Don't tell your kids: Granola is groovy, again.

Granola, that back-to-nature mixture of oats, fruits and nuts, was first hip to the natural-foods crowd in the 1970s. Today it's considered so mainstream that even McDonald's sells a 99-cent yogurt-and-fruit parfait topped with a modest dusting of granola.

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A dense, energy-packed start to the day, granola is one cool way to woo a sleepyhead out of bed. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that the number of teens who eat breakfast declined 17 percent from 1965 to 1991. The same study found that 9 percent of elementary school children went to school without eating breakfast.

When Rebecca Miller teaches middle and high school foods classes, she polls students to find out how many are eating breakfast.

"I ask everywhere I go, and it's pretty frightening, because they can go for hours and hours before they've got food or fuel to go on. I'd say at least 50 percent, maybe 60 percent, of the kids do not have breakfast," says Miller, marketing director for Whole Foods in Overland Park, Kan.

Unfortunately, that choice can cost them more than a few extra zzz's. The link between breakfast and learning is well-established, but it turns out there's also evidence that students who skip breakfast may be missing out on important nutrients, including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins A and B.

Yet even when parents manage to persuade their kids to eat breakfast, consuming the cardboard cereal box may provide more fiber than the flakes, grains or puffs it contains. Not to mention excess sugar, salt and preservatives lurking in the supermarket aisles.

Packaged granolas tend to get a bad rap for their fat and calories. You can read the labels until you find an acceptable one, or better yet, skip the boxed versions and make your own. Recipes are easy to come by. Go to www.recipesource.com and a "granola" search turns up more than 100 recipes.

But making your own granola requires little more than an outline: It's easy, economical and healthful because it allows you to customize to suit your tastes and nutrition requirements.

"You can control exactly what's going in it, from the spices to the cooking oil or fat to the different cereals that are fun to play with," Miller says.

One of Miller's favorite food-related learning activities is to set up trail mix and granola parfait stations. Younger kids can learn to customize healthy snacks according to their own likes and dislikes, while older kids can compare the nutritional value of different ingredient choices and discuss the health consequences of skipping breakfast.

A longtime granola fan, Miller considers granola "the perfect food" and a creative teaching tool.

To make your own: Start with whole grains, usually old-fashioned (not instant) rolled oats. Stir in a liquid mixture of flavorings, perhaps honey, maple syrup, sorghum or barley syrup. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake at low heat. When cool, sprinkle in a few embellishments such as dried fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut, seeds and nuts.

"It's almost like the perfect food, and they can be creative about it," Miller says.

Eat it in a bowl with milk. Carry it in your backpack as a snack. Mold it into a breakfast bar. Throw a handful into pancake mix. Or sprinkle it over applesauce.

And to boost granola's overall nutritional profile, you can never go wrong adding nuts and seeds, such as flax seeds. Just be careful about the fat and flavorings you use.

"Granola has a lot to offer, but it can vary widely in the amount of fat," says Sandy Procter, a nutrition educator for Kansas State Extension and Research. "I caution people, don't think just because it's a good source of whole grains that you can sit down and eat unlimited amounts."

But compared with the other items she could be eating — scones and muffins, to be exact — chef/food consultant Sarah Walker grabs granola every time. Walker has created a granola that's a light mixture of rolled oats studded with almonds and cranberries, good for eating by the bowl or sprinkled over a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit.

"Most people are kind of in a hurry in the morning," Walker says. "They want breakfast fast, and [granola is] just something they can eat on the go."