Glittery Dragonflies

In honor of our magical friend, the dragonfly, we created these simple, sweet little crafts.


Materials

• twigs
• beads for the eyes
• maple keys
• glue gun 
• glitter

Directions

1. First we collect twigs that caught our eye and held that "dragonfly quality" ; )
2. kids choose their sticks, maple keys, glitter and bead (eye) colors ~ I then glue gunned on the wings and beads...
3. Take the glue and either edged the wings, gooped it on or painted it on...then shake on that sparkle!
4. What started out as a quick craft soon became a world of creating entire families of dragonflies ~ complete with names and personalities. (I love how children throw themselves completely into creation and imagination.)


These rainbow dragonflies were ready to take flight in the garden...This project was done in the earlier part of a VERY hot day. We then headed to the beach for a cool off... this fine glitter sparking unexpectedly off our skin the rest of our beach long day! Thinking we may make a mobile out of these magical creatures or perhaps save them for my envisioned christmas tree this year ~ a tree sparkling with and abundant, natural, handmade decorations.

Recycled Wind Chimes

These are some fun to make, homemade, upcycled wind chimes that the kids can make! My son and I rummaged through our recycling bins to find some tin cans in various shapes and sizes, including some lids. Believe me, there’s a lot you can do with stuff from your recycling bin! Upcycle whatever you can for the kids to play and create with!

I taped around the rims of the cans to prevent any cuts. Using his trusty green basting paintbrush, we painted the outside of the tin cans with washable tempera paint. Of course, we had to see the glitter, so we shook a lot some more on the tin cans when the paint was still wet. I am sooooo glad we did this project outside!

After the paint dried, we punched holes in the bottom of the tin cans. My son actually refused to use the real hammer and would only use his yellow toy one. He was determined to make the hole. (Luckily he let me take a few swings in between his so I could punch it through.)
I strung a long piece of yarn through the holes and tied two washers onto the end of the string, inside the tin cans. One washer is used to hold the yarn in place, the other is placed at the end of the string to make a lovely clanking sound when it hits the tin can. You could also use nuts or rocks instead of washers, whatever is hard enough to make a noise when it hits the can.
He tried threading the yarn through the washer holes, but still continues to struggle with this. Yarn isn’t the best medium to practice threading with, it comes unraveled and isn’t stiff. Once you’ve tied on your washers to the wind chimes, test out the noise it makes! We noticed right away that different size washers make different noises. Different size tin cans make different noises, too!
Hang up the tin cans so that they overlap each other. Let the wind do its thing and enjoy the wonderful clanking of your homemade wind chimes! (Or you can let your child do their thing too and listen to it all the time!)

Homestyle Banana Bread

I love banana bread for many reasons, not the least of which are that the batter is a snap to prepare, and the final product guarantees several days of snacking pleasure. Even just being in my apartment while it bakes is a treat in itself. I am always seduced by the aroma of warm banana and sweet spices that wafts through our home, making the process of letting it cool before I dig in an exercise in self-restraint. Sometimes I add chocolate chips as a treat, which adds another delicious element to the sweet fragrance. In my opinion the best thing about this bread is it’s genuine banana flavor. It is neat and clean, unadulterated by overwhelming spices or additional ingredients. Instead, the cinnamon and nutmeg gently highlight the fresh banana flavor without muddling it up. This bread is perfect for children, as well. Even though my daughter can’t articulate her feelings yet, by the way she devours slice after slice, I can already see that it has become a favorite of hers, too.


Ingredients

• 8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. good vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (I mash them in a bowl with a fork)
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• ½ t. nutmeg
• 1 t. cinnamon
• ¾ c. mini-chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a standard 9×5 loaf pan*.
2. Mix together butter and sugar until fully combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mix well. Add mashed bananas, mix again until completely combined.
3. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Stir this mixture a few times and make sure the chips are fully coated with flour.
4. Working slowly, stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Keep stirring until all flour is fully incorporated. The batter may still be a little lumpy from the bananas, this is normal.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack before serving.

*You can also divide the batter into smaller loaf pans, or mini loaf pans if you want to make smaller breads.
Freezer Tips: This bread freezes well. If you want to save it for later simply wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap it again with an outer layer of aluminum foil. Make sure none of the bread is exposed to air. It will last in the freezer for 2-4 months.

Peach Almond Galette

In essence the galette is practically the same thing as a pie but with less structure and, I think, more fun. I like how it is generally less formal in appearance and there is no perfect way to make it. Galettes also lend themselves well to flavor experiments. Since they are more like the casual little sister to the more formal pie you can add just about anything you want. In this case I stuck with my favorite pairing of peach and almond, also the combination I use in my cookbook peach pie. To make it I pulled together the simple pie dough while my daughter napped and chilled it for a bit. Then I rolled it out, topped it with sliced peaches, a few drops of almond extract, and some toasted almond streusel and popped it in the oven. The simple rustic dessert baked up in no time at all and made for the most delicious, easy summertime dessert.


Ingredients
Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed

Filling:

• 1 ½ pounds peaches, peeled and sliced
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Topping:

• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• ½ stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions
To make the crust: 

1. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
2. Add the butter and pulse again until small pebbles form.
3. Then, with the processor running add the water until the dough begins to form.
4. If you need a little more water to make the dough come together add it again by the tablespoonful.
5. Remove the dough from the machine and pat it into a round disk and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 450F.
7. Roll the pastry into a 10-inch circle and transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To make the filling:

1. Toss the sliced peaches with the almond extract, flour, and sugar.
2. Then place it in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the crust.

To make the topping: 

1. Pulse the sugar, flour, almonds, and salt in a food processor.
2. Then add the butter and mix until the topping is crumbly.
3. Sprinkle it over the peaches.
4. Fold the border of the crust up around the fruit, folding it over itself around the edge so it forms a loose circle.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before carefully transferring to a plate and serving.

Poohsticks!

