Rice Krispies Treats Are Becoming More Inclusive with Sensory-Friendly Love Notes
Lunchbox notes are as common as sandwiches with the crust cut off in brown bag school lunches, especially for younger children. On the first day of school or the day of a big test, a note from home can help give confidence and inspiration to your kids when they open their lunch bag. However, kids can find comfort in different ways, which is why Rice Krispies Treats teamed up with Autism Speaks—an organization dedicated to promoting solutions for people with autism and their families—to create sensory Love Notes that are specially designed for children with autism.
Image courtesy of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats.
Rice Krispies Treats first debuted their Love Notes in 2017 by creating wrappers for their sweets with a small space for parents to write a note. Then, in 2018, Rice Krispies made the Love Notes more inclusive by partnering with the National Federation of the Blind to create Braille stickers for parents to attach to the treats and audio-enabled boxes that could play a recorded message.
Image courtesy of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats.
In 2019, Rice Krispies is expanding their Love Notes even more to include sensory stickers. The stickers come in packs of four and are made to fit the writable space on the usual Love Notes packaging. Each sticker is shaped like a heart and will feature a variety of textures (including silk, fleece, faux fur, satin, and velour) designed for kids with autism who enjoy touching different surfaces.
Image courtesy of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats.
Like the Braille Love Notes, the new sensory stickers will be free to order on Rice Krispies’ website and will be available on August 13. The new stickers represent another positive step towards inclusivity since all children give and receive love a little differently. Autism affects about 1 in 59 children, so the new sensory Love Notes have the potential to help give confidence and comfort from home to thousands of kids around the country.
Related: 5 Ways to Put a Fun Twist on Your Child's School Lunch
This year alone has seen a lot of products made more inclusive for kids, like Target’s adaptive Halloween costumes and Kohl’s new sensory-friendly clothing items—some movie theaters are even becoming more sensory-friendly. We’re excited to see something as simple as lunchbox notes become more inclusive, and hopefully, the new Love Notes are able to brighten more than a few days for kids during back-to-school month.
