Teacher shares tips on packing school lunches to help with social distancing

A teacher shared some tips for parents to try a new way of packing school lunches for their kids ahead of on-campus classes starting back up.

"As teachers, we are really sharing it because we really want you to know how important it is for me not to put my hands on the parts of food that may go in your child's mouth," said Shirron Branch.

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Branch is a music teacher to kids pre-school through 5th grade. She has spent months working with her own 6-year-old.

She advises parents to stick to buying things that are easy to open. So, instead of a juice box, she said to try a press-and-go or Flip Kid water container.

"A lot of schools can't use water fountains," Branch said. "So, this is something that will be good."

Her tip for helping kids open their chip bags is to open it yourself and dump them into an easy-to-open Ziplock-style bag.

For items like apple sauce or the popular Lunchables, Branch recommends to practice with your child.

"At least try it one time a day or two or three times a week," she said.

The zip-around lunch kit is also an easier option.

Branch has a couple of tips for clothing, too.

She said instead of pants that may require help with a belt after a bathroom break, she said to consider elastic waist pants.

For shoes laces, she said to try shoes with no laces at all or even Velcro shoes.