                    "Pooh had just come to the bridge; and not looking where he was going, he tripped over something, and the fir-cone jerked out of his paw into the river. 'Bother,' said Pooh, as it floated slowly under the bridge, and he went back to get another fir-cone which had a rhyme to it. But then he thought that he would just look at the river instead, because it was a peaceful sort of day, so he lay down and looked at it, and it slipped slowly away beneath him, and suddenly, there was his fir-cone slipping away too."
                    "'That's funny,' said Pooh. 'I dropped it on the other side,' said Pooh, 'and it came out on this side! I wonder if it would do it again?' And he went back for some more fir-cones. It did. It kept on doing it. Then he dropped two in at once, and leant over the bridge to see which of them would come out first; and one of them did; but as they were both the same size, he didn't know if it was the one which he wanted to win, or the other one. So the next time he dropped one big one and one little one, and the big one came out first, which was what he had said it would do, and the little one came out last, which was what he had said it would do, so he had won twice ... and when he went home for tea, he had won thirty-six and lost twenty-eight, which meant that he was - that he had - well, you take twenty-eight from thirty-six, and that's what he was. Instead of the other way round."
                    "And that was the beginning of the game called Poohsticks, which Pooh invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the Forest. But they played with sticks instead of fir-cones, because they were easier to mark.'"

Mike Ridley, owner of 'Pooh Corner' in Hartfield, wrote a very nice booklet about this game, including these rules below. This booklet 'The official Pooh Corner Rules for Playing Poohsticks' was written in 1996 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the publication of 'Winnie-the-Pooh.'

'The official Pooh Corner Rules for Playing Poohsticks'

1. Everyone selects a stick and shows it to your fellow competitors. You must agree which stick is which - or whose, as it were.
2. Check which way the stream is flowing. Competitors need to face the stream on the side where it runs in, under the bridge (upstream). Note: If the stream runs out, from under the bridge you are standing on the wrong side! (downstream).
3. Choose someone to be a Starter. This can be either the oldest or the youngest competitor.
4. All the competitors stand side by side facing upstream.
5. Each competitor holds their stick at arms length over the stream. The tall competitors should lower their arms to bring all the sticks to the same height over the stream as the shortest competitor's stick.
6. The starter calls, 'Ready - Steady - Go!" and all the competitors drop their sticks. Note: the stick must not be thrown into the water.
7. At this point in the game all the players must cross to the downstream side of the bridge. Please take care - young players like to race across. Remember, other people use bridges and some of them have bicycles.
8. Look over the edge of the bridge for the sticks to emerge. The owner of the first Stick to float from under the bridge, is the winner!

My suggestion to make this game just a little more fun is to let each kid decorate their stick! It's a little more cool that way : )

Rainy Camp Out

As a child, I was always envious of my neighbors whose grandpa built a tree house in their backyard. It was just a small platform, but I still remember the wonder I felt, sitting high above the ground. I never wanted to come down!

Not every kid is blessed with a climbing tree or a yard, for that matter. But you don’t even need a yard to create a fort that will beckon to kids throughout the winter months.. An outdoor shelter can be as simple as a waterproof shower curtain strung from a hula hoop or a tarp draped over a few chairs.

If you are handy with a hammer, you can make a simple structure from reclaimed materials like pallets and scrap wood. An outdoor reading nook can be the perfect place for a young reader to listen to the pitter patter of the rain while cozying up beneath a favorite blanket. With the added touch of a tarp stapled to the roof to make it water-tight, it’s a perfect outdoor space for the rainy season.

Optional!
Another easy option is to break out your camping gear. Pull out the sleeping bags and flashlights and have a mock-camp out. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Pacific Northwest native who isn't accustomed to camping in the rain. Break them in while they’re young!

Homemade Chai Concentrate

I am a not huge chai drinker nor am I a huge chai tea fan but my best friend and the majority of my family are. I often buy a chai tea at Target just in case my family shows up for a visit, but I loved the idea of making this concentrate at home. One simple scoop gives ordinary black tea an instant chai makeover.

One tablespoon into a basic black tea created a really lovely, sweet, creamy instant cup o’ chai. A lot of people couldn't believe how incredibly delicious the beverage was, far less bitter (and cheaper!) than the Tazo tea from Starbucks, and not quite as sweet as the Oregon Chai mix found on most store shelves. I adjusted the spices a bit to suit my sisters tastes so she could have her own perfect blend and you should feel free to do the same. Best of all, the little effort I put into making this yielded enough concentrate for nearly a month’s worth of tea. The remaining half a mason jar is currently in my refrigerator.

Now I know this isn't a recipe kids can drink all the time but it is delicious and easy for them to help create. I find that a little on the weekends is a wonderful treat for my son and since it doesn't have a lot of bad things, not too much sugar and not harsh on the body, I let him have a cup.

Ingredients

• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together and store in the refrigerator. To use, mix two teaspoons of concentrate into your preferred cup of strong black tea and enjoy.

Garden Fort

Gardeners can create an aesthetically-pleasing addition to their garden that also serves as a fort by making a willow dome or living teepee structure made from sticks and interwoven branches. Climbing plants grow over the structure, creating a lush space curtained by greenery and flowers. It’s easy and affordable, requiring only twine, branches and a little patience. They may not keep the rain completely out, but climbing plants do well in rainy climates, so these shelters will be especially lush when the wet season is in full swing.

My own son loved to help create his little fort outside. We had a blast decorating it with fake flowers during the non- flowering seasons and he loved to fill it with his outdoor toys.

Experimenting With Rain

According to famous Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor Sorensen, whose work was recently featured in Carnegie Museum’s exhibit on the evolution of playgrounds, "Children are happiest when playing with junk." Any parent who has witnessed the hours of play generated by an empty appliance box can attest to this.

Put junk to great use outside by making a vertical water wall to help kids explore the physics of water. Attach plastic containers, bottles and tubes to a wall or railing to create a course for water to flow through. (You can drill them in, use zip ties and chicken wire, or just string and nails.) Then start experimenting: Add food coloring and see what happens when colors are mixed together. Track the rainfall by measuring the amount of rain in each bottle. Explore how water levels change with the shape of each container. The possibilities are endless!

Paper Pumpkin

This is my sons favorite plant so we have a lot of pumpkin things laying around. This craft in particular is one of his favorites, he will even toss it around like a ball.

