The night before my son started first grade, his foodie mother stayed up to lovingly prepare a sandwich of free-range turkey on homemade organic bread with a crisp organic apple, a homemade granola bar and a cold box of organic milk.

When I asked how he enjoyed his special lunch, he confessed he had traded it for a bag of chips.

Now I know: Packed lunches, perhaps more than any other meal, need to involve the cooperation and consensus of your child.

Cooperation may mean planning menus together, cooking together or just shopping together for mutually appealing foods.

"Let your child choose one or two new foods for the family to try," said school principal and author Yvonne Sanders-Butler in her book "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids."

"Children who help select items are likely to remain interested in their selections and will probably look forward to trying them."

Here are some tips that work -- but as all parents know, kids have their unique preferences.

Boost your chances

• Take advantage of produce in season. Buy it in as many different colors as possible and chop most of it into small pieces.

• Rolled-up wraps (whole-wheat tortillas or spinach wraps) filled with cream cheese, vegetables, slaws, meat or even peanut butter and jelly make for fun sandwiches.

• Order an extra-large size of your favorite thin-crust pizza so you have leftovers; pack the cold slices or squares (or cut them into fun shapes) with some crunchy vegetables and a dip. Instead of bottled dressings, make some hummus or guacamole, using your kids as sous chefs.

• Modify the fruit kebab idea by packing fruit-veg necklaces made of grape tomatoes, grapes, blueberries, cherries, apple chunks or any other non-drippy items, strung on dental floss with a needle. It takes a little planning, but it makes produce fun.

• To guard against soggy sandwich bread, avoid putting mayonnaise, tomatoes or jam directly on bread; tuck them between layers of meat or lettuce.

• Consider packing a frozen juice box to keep perishable foods cool in the lunchbox.

• When the weather cools, make a big pot of your kids' favorite stew, soup, chili, pasta, or rice and beans on weekends and pack it for lunch in insulated containers.

• Next time you're in a cookware aisle with your child, ask him/her to choose a few large and small cookie cutters to create fun shapes for sandwiches, pizza or cheese.

• Most important of all, involve your kids in the menu planning, shopping and lunch preparation. If not, you might just find they've traded your lovingly prepared meals for a bag of chips.