Polar Animal Snacks!

The past couple of weeks we have shared a lot of cold weather fun!  All of the activities, crafts, and printables can be used with this unit too, but I figured since its been awhile we might feature some snacks with a polar theme.  Here are a couple of cute ones I found that you might want to try out with your kiddo!

This cute Polar Bear is made of Ice Cream!  Check out Snacks and Stories for all the details!  She even lists some book ideas for you to read while you snack!  What teaching mommy wouldn’t love that!

 

 

I saw a lot of these guys when I did a search.  They look really cute but also super easy and not very messy to make!  This link from MCLSkids has good instructions for you! 

 

 

 

Ok, how cute are these???  Those Family Fun folks are so darn creative!  And they involve peppermint patties, a personal favorite!  YAY!  We will likely make these and share the wealth with some friends and neighbors! 

 

 

I love letting E help me in the kitchen, and I know its something she enjoys too!  So tie on those aprons and get in the kitchen to make some messes and some memories with your tot!  

In the Kitchen-Pumpkins!

As we were prepping ideas for this week doing something in the kitchen came to mind.  Pumpkins are great for carving and decorating, but they are also great for cooking. 

Now, I am not going to go out there and buy a pumpkin and make something from scratch!  So I went out and bought this:

I had the kit, and a very willing helper:

But I neglected to get:

and

Something is wrong in my head guys.  Who forgets MAIN ingredients for a recipe?   What is worse is I didn’t even realize I was missing ingredients until we were ready and prepping in the kitchen!  E was in her apron and READY TO GO!  Gees…..

Now, you too can go out and get your Libby’s Pumpkin Bread Kit and let your kiddo help you out in the kitchen, or you can try one of these other fun Pumpkin themed recipes!

You can try this Pumpkin Cookie recipe from All Recipes.  Let the kiddos pour in the ingredients and stir some!  The reviews say they turn out more like cakes, but they still look yummy!

Ok, so Libby’s also has these EASY pumpkin cupcakes on their site.  They have cream cheese frosting….YUM!  If you kiddo isn’t old enough to help bake, you make these in advance and let decorate with Fall sprinkles!

Whatever you do, I think letting your kiddo be involved in the kitchen is the big thing.  That is the main goal, and I hope these ideas help you get there!

Kids in the Kitchen-Apples!

This week E and I got into the kitchen to make some tasty apple snacks!  E loves to help me in the kitchen, so I love when we can make snacks that I don’t involve cooking, and neither of these do! 

First we made Squirmy Wormy Apples! 

You will need:

• An Apple
• Peanut Butter
• Gummy Worms (veto your kids and skip the neon sour worms!)

Directions: Pierce an apple with a straw or a skewer (we used a blunt chopstick).  Cut the apple in half and dig out the seeds and core. 

Fill in the center of the apple with the peanut butter.  Add a gummy worm and put the two halves back together.  How simple is that?!
 

We made this snack, too. It is a variation on these Apple Cartwheels that I found. 
I would have loved to try this version, but I didn’t have all of the ingredients, so I used what I had, which was….

• An Apple
• Peanut Butter
• Walnuts
• A Hershey Kiss (yes, one lonely Hershey Kiss from the depths of my pantry)

Directions: Core the apple and cut it into discs.  Spoon peanut butter into the core opening.  Using a cheese grater, grate the Hershey kiss over the apple.  Sprinkle with some walnut pieces. 

This was seriously good. I have no doubt that I will make this again, and it was SUPER easy.  E and I both enjoyed our snacks, so let us know if you make them too! 

Treasure Hunt!

Yo ho ye who be reading the blog!  This week be all about me hearties, those seafaring scavengers, PIRATES!  Arrgh!  (this all must be read with a Pirate accent or I sound ridiculous)

At first we were just going to have a quick little family time with a snack and a movie, but, this theme just offers TOO MUCH FUN!  So, while little E took her afternoon nap I put together this treasure map, which I made on some brown construction paper and then “aged” by crumpling and singing some of the edges with a match. 

I made our map based off our house, and when E woke up we put on her pirate hat (I made hers) and we unrolled her map.