Materials

• 1 Sheet of orange construction paper (9x12 inches)
• Scissors (fancy edge scissors make the pumpkin even cuter)
• A sharp pencil
• 2 Brass fastener brads
• 1 thin strip of green construction paper (aproximately 1/4in x 3 inches) for stem/vine
• 1 Small piece of green construction paper for the leaves
• White glue
• Assorted craft supplies for decorating the pumpkin

Directions

1. Cut five strips aproximately 1 inch wide by 12 inches long from the orange paper.
2. Fold one strip in half to find the middle (or measure 6 inches from the side).
3. Poke a small hole through the center of all five strips with the sharpened pencil.
4. Poke a small hole at each end of the strips about 1/2 inch from the end.
5. Poke a brad through the center holes in the strips, and flatten the legs of the brad to hold the strips in place.
6. Fan the strips out in a circle.
7. Curve the strips up, one by one, and poke the second brad through the hole at the end of each strip, going in order around the pumpkin.
8. Once you have all the strips on the second brad (the last couple might be a little tricky), flatten the legs of the second brad.
9. Tear or cut out a couple of green leaves.
10. Curl the strip of green paper around a pencil and hold it while you count to twenty.
11. Uncurl the strip slightly and glue on top of the pumpin for a stem/vine.
12. Glue the leaves on the top of the pumpkin to hide the second brad.
13. Decorate your pumpkin as desired.

skillet four-cheese "baked" pasta

This recipe only takes 3 minutes to prep and cook. It's healthy, delicious, and fun. It's actually one of the few dishes my son is willing to eat with the peppers in! To save on clean- up, try using an ovenproof skillet!

Ingredients

• 1 pound rotini pasta or penne
• 3/4 lb hot Italian sausage
• 2 sweet red peppers
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 jar (26 ounces) marinara sauce
• 2 cups shredded Italian four-cheese blend

               Note: Buy pre-cut peppers and onions in the supermarket produce aisle to save prep time. You'll need at least 4 cups worth of peppers AND onions.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 F. Cook pasta following package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add sausage, peppers and onions. Cook, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through.
5. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of the cheese.
6. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the pasta and bake at 450 F for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole starts to bubble. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Apple Pie French Toast

All the goodness of apple pie is baked into this French toast casserole. It can be put together the night before and baked off while the family opens presents, cleans up paper, and gets ready to head out the door. It makes a wonderful breakfast for dinner, brunch offering, or relaxing Saturday morning breakfast.

Now I personally didn't add in pecans but I know a lot of people like them, so here they are.


Ingredients

• 6 cups dry bread, cubed
• 2 medium apples, cored and sliced
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon

For the topping:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

1. Lightly grease an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. 
2. In a large bowl add the bread cubes and apples. 
3. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and cardamom.
4. Pour over the bread and apples and stir.
5. Let it rest a minute to allow the milk and eggs to soak into the bread. Pour into the prepared pan.
6. For the topping, mix together the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt until thick and crumbly.
7. Add in the pecans. Spread the topping over the bread and apples in the pan.
8. This can be baked immediately or stored in the refrigerator and baked the next morning.
1. To store, cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator, removing when it’s time to bake.
2. To bake, preheat oven to 350º F. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until topping starts to brown and the center of the bake is puffed. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm.

Push Light Planets

Do you have a child who loves astronomy? Or just has a certain favorite planet? Then this will be a wonderful craft for them! This craft has them cre3ating their own personal planet to light up at night. Sounds cool? That's because it really is : )


Materials

• Push lights
• Glass Paint
• Mod Podge

I bought this pack of 4 (small) push lights at Walmart for under $4.00. The batteries that come with them are horrible, and we had to replace them the next day but their cheap and work last a while afterwards.

I used glass paint (also purchased at Walmart for under $2.oo a jar). Be aware that slathering on too much paint may cause the push lights to stick after dry. Ours did not, but I can see how it could happen. We also discovered that glass paint apparently doesn’t adhere well to plastic. When we pushed the lights to turn them on/off, some of the paint was peeling off. I sealed it with Mod Podge and it hasn’t happened since.

I initiated this activity by asking my son if he would like to help me put batteries in the new push lights. He played an active role in setting up the entire activity. We took the time to flip through each page of an astronomy book to see which planet he wanted to paint first – Jupiter.

My favorite parts of this activity was the dialogue it inspired, watching my son become so engaged in painting (something he RARELY does), and seeing him glow with pride.We talked about the colors in each planet, he chose the corresponding paints, and he counted out the number of brushes needed. He painted one planet at a time at his own pace.

Its been about a month since we created the planets with push light and today he was finally ready to add the sun. I asked him if he would like to use his book as reference and he said, “No thank you. I know what the sun looks like”.

Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

This exciting science experiment works great in a discussion on reactions, as a demonstration, or as an actual experiment. To use it as an experiment, perform it once with your child, then ask your child what might happen if you changed the amounts or left out an ingredient. Let her direct the experiment! Also, the foam created is safe to touch. It is simply water, oxygen gas, and soap, so if your child has no soap allergies, she can experience and experiment with the texture of the foam!


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Warm water
• 1 tsp Yeast
• 1/2 cup (6% or up) Hydrogen Peroxide
• 4-5 drops food coloring
• 1 Squirt of Dish Soap

Directions
        1. Set a soda pop bottle in the middle of a pan to catch the toothpaste.
        2. Mix these in a separate container and swirl together for a minute. The yeast will catalyze (or speed up) the reaction. Woo hoo!
                  ** 2 Tablespoons warm water
                  ** 1 teaspoon yeast
         3. Mix these in your soda pop bottle:
                  ** 1/2 cup 6% hydrogen peroxide. It is important to use at least 6%. You can use 8% or more (you can get this from any store, just read the ingredients to make sure it has the proper percentage)
                  ** 4-5 drops food coloring
                  ** squirt of dish soap
         4. Pour the yeast mixture into the soda pop bottle...and be amazed!


If you're working with older kids, you may be interested in how it works: The reaction is summarized by this formula: 2 H2O2 --> 2 H2O + 02.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) naturally breaks down into water and oxygen. It is stored in opaque containers to help slow down this process. Catalase (an enzyme in all living things, including yeast) speeds up the reaction. Dish soap catches the oxygen and makes bigger bubbles and the food coloring makes it look cool. The foam and bottle feel warm because the reaction is exothermic--it releases energy as heat.

The Monkey King

Tears of Joy Theatre continues its 2013-2014 Family Series with Monkey King, January 31 – February 9, 2014, at Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th in Portland.

This classic tale of China’s favorite trickster features 30 spectacular puppets created in China for Tears of Joy, and written and directed by seventh generation puppet master, Yang Feng. Join Monkey, his master, and the comical Bajeer the pig, on an epic adventure. Watch as acrobatic monkeys fly through the air and magical transformations occur before your eyes!


