It´s that time of year again, time for buses and books and . . . packing lunches. Are your kids sick of P&B or ham sandwiches? This year, make lunch an event to look forward to with these great ideas.

1. Add variety with soup which can be kept hot in a child-size thermos. Make your child´s favorite soup and add fun letter noodles before pouring it into the thermos. Remember to include a spoon.

2. Take a couple extra minutes to cut sandwiches into animal shapes. First, trim the crusts and then use a metal cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Kids love mini food, so you can use two or three small cutters per sandwich.

3. Create new sandwich combos. Everyone knows the old peanut butter and banana one, why not try raisins or thinly sliced apples in place of the banana? Look for other interesting substitutes, like cream cheese and cucumber or jam with cream cheese.

4. Slice the top off a crusty roll and hollow it out. Fill the hollow with deviled ham or egg salad and replace the top before wrapping the sandwich and putting it in the lunchbox.

5. Make a smorgasboard lunch. Use small Ziplock bags to hold a variety of foods and add several packets of crackers. For example, you could include sliced ham, two types of cheese, sprouts, sliced hardboiled eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers as well as Ritz crackers, for a fun DIY lunch.

6. Use a paring knife to cut a happy face into apples and oranges. Brush apple faces with lemon juice to prevent browning.

7. Fill a Ziplock bag with apple slices and add one tablespoon of brown sugar mixed with one tablespoon of cinnamon. Shake vigorously for a tasty and healthy snack.

8. Cut celery into short pieces and fill the grooves with peanut butter. Add raisins across the top to make ´Ants on a Log´. Wrap in plastic wrap to store.

9. Mini-pizzas are always a big hit. You can buy premade crusts and add your own ingredients, according to what each child likes. Spell out names or messages in cheese or pepperoni. And these are great cold!

10. Cut the crusts off a slice of bread and flatten it with a rolling pin. Spread thinly with jam or cream cheese and roll tightly. Stick a toothpick into the roll to hold the shape. Cocktail picks are always a bright touch.

11. Turn applesauce into a fun desert with a couple drops of food coloring or extract to change the flavor. A bit of vanilla or peppermint extract will add a lot of interest. Or add a drizzle of chocolate syrup. You can also try other purés, like banana or pear.

12. Soak cut veggies like carrots, cucumbers or celery in a solution of 1 part water and 1 part vinegar to add an interesting edge.

13. Have a themed lunch once a week. For example, a ´green´ lunch might include asparagus soup, spinach noodles, green M&Ms, and green Kool-Aid. Or a Mexican lunch could include tacos (with ingredients in separate bags), corn chips, cheese and horchata. Other themes could be tropical, jungle, Wild West, etc.

14. Save all those extra packets of salt and ketchup from fast food restaurants and include them in lunches. Your child will enjoy having complete control over how much sauce he uses.

15. Kids love dipping food, so why not include more dippables in your lunches? Use small yogurt containers to hold dips. A quick and easy veggie dip is ½ cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons of onion soup mix.

16. Shish kabobs are a good way to serve a variety of foods in one lunch. Use a wooden skewer to spear baby tomatoes, bit of chicken, pineapple and anything else you wish to include. Sprinkle with chicken consome and microwave on high until the chicken is cooked through.

17. Make a veggie trailmix. Use vegetables that your kids like and that don´t have too many juices, such as carrots, cauliflower, radishes and turnip. Cut the vegetables into small cubes and mix with a handful of raisins and peanuts.

18. Try breakfast for lunch, a cup of yogurt with granola mixed in, or mini pancakes with a sweet sauce to dip in. A simple sauce to try: ½ cup of plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and a few drops of almond extract.

            Once you get going, new ideas will pop up. Be creative and ask your kids what they want. They might have even better ideas!