One of the requirements of half-day kindergarten is to bring food and drink for snack time daily. I saw this as an opportunity to teach my kindergartner another way to be a little more responsible by taking his unpackaged snacks to school in these reusable snack pouches made by GO FRESH called the Fresh Snack Pack. These are used in place of the plastic sandwich bags many of the other children use.
These bags come in two sizes. A closed sandwich size pouch is a roomy 8" x 6" and the snack size is 6" x 4". I chose the snack size pouches to try out for our kindergartner.
What I thought about these reusable Fresh Snack Packs:
1) I like that these reusable pouches are non-toxic and made of PVC-free and phthalate-free plastic. They also do not contain any printing or dyes, which may not be suitable for items carrying food.
2) These bags have been very durable so far. We have used and washed them many times. I predict they will last quite awhile, but it is nice to know that they are 100% recyclable when they can no longer be used.
3) These pouches are gusseted and can hold quite a bit. Because they are more structured than a disposable sandwich bag, they help to keep foods that are soft or brittle from being crushed by a juice box or water bottle.
4) These bags have a Velcro closure that is secure, but is user-friendly for my kindergartner. I was afraid that the pouch having a built-in place mat that wraps around the pouch twice might not be intuitive for a 5yr old, but he had no problems opening or closing the Fresh Snack Pack.
5) I normally pack my son's snacks for the next day in the afternoon and I have had no problems with items, such as crackers, staying fresh inside the pouch for almost 19 hours.
6) I like that these pouches have a built-in place mat. I imagine that snacks spill out of their bags all the time and it's nice to know that they will still be on a clean surface should any food find its way out of the pouch.
7) The place mat can be folded outward and under and then secured with the Velcro to prop up the pouch so that the food is more accessible. One can also use this technique to secure the pouch to something like a shopping cart.
8) I cannot help but wonder if there is a way to build a zip closure to the main compartment of these snack pouches? That would allow them to be used for something with moisture, such as berries.
9) Although, I would love it if these pouches were top rack safe for the dishwasher, I think that they clean very easily by hand. They also dry fairly quickly when allowed to air dry.
I think these snack pouches are a stepping stone to reusable plastic storage containers for my kindergartner. As an adult, I even have trouble securing the lids to such containers, so these reusable pouches are the perfect substitute for now.
To learn more about the Fresh Snack Pack, visit FreshSnackPack.com . You can also purchase this product on that website or from other retailers, such as Amazon.com .
Thank you to Fresh Snack Pack for providing us with both a review product and a contest prize free of charge.
What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a set of one Snack Size and one Sandwich Size Fresh Snack Pack.
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Take a look at the list of online and local retailers who carry the Fresh Snack Pack. Then leave a comment telling me which retailer you would most likely purchase Fresh Snack Packs from. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.
Extra Entries:
1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.
2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.
3) Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites. Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so and under what username. Add to Technorati Favorites
4) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND FreshSnackPack.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.
5) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with your Facebook username.
6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.
7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.
8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
9) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!