Showtimes!
         Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm
         Saturday, February 1 at 11:00am
         Saturday, February 1 at 1:00pm
         Sunday, February 2 at 1:00pm
         Sunday, February 2 at 3:00pm
         Saturday, February 8 at 11:00am
         Saturday, February 8 at 1:00pm
         Sunday, February 9 at 1:00pm
         Sunday, February 9 at 3:00pm

Come an hour before all Saturday and Sunday performances for free pre-show puppet crafts!

New Ticket Prices! To make high quality cultural theatre affordable to more families, Tears of Joy has dropped their prices. Adults are $18, Seniors/Students are $15 and Children are $13. They also offer a new option called a Puppet Pass. For $50, families can buy a ‘Puppet Pass’ and get unlimited $12 tickets to any show all year long.
For tickets, call 503-248-0557 or visit www.tojt.org.


About Tears of Joy Theatre!
Tears of Joy Theatre is recognized as one of the nation’s outstanding puppet theatres, known internationally for its innovation and excellence. Each year the programs of the theatre serve over 110,000 children and adults. The company was originally founded in Hawaii in 1971 by Reg and Janet Bradley and relocated to the Portland/Vancouver area in 1973. Tears of Joy Theatre has received a Washington State Governor’s Arts Award and a Young Audiences Sunburst Award for its “exemplary commitment to arts in education.” Four of the theatre’s productions have received American puppetry’s highest honor, The Citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from UNIMA-USA. Portland Magazine named Tears of Joy Theatre “Best Kids Theatre – 2012.”

Imago Theatre

17 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 231-9581

Do Jump!- Family Workshop

The Do Jump School is a non-profit physical theater school that offers classes, camps and workshops in trapeze, creative movement, physical theater, acrobatics, aerial dance, juggling and more to students of all ages and skill levels.

Students gain confidence, strength and grace in a cooperative, creative and fun environment! Our amazing staff of professional performers, acrobats and aerialists encourages students to explore their own imaginations while working together with others to solve problems and create unique physical theater productions. Through play-based learning, we emphasize student strengths & create an environment where the outcome of learning is less important than the process of discovery.

Offerings include Baby Circus, Aerial Yoga, Teen Aerial Dance, Partner Acrobatics, Aerial Tissu, Lyra, Home School, Performance Groups, Physical Theater, Trapeze and much more! Ages 1 – 100!

Classes take place at the Echo Theater in SE and the Multnomah Arts Center in SW.

Sundays, January 26 and February 23, 1:30-2:45pm
Swing, tumble, and explore physical theater with your kids, parents, and friends!
This workshop will include acrobatics, aerial apparatus, physical theater, and FUN for all ages and all skill levels!
Workshop fees are $15 per person, with a 10% discount for each additional family member.

Do Jump! ECHO THEATER COMPANY
Where: 1515 SE 37th Ave Portland OR 97214
Phone: 503-231-1232
Email: hello@echotheaterpdx.org
echotheaterpdx.org

Apple Puff Pancakes

I saw this recipe recently and almost died! It looks so delicious and awesome, my son especially loves all the apples in this. Now, it's really simple to make so don't feel over whelmed! Your kids will help make this too so I tried to break down the directions in an easy to understand manner. Just remember to experiment and have some fun!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium-sized apples
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 lemon
• powdered sugar or maple syrup to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
2. In a medium bowl, crack eggs.
3. Beat lightly and then mix in milk and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking in.
6. Continue to mix until everything is well blended.
7. Cut apples into thin slices and toss with juice from half a lemon.
8. In a 10″ ovenproof skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
9. Add 3/4 of the apple slices in a single layer to the pan. Allow to cook for 60 seconds.
10. Pour the batter over the apple slices, covering them completely.
11. Take the remaining 1/4 of the slices and arrange on the top layer.
12. Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake at 450° F for 15-20 minutes until brown and puffed.
13. Remove from the oven, cut into wedges and serve. Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar, if desired.

Home Made Fruit Roll Ups

Kids like fruit snacks. There. I said it. I mean, really, what kid doesn't? I, however, don’t like buying them. We do purchase a few select varieties and kinds of fruit snacks, whenever I find some on sale for a really good deal (the ones without all the additives and crud).

So, in an effort to appease the very picky yet adorable little boy, we started making fruit roll-ups for snack times (and later, for school lunches). It’s really just fruit leather that’s been spread a bit thinner before sucking the moisture out of it and rolled so that it resembles the popular snacks. If pumpkin pie isn’t your thing, check back for some different recipe ideas or just get a little creative. Add in strawberries to the mix. Perhaps your Thanksgiving flavor is cranberries, a few cooked in and strained will work perfectly to give these a tangy cranberry sauce flavor.


Ingredients

• Apples
• Lemon juice
• Honey
• Pumpkin (canned or fresh)
• Buckwheat Honey spice
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• All spice

Directions

To start, we make applesauce. Really good applesauce. 

1. Apples, water, lemon juice and a bit of honey simmered until soft and breaking down into a sauce.
2. Then really blend and make your applesauce smooth and silky.
3. If your using canned pumpkin, add it to the apples and blend again. 
• If not, soften the pumpkin meat, then blend it down til it resembles baby food and then add to the applesauce.
4. For the spices I went with buckwheat honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
5. Spread the fruit out on parchment or silicon mats. (I’ve taken to using parchment because then I don’t need to transfer the rolls.) The parchment does buckle a bit as it gets wet from the fruit, but it doesn’t affect the ability to roll or eat, so I don’t mind.
6. Into the oven it goes to bake…err, dehydrate.
7. Keep the oven at a low temp.
8. Watch closely so they don't burn.
9. When they’re dry (but not too dry), roll and cut into servings.

And impress your kids with your craftiness. No joke, the neighbor kids ran through the yard saying wonderful things about my cooking as they ate their pumpkin pie fruit rolls. I’m nowhere close to even being in the running for best mom ever, but every inch counts, right? ;)

Easy Home Made Lightsabers

I don't know anyone who hasn't made lightsaber noises while playing with noodles in the pool, and now with some duct tape and about five minutes, you can make your pool noodles look just like a lightsaber!


Materials

• Pool Noodle
• Silver Duct Tape
• Black Electrical Tape

Directions

1. Cut your pool noodles in half. Scissors won't really work, but a sharp knife, or even a small saw will get the job done.
2. Wrap the bottom of your pool noodle in silver duct tape. You're trying to cover the bottom fourth or so of the noodle.
3. Wrap three rings of black electrical tape around the top of the silver tape. 
4. Take two pieces of black tape and stick them to the bottom of the tape like this. 
5. Now you have a super cool pool noodle lightsaber!

