Pack the Perfect Nature School Lunch!

At Oak Ridge Nature School, we’ve seen it all when it comes to packed lunches—delicious, creative meals that kids love, and a few that just don’t quite hit the mark. Since families send their own meals, it reduces food waste and ensures kids have food they actually enjoy. Over time, we’ve noticed some all-time favorites that are always a hit. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or want to avoid common pitfalls, this guide is packed with ideas and helpful tips for crafting the perfect nature school lunch!

At Oak Ridge Nature School, we don’t provide lunches for the children. Families send their own meals, which has led to several wonderful benefits: minimal food waste, less stress for children who might not like provided meals, and a realistic variety of creative and nutritious lunches. Over the years, I’ve seen just about every kind of lunch you can imagine, and certain meals have become all-time favorites among the kids.

If you're a parent packing for a nature school or looking for easy, kid-friendly ideas, here’s a list of the most popular lunches and snacks. Plus, I’ve included Amazon affiliate links to some handy tools and containers to make packing lunches easier and more fun!

Oak Ridge Nature School is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, at no extra cost to you.

The Top 5 Nature School Lunches

1. Homemade Pizza

• We have seen a LOT of pizza in lunch boxes, and kids love it. Homemade pizza can be made in a variety of ways; on bagels, English muffins, homemade crust, or even on a tortilla cut into fun shapes.

Amazon Favorites:

• Easy Pizza (or quesadilla) Cutter

• Kid-Friendly Sauce Containers

• Reusable Cloth Napkins

2. Anything in a Tortilla

• Literally anything can go inside a tortilla and the kids absolutely love them! It's the most versatile food I've ever seen. I have seen kids with PB&J rolled into a tortilla, diced apples and cinnamon cream cheese tortilla rolls, pizza quesadillas, bean and cheese quesadillas, egg and bacon wraps, chicken with lettuce wraps, even a spaghetti burrito. Never seen a kid turn down a food wrapped in a tortilla, plus how easy for their little hands to hold!

Amazon Favorites:

• George Foreman Grill (I bought one at a yard sale in 2018 for $2 and it still works!)

• Silicone Wrap Bands

• Jar Scraper

3. Homemade Lunchables

• Kids love eating finger foods, so why not send them with healthy homemade Lunchable-style meals that incorporate variety and whole foods? I've seen just about anything in the 4-pack boxes listed below. Some of the top choices are:

  • Ham/Turkey/Bacon slices

  • Cheese

  • Nuts and dried fruit

  • Carrots, cucumbers, peppers, even beets and jicama!

  • Mango, apples, pears, berries, orange slices, grapes

  • Triscuits, Ritz crackers, multi-grain crackers, saltines, even those rye circles (I don't know their official name but they come in the Chex mix bag.)

Amazon Favorites:

• Reusable Compartment Lunchbox

• Fruit and Veggie Cutters

• Food Chart (Make it a fun game with your child to try new foods each week)

4. Thermos Foods

• The incredible Thermos container. I cannot even tell you how excited kids are to open their lunch box and find a giant thermos full of just about anything you'd eat at home, Breakfasts foods, lunches, dinners, sides, etc. Some of the top choices I've seen include:

  • Pasta! Number 1, Number 1, Number 1. No child has ever opened a hot Thermos and was disappointed to see pasta, even cold pasta! Spaghetti, pesto, mac and cheese, lasagna (messy but oh so good on a cold day), even pasta-based soups! Just please make sure it's put in the Thermos at a safe temperature, so it doesn't scald your child at mealtime

  • Overnight oats, or even cooked oatmeal! Add some fresh or frozen fruit to the top with some chia seeds, flax, or mixed nuts. Kids love it and it's always so filling and satisfying

  • Scrambled (or fried) eggs with some bacon or breakfast sausage

  • Chicken nuggets

  • Taco meat and cheese with chips on the side

Amazon Favorites:

• Kid size Thermos (Just make sure it isn't too deep or narrow to access the food at the bottom

