Eco Lunch Boxes: Steel & Wool

There were many preparations for my children returning to school today. My number one priority was to green up their lunchboxes... an investment in their health, as well as the environment's. We've always used cloth napkins, steel water bottles, and re-usable containers. This year I was determined to get away from plastic and move towards stainless steel exclusively. I discovered two great solutions for my very different children and am happy to share a bit about each one. My five year old daughter has serious ideas about her food... keeping each item separate is key. She also loves sorting and little compartments. When I saw the Planet Box  and their easy all-in-one design, I knew we'd hit the jack pot! It's all she's talked about for weeks! She was pleased with its simple steel look, but it has a bonus of some exciting magnets sets to choose from. The rainbows and unicorns were an obvious hit. Children can be very impressionable. If all of their friends have lunch boxes/backpacks with the latest media craze plastered on them it's so nice to have an alternative that is still "super cool"! We also got their carrier to make the whole system simple and straightforward for our youngest.

Our growing son (turning 12 in a few weeks) needed a larger container for his huge appetite. He was already familiar with the tiffin, from other kids at school, and it's sold at our co-op. There are several different sizes, all are modeled after the the traditional metal lunch boxes in India. We bought the 2 tiered one seen in the top photo. My one concern was how to create an insulated carrier. I pondered it up until yesterday. I was almost resigned to making a cloth carrier like the ones advertised with it, but along with another big price tag was the problem of an ice pack. It would have made a drippy mess by the end of each day in that thin cotton bag. What would be leak proof without using plastic or vinyl? I must admit that my inspiration came from their wool soakers my children wore over the diapers when they were babies. Wool would insulate and keep the moisture in. So simple, why hadn't I thought of it until the day before school? So yesterday we went through my stash of recycled/ felted sweaters. Nothing seemed quite hip enough for my guy. Then we remembered the vintage wool army blanket. It met his approval instantly. I had hesitated cutting into it before, but now I was happy to get the scissors. Ironically, my medium sized round bucket is the exact size for a tiffin. Go figure.

So I used my own pattern, with a few modifications to make it have a drawstring and shoulder strap. It has two layers of wool and one layer of batting. I finished right after midnight last night and am pleased. So is he, thankfully! If I had thought of it sooner I would have used some interesting strapping and hardware from old military bags,  but my last minute sewing lent itself to what I had on hand: the blanket. The closure uses "software" in the form of a slide cord the drawstring.

If you're looking for an alternative to vinyl insulated lunchboxes, wool blankets are your answer!

I'll leave you with this photo, circa 1974 San Francisco (Precita Park is to my right). My first day of Kindergarten.

Clothing:
Hand painted  70's style Winnie the Pooh t-shirt (a favorite)
bell bottom jeans
red salt water sandals
Lunch box: 
Metal (the only choice back then!) anyone remember Korg on Saturday mornings?!

Happy last day of August!