEBREW At Our New Hebrew Interactive Learning Center Excellent exciting faculty Full selection of instructional materials including videos, audio cassettes, books, curricula for all levels State of the art interactive video EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: HOWARD GELBERD DIRECTOR: NIRA LEV HEBREW INTERACTIVE LEARNING CENTER ns`r.rin AGENCY FOR JEWISH EDUCATION The Best Alternative to Being There - is Learning Here FOR INFORMATION CALL: 352-7117 NURSERY SCHOOL Fall Classes Begin Wednesday, September 9th 18 MONTHS — 6 YEARS • • • • • • • • Flexible scheduling to fit your needs Full or half-day sessions extended days Lunch/breakfast options Certified/experienced teachers Parent-Toddler classes Arts and crafts Outdoor activities Enrichment classes Classes available for: PUBLIC SCHOOL KINDERGARTNERS * * ROUNDUP * * TUESDAY, SEPT. 1ST, 7:00 P.M. Formerly United Hebrew Schools Nursery School Agency for Jewish Education 21550 W. 12 Mile, Southfield, MI 48076 4,1 w _„,a2L0A1,_& / LL=00In n For information and application Call Carol Gale, Director 356-7378 or 3544050 al Brown Bag Basics Make The Grade SHARON ACHATZ Special to The Jewish News L et's face it. You can lead a child to the lunch table, but you can't make him eat. Parents have fought the brown-bag battle for years, trying to find a balance be- tween the nutrition they want for their children and the tastes that they crave — trying to create a basically healthy lunch that kids will eat rather than trade away. There's plenty of help on the horizon, most notably in books such as The Creative Lunch Box by Ellen Klavan (Crown) and The Penny Whis- tle Lunch Box Book by Mere- dith Brokaw and Annie Gilbar (Fireside). While each tome is filled with its own words of wisdom for making the contents of a child's lunch box as irresisti- ble as a Twinkie, both hold basic tenets to be true. Among them: • Food must be delicious, which means including the flavors a child favors. Even if that means packing peanut butter every day. The trick is to mix it with other options — such as apple slices, bananas, pasta or fresh veggies — to help provide a balanced diet. • Food must look good. Children delight in pretty things, unusual shapes and clever design. Create a mini- sub sandwich on a hot-dog bun; send fruit salad in a hollowed-out orange peel; make a lollipop out of turkey and a bread stick; fill dates with cream cheese. • Lunch must be fun. Throw in an extra treat with a note saying "Surprise!" or tie it up with a ribbon. Jot down a joke, or include color- ful forks and spoons, seasonal napkins, a crazy straw. If the child carries lunch in a bag, decorate it with pretty stickers or stamps — or make it an animal puppet with con- struction paper cutouts. If a child has tired of the same old bag or lunch-box routine, consider alternatives such as a small knapsack or fanny pack, a straw basket or his own personal-size in- sulated ice chest. Aside from the basic tenets, the books offer a multitude of recipes and informal ideas on nutritious lunch-box crea- tions from sandwiches and soups to dips and desserts. Many of the ideas work just as well for ensuring a sound nutritive base at breakfast — a meal parents know a child can't trade away — and for having on hand a well- stocked pantry and refrigerator full of healthful after-school snacks. Research indicates that children rely on what's readi- ly at hand when it comes to snacking, so keep lots of dried fruit, nuts, yogurt, pretzels, popcorn, fruits, cheese spreads, breads and cut-up vegetables at the ready — and within easy sight. As for lunch boxes, sand- wiches are the meal of choice for most parents, as they're one of the most efficient ways to make sure a child gets food from at least two of the basic food groups — grain and pro- tein. In many cases, parents can slip in dairy products, fruits or vegetables as well. Easy as sandwiches are, however, they quickly can Children rely on what's readily available when it comes to snacking — so keep lots of healthy treats on hand. become a rut. Here are some alternatives to the same-old- sandwich routine: • Roll-ups. Cut the crust off a slice of bread, roll it out thin and then spoon on a spread. Roll up the bread for jelly-roll sandwiches such as Tuna Swirls, or slice the rolls into pretty pinwheels one-half- inch thick. Or, skip the bread entirely. Instead, roll up a thin slice of lettuce around a traditional tuna or chicken salad filling, a slice of turkey around a broccoli spear or crunchy bread stick. • Cutups. Kids get a kick out of little sandwiches shaped as hearts, stars and animals. Just get out the cookie cutters and, once the sandwich is made, cut out the favored shapes. Or use free- hand cutting to create the first letter of a child's name. Free-form cutting also works well for other foods — for example, creating an "L" lunch for Lisa with a tuna sandwich, cheese slices and melon chunks all cut into capital L's. • Beyond bread. Here are several alternatives to basic bread that make super sit- upons for all sorts of sandwich Continued on Page 62