Handprints

I read these two quotes, and it gave me something to think about:

"It happens before you know it. The handprints get higher and higher and then they disappear"

"Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small"

How To Keep a Handprint

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• Food coloring
• Ribbon
• Gold marker
• Wax paper

What to do:

1. Add food coloring to the water. I use pink for girls, blue for boys.
2. Mix all ingredients well, kneading until smooth. Dough should be pretty stiff, not soft or runny or it will fill with air bubbles when baking.
3. Form dough into a ball, of about what you can enclose in your two hands, and form into a round smooth ball.
4. Using a rolling pin with the dough on wax paper, roll out into
   as round of a circle as you can. Dough will be about 1/2 inch thick.
5. Press your child's hand with fingers splayed into the dough.
   Depending on child's age, you will have to help and individually press their fingers. Make sure to press deep enough without going completely to the bottom. (When it bakes it tends to raise the handprint up.)
6. Put on a cookie sheet.
7. Use a chop stick or pencil, etc. to make two holes in the top about 1/2 inch apart. This will be used to string the ribbon through.
8. Bake at 200 degrees for about 2-3 hours. Dough should be
   fairly hard but watch to see that it doesn't burn.
9. When they are done and cooled, use a gold marker pen and write the child's name and date (year). I put the child's name on top and the year on bottom, if there is room. If not, I put name on one side and year on one side. I tie a ribbon at the top (blue or pink - or gold) to use as a loop to hang.

Mother's day is coming up. One idea is to make this for Grandma's.
Here is a poem for Grandma's

I miss you when we're not together
I'm growing up so fast
See how big I've gotten
Since you saw me last?
As I grow, I'll change a lot,
The years will fly right by.
You'll wonder how I grew so quick
When and where and why?
So look upon this handprint (these handprints)
That's hanging on your wall.
And memories will come back of me,
When I was very small.

Fun TIps

I have found that I don't always have all the items that I need to entertain my little one. So I have started a Fun Box. When I find random Pom-poms, or scraps of fabric, I toss it into the box. I also Keep things like Paper towel rolls, or Toilet paper rolls, (Great fun with these!!) Any thing I think I can use. And when I find a good activity, I put it in a notebook. So when I have to have something to do, I just open my book, and EVERYTHING I need is right there!

Good Luck!

Pipe Cleaner Creations

TO MAKE PEOPLE

What you Need:

	4 yellow pipe cleaners
	Googly eyes
	Pencil
	Fingernail clippers
	Glue

How To:

1. Make a V with a pipe cleaner and twist a small loop at the top.





2. Twist together the two ends a few times to make the torso.






3. Coil another pipe cleaner around a pencil.






4. Slide the coil onto the torso.






5. Clip a pipe cleaner in half and slide one half through the loop.






6. Bundle a pipe cleaner around a pencil and stick it on the loop to make a head.





7. Make loops at the ends of the arms and legs for hands and feet.






8. Glue on googly eyes and pipe cleaner accessories: hair (a C-shaped snippet of brown), a necktie (looped from red) and briefcase (a length of brown bent back and forth).

TO MAKE DUCKS

What you Need:

	4 white pipe cleaners
	1 orange pipe cleaner
	Googly eyes or markers
	Pencil
	Fingernail clippers
	Glue

What to Do:

1. Connect two white pipe cleaners end to end.





2. Bundle the double pipe cleaner around a pencil to make the body. Bundle another white pipe cleaner to make a head.




3. Bend the orange pipe cleaner in half. Thread the folded end into the head and out through the bundle.





4. Thread the body onto the orange pipe cleaner.






5. Bend the ends of the orange pipe cleaner into V-shaped feet. For wings, clip and bend two 3-inch sections of white pipe cleaner.






6. Insert the wings into the body with a dab of glue (if you want) for extra strength. Glue on googly eyes or draw them with a marker.

Need More Ideas?

Go to: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/
In the search box type in Pipe Cleaners
And it will show you how to make TONS of other people, animals, dinos, and Monkeys!!!

(If you have questions on the wording above, or how to do your Pipe Cleaner creations, CLICK HERE There is a wonderful How to Video)

Have Fun!!!

How Deep is the Snow?

I thought this was fun and really cute!

Go to your local Hardware store and pick up some paint stirring sticks.
Have your child paint it
Mark on it inches, so they can see how deep the snow is

If you want you can have them paint the body white, and then using Pom-poms and that foam craft stuff, you can make a snowman on the top. Or any other character you may want!

Home-Made Popsicles

I love cooking with kids! These are fun! And everyone loves a Popsicle! (maybe not this time of year... But they are still fun!)

Creamy Orange Dream
Makes 6 to 8 pops

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 (12-ounce) can partly thawed orange juice concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl, then pour into molds and freeze.

Watermelon Ice
Makes 4 to 5 pops

• You can use a food processor or blender — or just give the kids a spoon and a potato masher; it'll be a little lumpier, but still good.
• 2 1/2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Blend watermelon and sugar until chunky-smooth, then pour into molds and freeze

Blueberry Ice
Makes 6 to 8 pops
Okay, it takes some time at the stove, but the intense flavor is worth it.

• 2 cups (1 pint) fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Stir first 3 ingredients in a pan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until berries have burst, about 5 minutes. Mix in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, then pour into molds and freeze.

Shopping Made Fun!

It can be very hard to go grocery shopping with your little ones. Here is an idea that I thought was brilliant! Help your child make a shopping list! I get in the mail, about 4 different Grocery store ads every week. Just save these, and on Shopping Day, help your little one cut out items that you need, and will be purchasing, and glue or tape to a piece of paper. When you get to the store, make sure your little on has a crayon to mark off their items. And help them search for the items. Give them the opportunity to pick it up off the shelf and put it in the cart!

Plus when your little one asks for some cookies, you can say, "Is it on your list? We only get what we need and have on our lists!" This may reduce the begging for more treats!