• Omie Box

• Washable Utensil Case

5. Easy Sides and Snacks

• Last but not least, I want to share some of the sides and snacks I've seen that have been very popular with the kids. These are foods that are filling, satisfying, and easy to eat and pack in a lunchbox. The top 15 are:

  • Baby Bell Cheese

  • Beef sticks

  • Hard Boiled Eggs

  • PB Filled Pretzel Crackers

  • Applesauce or Yogurt Pouches

  • Chia Pudding/Overnight Oats

  • Ants on a Log (PB on a celery stick with raisins or craisins on top)

  • Pineapple and Mango Sauce Pouch

  • Annies Rabbit Cheese Crackers

  • Apples, Oranges, and Bananas

  • Granola Bars

  • Greek Yogurt with fruit on top (fresh or frozen)

  • Cold Grilled Chicken Chunks

  • Cheese and Nut snack packs

  • Frozen Uncrustable-style Sandwiches (they make a great ice pack too!

Amazon Favorites:

• Top-Loading Lunch bag (don't send sideways-style bags if you plan on sending anything that is wet, runny, or may leak. I've seen totally devastated kids when they find that their berries leaked into their crackers and turned them to mush)

• Insulated Water Bottle

• Main Lunch Container (my personal favorite! Easy to open, no leaks, easy to wash)

The Top 2 "Worst" Lunches or Lunch Mistakes

Some meals (or their presentation) are less successful due to how they hold up outdoors or how much kids enjoy them. Here are some examples we hope to not see anymore:

1. Planetbox Lunchboxes

• I know they SOUND great. Environmentally friendly, stainless steel, etc. These lunch boxes cause so many problems for kids. Here's a few things we don't like about them:

  • They are HUGE. The swing top lid is huge and takes all of the table space opposite of them, making it hard to fit a child across from them

  • Again, they are HUGE. Kids hate trying to balance them on logs, stumps, or in picnic style seating outdoors because the lid is so big and bulky

  • They leak. They leak. They leak! Horribly! Unless you get all of the little silicone containers that come as extras, but even those leak

  • They load sideways and are transported sideways in their bag, again, leading to leaks. How many soggy pieces of bread, crackers, and cheese have I fished out of a crying child's lunch box because it's "disgusting now"? Far too many

  • They are so bulky and have a finicky clasp that most kids can't seem to clip into place on their own. We rarely lose a lunch due to a tipped container, unless it's from a Planetbox. The sound of metal hitting the ground and seeing all that soggy food fly is unfortunately far too familiar. Please don't do this to your child (or their teachers!)

2. New Foods

• Trying new foods is GREAT, but please save that for home until you know your child will eat it. Or at the very least, send it as a small side for them to try. I've seen some super picky kids open a lunch box to find all new foods they don't like and refuse to eat anything. Stick with safe foods for nature school. Your child is very active and builds quite an appetite. It's heartbreaking to see them open a lunch box after hours of exploring the woods to find a "stinky" Greek yogurt (their words, not mine) or mayo and lettuce on their sandwich. We encourage healthy, whole foods, as the bulk of our meals BUT not if your child is going to go hungry. Small baby steps are better than diving in head-first. Some healthier alternatives we've seen in baby steps are:

  • Plain yogurt sweetened with honey or fresh/frozen fruit

  • Baked chips/crackers over fried options

  • Sliced block cheese over processed cheese products

  • Deli sliced meats over Lunchable Brand

  • Honey or pure maple syrup over sugar/high fructose syrups

  • Whole grain breads over enriched/bleached breads

  • Annies's crackers over Goldfish

  • Natural Gogurt tubes over the dye-filled ones

Tips for Nature School Lunch Success

1. Pack Durable Foods: Opt for items that hold up well in backpacks and outdoor conditions, like wraps, granola bars, and cut veggies.

2. Use Reusable Containers: Bento boxes and silicone snack bags make packing easy and eco-friendly.

3. Warm Options: Insulated thermoses are perfect for soups, pasta, or other hot meals on chilly days.

With these ideas and tools, packing lunches for your little adventurer can be stress-free and exciting. What are your go-to lunch ideas for nature school? Let me know in the comments!

(Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)