May the force be with you!

Hanging Ladybugs

Ahhh, summer breezes, playing outside, soaking up the sunshine and… ladybugs! These fun ladybugs are full of color and a great way to dress up a birthday party, a child’s bedroom, or even a back porch. Watch them twirl in the breeze on a warm summer day.

Materials

• construction paper, various colors
• pencil
• something round for tracing (jar, can, etc)
• scissors
• black craft paint
• small round spouncer
• paintbrush
• 8 medium wiggle eyes for each ladybug
• string
• white craft glue
• hot glue gun (optional but recommended)

Directions

1. You will need two construction paper circles for each ladybug. Cut construction paper into 4.5″ squares. Stack two squares on top of each other and trace around something round to create your circle. I used a small can of paint.
2. Holding the stacked paper together, cut the circles out of the paper.
3. Still holding the two circles together, cut a slit from one edge of the circle up into the middle of the circle.
4. Use as many colors as you like. I used pink, red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple.
5. Place one of the circle onto a piece of scrap paper. Paint a section for the ladybug’s head, overlapping the paint brush onto the scrap paper. This will give you a guide to use for all the remaining circles.
6. For each pair of circles, you will paint a head at the opposite end of each one. So for the first one, line up the slit you cut so that it points directly downward and paint the head at the top, the end of the slit is the bottom. For the other circle, turn it the opposite direction so that the slit is at the top and paint the head there. This will ensure that your “heads” line up together.
7. Use the small spouncer dipped in black paint to add the ladybug’s spots. Set each one out to dry and continue painting until all are done. Let them dry before turning the over and repeating this process on the other side.
8. Take the two circles and line up the slits. Insert them into each other. The heads should line up as shown. Now lay them out flat and glue wiggle yes onto head, one on each side. Don’t put the eyes too close together. Farther apart is better. You will need eyes on every section. There are 4 sections.
9. Run a thin line of hot glue where the slits intersect to connect them together. Cut a piece of string and glue it in with the slits.

Now you are ready to hang your twirling ladybugs!

Dyeing Flowers

Kids may know flowers drink water but they don't necessarily see it. Now they can with this experiment that has daisies turning colors right before their eyes.

All you need is some fresh cut white flowers, watery dyes, a vase (or vases), and water!

It'll take a while for the dye to reach to flower petals but it is so pretty to see and not to mention awesome to watch as the dye slowly creeps up to the tips of the petals! Your kids will love to watch these flowers, I know mine did. My son would point out when ever the color started to creep higher up the petals.

Home Made Lunch Pack Smoothies

It really is an art, this freezer smoothie business. Offering kids a break from the more traditional school lunch fare, a batch of freezer smoothies are easy to make ahead. I like filling the freezer with one or two varieties and adding them in to sparse lunches or towards the end of the week when packable produce in the house is running low.

Fruit- and vegetable-packed smoothies can also be a great way to offer the last season’s produce that you have stashed away in your freezer, too. This means all those berries you picked and froze or peaches you stashed have new purpose. Also, you may want to add to your collection if you have the room.


Here are a few tips for successful smoothie making-

• Freezer smoothies work best when they are extra thick – bananas, oats, and yogurt can help aid in this. Keep your solid-to-liquid ratio at about 4:1. Going into the container the mixture should be thick and scoopable if you’re making them with frozen fruit.
• Fill half-pint mason jars or freezer cups three-quarters full with the smoothie mixture. Then cover and freeze until completely solid, up to three months. Tuck the frozen smoothie into an insulated lunch bag with a small cold pack. Before eating, shake thoroughly.
• Fill ice cube trays with the smoothie mixture and freeze solid. Pop the smoothie ice cubes out and store in airtight containers in the freezer until ready to use. When packing lunch, prep a thermal container with ice water for 10 minutes. Pour the ice water out and add in the smoothie ice cubes until full. Seal the container and pack in your lunch. Shake thoroughly before enjoying.

All you do is just make a basic smoothie and then pop it into some ice cube trays, put it in the freezer, and have at it when ever your ready. Kids will love helping to make this (especially to eat the left overs). Remember to just have some fun!

Easy Flowery Glass

I can't get enough of this idea for making stained glass out of fresh flower petals -- absolutely gorgeous! To get started on your own bright and beautiful summer stained glass, you'll only need a whopping two supplies: contact paper and flowers. (That's truly it!) Simply let your little youngsters add various flower petals, pieces, leaves, and other pretty plants to the contact paper, apply it to the glass and voila -- you've got yourself some petal-perfect seasonal decorations.

The best part is that it's easy to do and clean up. If you get tired of your design, just take it down and put up a new one!

Flower and Herb Ice Cubes

This is a fun and deliciously awesome little recipe for your kids and you to do together. It's so simple and beautiful to look at while your sipping on lemonade or some ice tea.

All you have to do is add your choice of either herbs or flowers to your ice cubes (before freezing of course).

My favorite is to add some mint into my ice for my tea. It's yummy and pretty. My son prefers to use little purple or red flowers, he thinks their soooooo cute. : )

Delicious Fruit Salad

Do you have a hard time getting your kids to eat fruits? OR are there certain fruits your little ones just won't touch? Here's a good recipe for you! I love to make this for myself when I'm struggling to eat certain fruits by covering it up with fruits I like.


Ingredients

• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Bananas (lots of bananas)
• Kiwis
• Oranges

Directions

1. Cut everything up to the size of your thumb
2. Mix it all together
3. Let it set for atleast two to three hours to let the juices mix. 
4. Enjoy! (Mix in a little whip cream if it's still too much for you or them, who can say no to whip cream?)

Chicken Vegetable Soup

For those who like to keep things kosher, this is a good recipe for you! It's delicious, straight forward, simple, and freaking delicious! Have fun making this with your little ones and they'll have a great time digging in!

I am giving you here a variation my mother lives on almost daily — chicken soup as a meal: Nothing gets discarded. It’s the best! If you would rather use chicken breasts, then add 1∕3 cup olive oil to the pot.


Ingredients

• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 large bunch dill, fronds and stems
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 8 ribs celery, peeled
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 large parsnip
• 1 large turnip
• 1 large zucchini
• 12 chicken thighs, skins off
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 2 good pinches saffron
• 5-6 bay leaves, or 1 tsp. ground
• Salt to taste

Note: For a nicer presentation, take out the thighs, discard the bones, dice the meat, and return to the pot. Or simply use boneless thighs: Your butcher will do it for you.

