Look no further – it’s waiting for you here: Pumpkin Carving Online.
Want some easy, clean, and free practice for those junior pumpkin carvers?? Look no further – it’s waiting for you here: Pumpkin Carving Online.
0 Comments
Looking for something to do on a rainy fall day with your preschooler? Grab a pen and a journal and serve as your child's very own secretary! There's nothing better than recording your child's thoughts, ideas, stories and voice on paper. The results make for a great keepsake - or care packages to Grandma. The process is a great teaching moment! This simple kind of dictation helps young 'writers' see that their words are valued. It causes them to think about their word choice and organization. It sparks their imagination. My oldest son and I kept a Lego themed notebook for several years. He would dictate long lists of all the Lego items he had and wanted. Then as his writing skills developed (in Kindergarten and 1st grade) he went on to list Lego facts and draw pictures of his creations. Now my youngest and I have begun to record his stories. These stories are long, detailed and usually, somewhere along the way, include a poop-joke. He may not win the Pulitzer Prize, but he's on his way to a life of literacy and for that... I'll keep on writing. I found a fun website today that my youngest and I used to bring his favorite stuffed animal to life. Check out blabberize.com and have some fun of your own! Homemade pie crust is one of life's true pleasures. Not only does it taste better than store bought - but the extra provides great kitchen fun for young-ones. Today I whipped up a Yummy Pear Pie while my four year-old rolled and cut and 'sprinkled' his very own cinnamon & sugar pie-crust cookies. Does life get any better? Here's the Fool-Proof Pie Crust recipe I use:
1 1/3 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 c and 1 TBsp veg oil 1/4 cup cold milk (Makes one 9" crust) Here's my family Yummy Pear Pie recipe: Slice and peel 6 -8 pears. Place in pears saucepan and cover with water – cook until soft. Drain pears and add 2 TBsp corn starch, 8 oz. sour cream, and ½ cup sugar. Mix and pour into raw pie shell. Cover with another pie crust and then bake at 350’ until golden. (Makes one pie) Here's my brother in-law's Quiche recipe: Bake your pie shell at 450; for 8 minutes, then fill with: 3 eggs beaten 1 t. flour ¼ t. salt 1 ½ c. half and half Onion, ham, bacon, veggies, cheese or whatever strikes your fancy. Then bake at 325’ for 40 more minutes. (Makes two 9” pies. You can also freeze the whole thing (uncooked) and then bake from frozen for 60 minutes.) My boys created these great veggie faces for the Oregon State Fair - but the activity is worth the effort even without a contest to join. We raided the garden, the fridge and then made a quick-stop at our local Grocery Outlet for the needed ingredients. Toothpicks make the perfect attachment tool - but a trusty hot glue gun works just as well.
It's never been so much fun to play with your food! An email from a reader reminded me of a great website for wee ones (Ages 0 to 5): Kneebouncers
The bright graphics, funny sound effects and point and click simplicity – makes this a great first web-game for those kiddos who want to “play” on the computer like Mom and Dad. When my kiddos played it several years ago there were five game choices – it has now grown to more than fifteen games and includes a forum, a twitter account, a store, and downloads. Wowza! We’ve had an abrupt and sudden need to revisit ‘Table Manners’ at our house. My seven-year old seems to have forgotten everything we’ve ever taught on the subject of chewing with your mouth closed. After nagging for several weeks, I came up with another angle: Fancy drink night! Using pop, maraschino cherries, and cherry flavored syrup – I’ve started to whip up some good ol’ Shirley Temples. Amazing how a fancy glass and a fizzy beverage makes even the youngest of children feel grown-up – it also has given my dear child reason to act grown-up as well!
Cheers! My kiddos have been enjoying taking their own pictures all summer long with the Argus Bean Camera. Promoted as a digital camera for outdoor enthusiasts, the easy-to-use, low cost and durable design makes it perfect for young children.
Here’s a few pics my oldest took as he explored our backyard. They offer a perspective I hadn't considered and made for an interesting show-and-tell project at dinner time. We used our favorite play dough recipe to make our very own volcanoes this past week. To try this project all you need is a cardboard base, a bit of magazine paper (to provide bulk) and the essential recycled yogurt cup. Once complete (we added flags with our mountain names), take the final product outside and dump in half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar.
Oh, the excitement!!! Here's our favorite Cooked Play Dough recipe:
Combine all the ingredients listed before in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly until the dough forms a ball. Knead and store in airtight container. 1 c. flour 1 Tablespoon oil ½ cup salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar Food coloring |
At Home
Categories
All
|