By HELEN W. SMITH

By HELEN W. SMITH

Extcmion Agent, Home Economic*

School bells will be ringing again as millions of children head back to school. Where did summer go?

Now that they’ll be back to school shortly, most kids at the end of the school day will head home to start homework and, yes, to snack.

But what is mom and dad are at work and can’t make that mid-afternoon snack for them? Not to worry. Here’s a crash course for kids in “Safe Snacking 101’” on what are the most important food and kitchen safety rules.

Throw away perishable sandwiches or other “refrigerator-type” foods you may have brought home. They may have spoiled in the meantime. Don’t take any chances.

Place your books or bookbags on the floor, not on eating counters or the kitchen table. In that way, you do not spread outside germs on clean eating and food preparation surfaces.

Wash your hands before you make or eat a snack. Remember, hands carry lots of germs. Always use clean spoons, forks, and plates.

Wash fruits and vegetables with water before you eat them. Do not eat bread, cheese, or soft fruits and vegetables that look bad or have even small spots of mold.

Do not leave cold items, like milk, lunchmeat, hardeooked eggs, or yogurt out on the counter at room temperature. Put these foods back in the refrigerator as soon as you’ve fixed your snack.

Now, what if you want a hot snack? Should you hase the gas or electric range or the modem wonder of the kitchen - the microwave? That’s a decision each of you will have to make for yourselves and with your parents. Both you and your parents should know that severe bums can and do occur from improper usage of the oven and, yes, even the microwave. Special packaging for kids’ favorite foods - popcorn, pizza, and french fries, for example - can get too hot to handle. Steam from popcorn bags can bum.