Directions

1. Put three quarts (12 cups) water to boil in a large pot.
2. While water is heating, coarsely grind the onion, dill, parsley and celery in a food processor.
3. Throw the ground mixture in the pot.
4. Grate all vegetables in a food processor, and add to the soup with all remaining ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered one hour.
7. Adjust texture and seasonings.

Enjoy!

Potato Stamps!

Tools and Materials

All you need is potatoes, small cookie cutters ( any shapes you want), craft paint, a small pairing knife, and any type of paper you want to stamp.

Slice the potato in half and then push the cookie cutters into the potato but don't remove them!

Now you'll use the pairing knife to cut the potato, poking in far enough so the knife hits the cookie cutter. This creates a really cool raised shape of the stamp.

Now, before you put paint on your potato, if you want to use different colors on your stamp then you need to grab a piece of paper and spread the paint til you make the color design you want. Dip the potato into the paint and.... THERE YOU GO!!!!

Healthier Hot Chocolate

The trick to making this hot chocolate is to embrace the French style of creamy hot chocolate instead of the American method. Stateside we tend to make hot chocolate by mixing dried cocoa powder and sugar with milk. But in France they make it my melting real chocolate and vigorously combining it with hot milk. To make this at home I melt chocolate squares with a drop of peppermint extract and whisk the silky chocolate syrup right into the steaming hot milk. Then I serve it up in a bowl wrapped with a dishtowel to prevent burned fingers (!) This year we are taking this special drink right over the top by garnishing it with a candy cane. It is up to you whether you want to do that or not. Either way you’ll love the cozy look and feel of this favorite drink. Not only is it perfect for the holidays, it is just the thing for over-the-top birthday celebrations.

To make this hot chocolate better for you, remember to get real dark chocolate! The closer you get to unprocessed cacao, the healthier t is for you!


Ingredients

• 2 cups 2% milk (use whole milk if you want it richer)
• 5 ounces dark chocolate (about 60% cocoa or higher), very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 or 3 drops Peppermint extract
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the milk to a simmer and stir occasionally until steaming, but not boiling. Do this for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the chocolate, sugar, extract, and pinch of salt and continue to stir over medium heat until the chocolate is completely dissolved. As the chocolate begins to dissolve completely whisk the mixture to create some foamy froth.
3. Pour into cups and enjoy!

Easy Lasagna

Taking advantage of no-boil noodles and already-prepared sauce, this lasagna comes together in minutes -- and without sacrificing any of the deliciousness that makes it such a family favorite. It's a very yummy lasagna and kids love helping to prepare it!


Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce container ricotta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided use
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups of your favorite tomato or meat sauce
• 6 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1/2 pound mozzarella, grated (about 1 1/2 cups; we like Polly-o)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375. Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan (reserve 2 tablespoons for the top), salt, and pepper.
2. Now begin your assembly by spooning a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of an oiled 8- by 8-inch pan. 
3. Lay two of the noodles over the sauce, then spread half of the ricotta mixture over them.
4. Now sprinkle a third of the mozzarella over the ricotta, top with another quarter of the sauce, and repeat (noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce), to make two identical layers. Ideally, one of your children is studying fractions in school, and will be eager to help you figure it all out. Now top with the final two noodles, the final quarter of sauce, the final third of mozzarella, and the reserved tablespoons of parmesan.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10-15, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
6. Allow the lasagna to sit for five or so minutes before cutting and serving.

Sidewalk Paint

Today, I decided to make some sidewalk paint for my son since he keeps using so much chalk (mostly because he wants to make the colors brighter than they are). That's when I found this recipe for sidewalk paint, YES!, made me his favorite parent.

Be sure to use a lot of the paint on the brush for the best color. We'll definitely be doing this again, it's inexpensive, easy peasy, and creative--my kind of fun. Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try.


Supplies

• 1 part cornstarch (1 c.)
• 1 part water (1 c.)
• food coloring (we used neon colors)
• sponge brushes

Directions

1. Mix corn starch and water.
2. Add food coloring and mix.

*I used a muffin tin for extra large muffins to hold the paint. One cup of cornstarch and one cup of water filled them about half way. The paint stretched further than I thought. I also included a sponge brush for each color--just simpler.

Gardening Pots

Now, I am all about arts and crafts projects from stuff we already have at home, but this one made me want to RUN out right away to get the things we needed to buy. Trust me when I say it takes something really special for me to be willing to do that!! Immediately, we all fell in love with the painting technique. I mean, who doesn’t love squeezing stuff out of a bottle? And the layers of colors that slide down the sides of the pot are just mesmerizing!

For our first attempt, we painted 8 small terra cotta pots. I painted them white with indoor/outdoor spray paint first. Then we used acrylic paint in rainbow colors. The next day, I painted the lip and interior with some of the red acrylic paint once the pots were dry enough to be placed upright. I sprayed them with polyurethane after they were completely dried.

I think the pots turned out beautifully, but we did run into a few issues- too much paint, bugs, un-level ground, and smeared paint (with the pots surrounded in a puddle of wet paint, you have to move them once the sides seem dry. Unfortunately for us, even though the sides felt dry to me, I managed to get fingerprints or smear the paint on several of our pots).

Flying Cat Coffee

Thursday and Sunday mornings are specifically for kids at this coffee house around 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

These mornings are call Mommy (or daddy), me, and lattes. While we parents get to relax, the kids get to hang out with their featured artists. During intermissions, there's a nice variety of yummy and healthy food and drinks for kids to choose from.

They also have a nice colorful space designed just for kids to play and eat. It's filled with toys, books, and kiddie sized furniture!

Flying Cat Coffee

3041 SE Division St

Portland, OR 97202

Portland Children's Museum

This museum is a partner in Arts for All, a program that allows a $5 admission to Oregon Trail cardholders.

For those with out Oregon trail or do not have $5, the Museum has free admission (thanks to their partnership with Target) on the first Friday of every month from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

If you fall in love with this Museum than you might want to apply for the Family Access Membership they have. It is a $10 year long membership for families with low income.
                -For more info., click here!

Glow in the dark Jellyfish

My son has been fascinated with jellyfish since seeing some on TV when he was 2 years old. Together we crafted casting-free variety out of paper bowls, yarn and glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint. Would you like to learn how?


