Children should help decide what to pack in their lunch boxes. So recommends Roberta Larson Duyff and Almut Stephan Marino, registered dietitians and local health educators.

"You provide the options. It's up to the child to choose from the options available. You also are teaching a lifelong skill," said Duyff, author of the American Dietetic Association's "Complete Food and Nutrition Guide." She noted that local markets provide crunchy, colorful, everyday vegetables as perfect finger foods: cucumbers, summer squash, green beans, small sweet peppers, baby tomatoes, carrots.

Marino agreed that letting children "play" appropriately with foods is fun. They pick them up in their fingers to dip into ranch dressing, yogurt or hummus. Kids string favorites on plastic skewers.

She just started a job cooking at the Early Childhood Center in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District and stops daily to visit her children, David, 7, and Seppi, almost 6, at their lunch tables. The school district works with St. Louis University on the HELP (Healthy Eating with Local Produce) Grant, so fresh fruits and vegetables from school gardens and local farmers are part of student lunches.

"We always have a fresh vegetable of the day and offer seconds to everyone, whether they bring or buy their lunch," Marino said. Last Wednesday students tried zucchini, which she had cut into sticks. Some didn't like it, even with a bit of ranch dip, but others became new fans of the garden specialty. Watermelon is fruit of the month in August.

Not many schools like those in this suburban district can feed leftover zucchini and corn to their 18 chickens. However, all students face similar challenges at school each day at lunch.

"One of the biggest issues, and it usually comes from packages with items like candy, granola bars and pudding cups, is that children cannot open them by themselves and need adult help," Marino said. She recommends planning ahead with a week of menus and having those foods available for dividends that trump the little time it takes to prepare them.

She sometimes stirs together strawberry and vanilla yogurt, then portions the big batch into cups with twist caps which don't pop open. The refrigerated results go into lunch boxes, cut her sons' sugar consumption and save money for the investment of reusable cups and freezer ice packs, a necessity in an insulated lunch box.

Duyff shared "All Our Fruits and Vegetables," another book she authored, on Saturday with children at the farmers' market of Greenscape Gardens. They learned "The Taster's Song" while sampling garden delicacies.

Children also should decide how they carry lunch to school, Duyff urged.

"Let your child decide on an insulated bag to look good. Make certain it is always clean. Stickers and other surprises can make a brown bag nicer for young children," she said.

Duyff said a pre-tasting "party" at home wisely previews new foods to cut down on trades and uneaten returns. Food is more palatable to kids when it is fresh and crunchy than when it is cooked. It may take a child five to 10 trials before he likes it, so it doesn't hurt to introduce it again. Lunch with fruits and vegetables needs balance for good health. A sandwich layers protein in the middle. Chunks of meat or cheese give more protein options to eat by hand. A small bag of nuts, dried fruits and leathers are positive options, too. A cookie, particularly one made with oatmeal for a little healthier spin, can be part of the lunch routine.

The child's name should be on the lunch bag. Duyff advises checking where the meal will be kept, so it is cool and clean, "not next to a dirty athletic bag," and adding milk money so a growing child gets the nutrients in the beverage at lunch.

Marino finds that preparing lunch fits into a child's going-to-bed routine with putting out clothes and filling backpacks for the next day. Thus, the whole family feels less rushed and on time for school. She also is a certified coach of the LEAN Traffic Light Eating system of wellness.

That morning routine, Duyff said, should include time to eat. "Kids are expending a lot of energy learning and playing. They need food to start the day and also to replenish after school when they are really hungry."