 

We followed the directions to her treasure, which happened to be a copy of Veggie Tales: The Pirates who Don’t Do Anything.

           

Based on photographic evidence I think its safe to say it kept her attention! 

As a family we also snacked on these cute pirate themed snacks that I found over at Little Page Turners.  All you need to put them together are some bananas, a couple of strawberries, some chocolate chips and some cookie icing.  Easy peasy and super cute, (tasty, too!)

If you would like to have your own pirate fun, and you aren’t too crafty, you can download this pirate hat template and let the kiddos make their own before you watch your movie as a family!  

Have a great family night!

S’more Ideas for You!

Ok, so pardon the lame pun!  You’ll have to forgive me because this week I am chaperoning a youth trip to church camp…nothing like multi-tasking, ay?  It seems only appropriate that our theme for the week would be camping! 

Now in my house, when I think camping, I think s’mores.  They kind of go together!  Now, unless your willing to pitch a tent in and light a campfire in your backyard, you might want some ideas on how you can re-invent this fun camping treat. 

Might I suggest these yummy recipes that take the classic S’more combo and add a twist! 

Let us know if you make any of the yummy recipes, or if you have one of your own! 

Family Night-Ice Cream

Apparently the 2 Teaching Mommies have been thinking with our tummies during our last few brainstorming sessions!  This weeks theme is…

ICE CREAM!  Whoo Hoo! 

Now our little family is kind of in the midst of a big move.  Oh, if you only knew how long this move has been taking, but that is another story for another time.  Little E has been in some understandable distress during our time of transition, so this simple little family night was so needed for her!  

We made simple Ice Cream sundaes.  We could have gone all out….but we didn’t. 

We just got some ice cream, some waffle bowls, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup. 

We spooned some in a bowl for E, and then we let her decorate it with sprinkles and syrup.  We didn’t do anything else.  We sat at a little card table in our empty little kitchen and ate ice cream.  We laughed, we teased, and we just had a good time.

Mommies, never underestimate the impact these simple little activities have on your kiddos.  E slept better after our family night than she had in a long time, and while she could have been in a sugar coma, I think its much more likely that this family night reassured her during our big move. 

You don’t have to go all out, just have a good time, love on your kiddos, and enjoy your time! 

Popsicles!

Our summer break has started here at 2 Teaching Mommies, but never fear!  We’re still going to be posting some ideas to keep the learning fun going all summer long (if you choose to engage in learning fun this summer!) 

This Friday we’ll be posting some fun activities revolving around that favorite summertime treat, POPSICLES!

Now, popsicles are something that you can make easily at home, and you know how we love an activity the whole family can get involved in.  So, sometime between the sunblock and swimming pool, hop into the cool of your kitchen and try whipping up some of these kid friendly pops!

Try these Homemade Strawberry Jell-O pops from Mommy’s Kitchen! Don’t they look fantastic?!  Check out Family Fun for this recipe to make Patriotic Pops!

 And, if you just want a simple, quick and easy pop, try these Kool-Aid pops from Kraft Foods.

If you, like me, are in need of a mold other than an ice cube tray or a paper cup, you can check out these at Amazon!

Have fun!

 

Ant Bites & Movie Night

This week we are learning all about Ants, so we had to make this oldie but goodie for our movie snack…Ants on a Log.

This snack can be made in several ways.  You can switch out the raisins for cranraisins, the peanut butter with cream cheese and/or the celery sticks with apple slices.   We went the traditional route.

Here is what you’ll need:  celery peanut butter raisins plastic knife if child is making them

Since you don’t really need step by step instructions I thought I would show how Lil’man created these by himself (with a little help from me):

Step 1:	Step 2:
He spread peanut butter into the celery.	Then he added raisins on top.
Step 3:	Step 4:
He made a few more.	Then he finally got to eat his creation! (He is such a poser!)

To end the night we watched a movie.  Below are a few movie suggestions.  If you have any others, please share in the comments.

Movie Ideas:

• Below you’ll find some possible movie ideas to fit our theme. 
• Use your discretion on what is appropriate for your child.  These movies are merely suggestions and you should read and consider reviews of these movies before watching them.
• Be sure and check Netflix if you have an instant streaming option.