Materials

• heavy-weight paper bowls
• white yarn
• glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint (we used FolkArt and Martha Stewart brands)
• paint brushes and painting supplies
• scissors
• zipper sandwich bags
• skewer or sharp pencil

Directions

1. Paint the bowl inside and out. Use two or more coats of paint for a brighter "glow".
2. For the tentacles, cut 10 - 12 pieces of yarn approximately 36 inches in length. Place them in a zipper sandwich bag with several squirts of glow paint and seal the bag.
3. Squish! Squish! Squish! until the yarn is completely covered, adding more paint if necessary. If the paint is too thick, add a little water to the bag.
4. Hang the yarn to dry.
5. At the center of the bowl, punch two holes about 0.5 inch apart using a skewer or sharp pencil. 
6. Cut a piece of yarn approximately 40 inches long. Thread it through the two holes so that both ends come out the bottom of the bowl.
7. From the inside of the bowl, pull the yarn up to form a small loop. Thread the tentacles through and roughly center them under the loop.
8. Flip the bowl, pull the yarn taut and tie a double knot.
9. Back on the inside, grasp the tentacles as one bunch and tie a single knot.
10. The frilly appendages flanking the mouths of some types of jellyfish are called oral arms. To recreate these, unravel a few pieces of yarn that hang close to the center of the bunch.
11. Charge your jellyfish creation in bright light for at least 30 minutes. Turn out the lights and enjoy its luminous glow!

Classic Mac and Cheese Casserole

Is there a more beloved kid's dinner than macaroni and cheese? Combining two of the most kid-welcomed food stuffs -- pasta and cheese -- mac and cheese rarely requires moms to cajole, persuade or bribe their kids to eat at mealtime. Is it the healthiest dinner choice? Of course not. Would I recommend serving it more than once a week? Probably not. But when made well, perhaps with some veggies thrown in, mac & cheese is certainly a far better meal option than say, a Happy Meal.

Whenever my mom made mac and cheese, which wasn't often, it was cause for celebration in our house. The first smell of it cooking away in the oven would make my entire day. She lovingly made her's with tons of hand-grated cheddar and baked it until bubbly, golden and mouthwateringly delicious.

There are several different macaroni and cheese recipes to choose from but if you're feeding a crowd and want a more classic take on this dish, this recipe is spot on!


Ingredients

• Mac and Cheese
• 1 pound elbow macaroni (you can also use campanelle, cavatappi, or shells)
• 4 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons flour

Topping

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Preheat oven to 400° F.
3. Cook pasta in salted water* for about 3 minutes less than package directions call for, until al dente, reserving half a cup of the pasta water.
4. In a large pot melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking continuously over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes to make a roux.
5. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce is gently bubbling and starting to thicken.
7. Add reserved pasta water and cheddar cheese and whisk until melted.
8. Stir in the pasta.
9. Transfer to a greased 13″ x 9″ baking dish.**
10. Sprinkle topping on macaroni and cheese.
11. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbling. Serve hot.

Marble Balance Game

Here, speed and balance go hand in hand to create an action-packed marble relay. It's a great way to keep kids entertained. This game can have at least 4 or more players.


Materials

• Cardboard tubes, such as paper towel or wrapping paper tubes
• Scissors
• Marble

Directions

1. To get started: Cut the cardboard tubes into equal-length troughs, one for each player (ours were approximately 1 foot long).
2. Have players line up 2 to 3 feet apart.

To play this game, the first person in line sets the marble on one end of his trough, then, without touching the marble, rolls it the length of his tube and into the next player's (it's okay if troughs touch). That player passes the marble to the next, and so on. As each player passes the marble, he moves to the end of the line, eventually catching the marble again and passing it on. If someone drops the marble, he's out and the marble goes back to the beginning of the line. Whoever's left is the winner. 

For larger groups, divide the players into 2 teams. Give each team a marble and have them race to pass it around the group 3 times. If a team drops their marble, they must start all over again.

Healthy Banana Salad

A quick-to-mix peanut butter dressing makes the perfect complement to this whimsical combination of greens, bananas, and berries.


Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas, sliced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup sliced strawberries or raspberries
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

PEANUT BUTTER DRESSING

• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla or plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Directions

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and process the mixture until smooth.
2. In a small glass bowl, gently toss the banana slices in the lemon juice to keep the fruit from browning.
3. Divide the lettuce among four serving dishes and then top it with the bananas and berries. Drizzle peanut dressing over each salad and garnish with chopped peanuts. Serves 4.

Meatballs

A three-meat combo gives these morsels great flavor and texture. Their made-from-scratch appeal is boosted even more when you grind your own meat at home, which is amazingly easy and fast in a food processor (see the tip below). Eat 'em right away by tossing warm meatballs with your favorite barbecue sauce and serve them on toasted sandwich rolls with a side of coleslaw or freeze 'em for later by arranging cooled meatballs evenly spaced on a baking sheet and freeze them for 20 minutes. If you transfer them to ziplock freezer bags and store them for up to three months.


Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian herb seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup fine or panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until well incorporated. Try not to overmix!
3. Pinch off a teaspoon or so of the meat mixture and gently roll it into a 1-inch ball.
4. Repeat, arranging the balls 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets.
5. Bake the meatballs until lightly browned and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Apple Tart

With a shortbread crust, a cheesecakelike filling, and a delicately spiced apple topping, this elegant tart tastes divine and is a blast for kids to prepare. Our kid testers said arranging the apples in circles was "the best part." Now this recipe is a lil longer than my normal ones but it's so delicious that I had to add it!


Ingredients
CRUST:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• FILLING:
• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• TOPPING:
• 5 to 6 firm apples, peeled, cored,and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

GLAZE:

• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

• To make the crust, stir the flour and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl. Have your child pinch and squeeze the butter into the flour with his fingertips until the butter pieces are pea-size. Transfer the crumbly mixture into an 11-inch tart pan and spread it evenly around the pan. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze while you prepare the filling.
• Next, make the cream cheese filling. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and egg until they are light and smooth. Beat in the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Set aside.
• Heat the oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, toss the apple slices with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the chilled tart shell. Then, beginning on the outside edge, arrange the apples on top of the filling in overlapping circles. Pour any remaining juices from the bowl over the apples, then dot with the butter.
• Bake the tart for about 1 hour or until the juices bubble and the apples turn tender. If the crust and apples begin to brown, cover the tart with the foil during the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove and cool.
• To make the glaze, stir the apricot jam and water in a small saucepan over medium- high heat. Let the glaze boil for 1 to 2 minutes or until it becomes translucent and thin. Strain the glaze to remove any lumps. Then use a pastry brush to carefully paint the tart with the shiny glaze.
• Serve the tart warm on its own -- or with ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftovers, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Serves 8 to 10.

