Kids Recipes: summer

Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Friday, August 5, 2011

Red - The Summer of Color (Week 6)

I can't believe this is already Week 6 of The Summer of Color challenge. This week's color is red; and I did a couple of things with this color.

First, I made two red window stars. They are made from translucent paper that lets the light shine through so the pattern of the star is revealed.

Two red origami window stars.

The 8-pointed star with the sharp points is folded 9 times per point. With eight points, it is folded 72 times before it is glued together.

The other star I made is folded 19 times per point. With 8 points, it is folded 152 times before being glued together.

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I also made two quilt squares this week. There are twelve squares now...the quilt is coming along.

Two red quilt squares. Seven different fabrics are used for each square

to represent seven days in the week.

As I mentioned last week, I'm using only fabric that I have on hand for the quilt. I'm not purchasing anything new. It's definitely one of the most resouceful, "make do" quilts I've made. Only four more weeks left - or eight quilt squares - before I'm able to start arranging them and laying out the quilt top.

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Although the red isn't as vivid on this little bird as it is on adult robins, it fits the challenge of incorporating something winged into your work (in this case, a quick photo).

I was walking to the garden on Friday afternoon, and a ball of feathers moved on the ground. A baby robin had fallen from its nest.

Baby robin on the ground.

It was quiet for a while, but very curious and eager to be fed.

When I moved the camera a bit closer,

it opened its mouth slowly to be fed.

After a call to the wildlife rehabilitation center, they said that it would be fine to pick up the bird and put it back in the nest if it had not already flown back up to the nest. Birds have a very weak sense of smell, so there's not a problem with the mother rejecting the baby.

By the time I went back outside, the baby bird had flown back into the nest. I felt so lucky to have been able to see the young bird at this stage of its life. Normally, the robin nests are so high and well-protected that the young ones are not visible until they are fully-grown.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Summer Fun - UWIB Blog Hop

This month the Unique Women in Business team is doing a Blog Hop focused on Summer Fun. With temperatures in the 90s (some close to 100 degrees) and dew points in the 70s it feels like it's quite tropical here in Minnesota.

For me, having fun during the summer means having some flexibility to do things I enjoy doing since the homeschooling schedule is a bit more relaxed compared to the September-May time period.

During June and July, I've been able to make new window star patterns. Here's a design that I created recently:

Window star in summer colors.

Window stars are available in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

The window star that is pictured above reminds me of sunsets and sunrises in colors I typically see in the summer. There have been some spectacular ones that have colored the entire sky in shades of these colors. I am always in awe of the incredible natural beauty that surrounds me.

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Today, I was teaching a friend of my daughters how to sew since she wants to learn how to make her own clothes. The first project I had her do was a little bag with an attached tie.

There were no measurements for this pattern - it was simply an idea presented in a book. So I showed her how to estimate and create the dimensions for each of the pieces. By the time she was done sewing her first bag, she had learned some fundamental sewing skills...and felt very happy with what she made.

After seeing the bag (and trying out the pattern I've wanted to do for some time now), I made a couple of bags after she left and changed the proportions slightly.

Two bags that I made.

The bags are a great way to use fabric and ribbon scraps. I've made re-usable gift bags using only one color of fabric for birthdays and Christmas.

As I made these bags, I thought they would be good to use for the girls in their backpacks or when traveling. By making the bags in a variety of different sizes and patterns, one's suitcase, purse, or backpack could be much more organized.

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Last, having fun during the summer means being able to enjoy nature up close. Today I enjoyed watching a bird take a bath in the birdbath in the backyard. For several minutes, it cleaned its feathers...tossing the water in the air and under its wings.

That, in itself, would have made me happy today. But...I woke up this morning and found that two of the butterflies we've been raising since they were caterpillars had emerged from their cocoons.

Around 11:25 a.m., the third butterfly was born and we were able to watch its wings unfold, dry, and be strong enough to fly. What an amazing process!

The girls (and Eenie) watching two of the

newly-born butterflies.

After lunch, we released the butterflies in the backyard. The black tiger swallowtails flew off immediately. One flew right to the purple flowers in the butterfly garden in the backyard where it visited lots of flowers while its wings beat quickly.

The butterfly was flapping its top wings so quickly

(thus, the picture is blurry on the top).

It was such a joy to be able to watch them

change from caterpillars to butterflies during July.

Purple - The Summer of Color (Week 7)

Here it is Week 7 of The Summer of Color challenge. This week's color is one of my favorite ones: purple (another favorite color of mine is green).

When I was growing up, my bedroom was all purple - the walls, the carpet, and even the decorative stenciling at the top of the walls near the ceiling. Anything I made for the room - a quilt, a picture, a pillow - had something purple in it.

Needless to say, I was excited to work with purple this week, and made some window stars. Two of the stars are created from patterns that I have used regularly.

The sun was so bright in the afternoon

which revealed the patterns in each of the window stars.

The third pattern (the star on the bottom in the picture above) is one that I designed a couple weeks ago. I've been playing around with the pattern in different colors (solo and color combinations).

This is the newest pattern that I created.

A bit about the window stars: the translucent paper is cut into small pieces for each of the points. I hand-fold each of the points multiple times and then glue the points together. Once all of the points are attached, the pattern of the star is revealed.

Some of the stars are easy. For example, the star on the upper right has only five folds per point (with ten points, that's 50 folds to make the star).

It took 50 folds to make this star.

Other stars are a bit more complicated. The star on the upper left in the picture above has 10 folds per point. It has 8 points, so that's 80 folds to make the star.