Window Snow

Have a child who just loves the snow but is sad that its going away? Try and make some of these for their window! Let the sun shine in through a few of these glittery window clings. They stick to glass and plastic but, unlike real snow, they are easy to remove!


Materials

• Paper and pencil
• Cookie sheet
• Waxed paper
• Dimensional fabric paint (we used Scribbles brand in Glittering Crystal)

Directions

1. Draw a snowflake template (small, compact designs work best)
2. Lay the template faceup on the cookie sheet and cover it with the waxed paper.
3. Using a thin line of the fabric paint (approximately 1/8-inch wide), trace the snowflake design on the waxed paper as shown, making sure all of the paint lines connect. 
4. Let the window cling dry overnight, then carefully peel it from the waxed paper.

Home Made Drum

Kids love music and banging on pots, pans, and plastic containers. Combine their creativity with their musical talent by making this adorable homemade drum. To take this project to the next level, poke a hole on each side of the coffee can before you begin. After pasting on the construction paper, find the holes and poke through, then thread a long piece of cord or yarn through both sides to create a band to go around your kids neck. Secure the ends by tying then together inside the can then complete the project. The colors chosen for this project are optional; make your drum personal by letting your kids choose their own colors! Be absolutely sure that you allow the project to dry completely (overnight is best) before playing your drum. If you don't allow enough time, the drumsticks may fall apart.

Materials

• Aluminum coffee can with plastic lid
• 2 sheets yellow construction paper
• 1 sheet tan felt
• ½ sheet magenta felt
• Magenta yarn
• 1 rubber band
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• White craft glue
• 2 wooden dowels
• 2 small foam balls
• Blue yarn

Directions
Drum

1. Remove lid from coffee can and set aside for a later step.
2. Cover the side of the can with yellow construction paper. Use glue stick to apply glue all over construction paper then press on to the coffee can.
3. Using the white craft glue, "draw" diagonal lines onto the yellow construction paper. Start at the bottom, go up at a slant to the top, and then go down from there at a slant, creating a triangle. Continue this pattern all the way around the can.
4. Using magenta colored yarn, follow the glue lines and apply to the can. Do not cut the yarn into pieces; simply follow the lines, gently pressing the yarn into the glue as you go. Cut only once at the end.
5. Lay tan felt on the work surface.
6. Pipe white glue around and on the top of the plastic lid.
7. Place the plastic lid upside down in the center of the tan felt.
8. Use scissors to trim around the plastic lid, leaving a 1-2" border.
9. Place the felt-covered plastic lid onto the coffee can and secure.
10. Wrap the rubber band around the coffee can, securing the tan felt border to the side of the can. Gently pull the felt tight so that the top is smooth.
11. Cut two ½-inch wide strips from the magenta felt, enough to go around the coffee can at the bottom as well as at the top, around the tan felt, covering the rubber band. Glue in place with white craft glue.

Drumsticks

1. Gently insert the end of a dowel into the foam ball. If you press too hard and the dowel goes through, just glue it back together.
2. Remove the dowel, and then add some white glue to the hole. Reinsert the dowel.
3. Cover the foam ball with white glue and wrap blue yarn around it until the ball is completely covered. (See image.)
4. Put some glue on the dowel just below the ball and wrap some excess yarn around it. Trim and smooth in place with your fingers, be sure the end of the yarn isn't sticking out.
5. Allow everything to dry before playing your new drum!

Kitty Nose

This craft is really the cat's meow... There are so many fun uses for an egg carton in art-- this project may be the most darling! An egg carton becomes an adorable little cat nose with pipe-cleaner whiskers. (A kitty cat was my friends daughter's animal of choice--however, this craft could also be adapted to make bunny or puppy snouts, too!)


Materials

• egg carton
• paint
• buttons
• glue
• pipe cleaners (1)
• hole puncher

Directions

1. Cut or tear off an individual egg piece from the egg carton. 
2. Punch two holes in each side of the nose. After you have all four holes, your child can paint it their color of choice.
3. Once the paint is dry, glue on a button to make the perfect little kitty nose.
4. Cut the pipe cleaner in half and have your child thread and twist a half on each side for the whiskers. Tie a piece of yarn through one hole on each side. This will be the tie that goes around your child's head to hold the nose in place.
5. Their kitty nose is now ready to be worn! 

My friends daughter loved pretending she was a cat all afternoon with her new kitty nose. This project is great for a costume--or just a fun afternoon of pretend play!

Home made Veggie Soup

This is the perfect soup to prepare for those who are sick or those who are just not having a very good day. It does takes about an hour and a half to make but it's worth it. This is a warming, hearty, and simple recipe that turns all your odds and ends of winter vegetables into a giant pot of nourishing soup. You can prep the veggies in order as the soup cooks, and if you don't have any stale bread to add, you can do without — but it does lend the soup a satisfying robustness. Let your kids add their own cheese and a splash of olive oil from a small pitcher: they'll love feeling involved in their dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 large bunch chard, washed well
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound potatoes, diced (peel them if you like)
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 small green cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes with their liquid
• 2 14-ounce cans of chickpeas with their liquid
• 6 cups water
• 4 or 5 1/2-inch slices of baguette (or the equivalent amount of another crusty bread)
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. 
2. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon of salt and sauté, stirring occassionally while you prepare the chard.
3. Pull the leaves off the chard stems, finely slice the stems and add them, along with the garlic, to the pot. 
4. Stack and bunch the leaves, sliver them into fine ribbons, and set them aside.
5. Prepare the remaining vegetables in order -- potatoes, carrots, cabbage -- adding each to the pot and continuing to sauté them as you go.
6. Add the chard last, and when all the vegetables are wilted in the pot, add the paprika and stir for a minute or so.
7. Now add the tomatoes with their liquid, the chickpeas with their liquid, the water, and another 2 teaspoons of salt and turn up the heat. When the pot boils, turn the heat down and simmer the soup gently for 40 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, toast the bread in a 350º F oven for 10 minutes, until it is dry to the touch. Tear the bread into small pieces and sprinkle the vinegar over it.
9. After the soup has cooked, stir in the bread (reserve some for garnish if you like), turn off the heat, and leave it for 15 minutes.
10. Stir again, taste for salt, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a grating of fresh parmesan.