The most complicated star I make has 26 folds per point and 8 points. That's 208 folds to make one window star.

The other project I've been working on for The Summer of Color challenge is a quilt. As I've mentioned before, each week I make two quilt squares that feature the color of the week. Each square has seven strips of fabric of varying widths to represent a 7-day week.

Two quilt squares done in 7 different patterns and shades of purple.

Two of the fabrics have "glittery" and "sparkly" elements -

the bonus challenge of the week.

All the fabric I'm using is from what I have on hand. I am committed to not purchasing any new supplies or materials to make the quilt. I think of all the quilts that my grandma and mom made using fabric that was available. They made do with what they had rather than always purchasing new supplies.

Thought this would be a good time to challenge myself to make do with what I have rather than acquiring new fabric (however much I would enjoy going to a fabric store and picking beautiful material that is all color- and pattern-coordinated).

14 squares done...2 more to go!

Eenie (the cat) watched me lay out the squares.

I know he wanted to jump on them and mess them up.

He was a good cat...he showed some restraint....at least this time.

Orange - The Summer of Color (Week 8)

For those of you who also have been participating in The Summer of Color and/or who are following along each week, thank you for all the positive comments about what I've made each week. Thanks to

During the challenge, I've enjoyed creating a variety of window stars and quilt squares in each of the featured colors. The encouraging and uplifting comments have been such day-brighteners for me! Thank you!

I've been enjoying seeing the creativity and beautiful items that the participants create each week. It's amazing how diverse all the items are even though we are all using the same color.

For this week, Kristin assigned the color orange. So, I made two orange window stars that have 16 points each. Each star is made with a special translucent paper that lets the sun's light shine through and illuminate the pattern.

Orange window star to brighten a room.

This past week I had an interesting thing happen: a hummingbird visited one of the window stars I made that had four colors in it: red, orange, yellow, and pink.

It hovered around the window star for quite a while which was such a treat to see!

I'm wondering if the hummingbird will come back

this week and visit the window stars.

I added a couple more orange stars on August 2nd:

I usually don't make a lot of orange window stars,

but the summer sun seems to make the patterns more defined.

I finished two more quilt squares so there are now 16 squares ready to be made into a quilt.

Two quilt squares in orange-patterned fabric.

I'm beginning to think about how to put all the squares together into The Summer of Color Quilt. I'm committed to only using what I have on hand, and it looks like white is the color of fabric that I have the most of - so that will (most likely) be the background of the front of the quilt (in between each of the squares).

The back side of the quilt will be the twin sheet that my daughter no longer uses. It's a very soft cotton with a high thread count.

It has images of lavender pale lavender violets with a plum- and yellow-color center. There are 1-2 leaves behind each flower.

With purple and green as my favorite colors, this seemed to be the best piece of fabric for the backing.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Summer Refrigerator

Yes, I'm still alive! Not blogging, but working, single parenting, dating, selling my house, and now moving to a new house. If life gets any busier I'm going to have to clone myself.

Today I cleaned out my refrigerator and did a grocery store run (I was out of town this weekend and missed the farmer's market). It's looking so pretty, kid-friendly, and well-stocked I thought I would take a picture.

Apples, watermelon slices and veggie sticks (jicama, baby carrots, and celery) are ready to grab and snack on, along with coconut yogurts, applesauce cups, and dried apricots. My son is a big fan of the new So Delicious Coconut Milk; it's all he drinks at home nowadays. The chocolate soymilk boxes are for his morning snack at summer school.

A big bowl of salad is behind the veggie sticks, and right now I'm cooking brown rice and edamame to add to this easy-grab snack fridge.

Backyard Camping + Kid-Friendly Summer Activities Blog Hop

Welcome to the Fun in the Summer Sun event!

Each Monday until September 7th
Mama to 4 Blessings along with Harvest Moon By Hand,
Adventures of Mommydom, Sweet Diva, and Sweet Phenomena
will be hosting Fun in the Summer Fun link up events.

Here's the line up:

1st Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer activities"

2nd Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer crafts"

3rd Monday of each month: link up your "Kid-friendly summer recipes"

4th Monday of each month: link up your "How to stay cool in the summer heat"

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Family Fun Backyard Fun Badge

In the July 2011 issue of Family Fun, the Backyard Fun Badge was presented. For ten months, there will be a monthly challenge for families to do. There are three options from which to choose. By doing the activity, you earn a badge (either use the one in the magazine or download from the computer).

Then go online and tell them what you did and enter their sweepstakes for a chance to win prizes.

One of the ideas that caught my eye for July was option #2 - Host a Campout. Although they suggested sleeping out under the stars, we don't have a tent so we opt to spread out a blanket and pillows and enjoy spending part of the day outside.

A campfire I made on the

shore of Lake Superior.

One of the recipes I remember trying when I was in Girl Scouts and one that is easy to use with children is called Dough Boys. To make them, here's a basic recipe:

Ingredients:

hot dog
biscuit mix
water

Directions:

Make biscuit dough mix according to the directions on the box or a recipe. Take a hot dog and wrap the biscuit dough around the hot dog (completely or just a center wrap).

Be careful not to put too much dough on or your hot dog will not cook. Toast your "dough boy" over hot coals until it is cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Serve with catsup or mustard.

When I directed a camp program for children, one of the meals that we taught the children to make was All in One Wrapped in Foil Dinner.

Ingredients:

ground beef
oil
sliced raw potatoes, carrots, and onion
seasoned salt
catsup
foil

Directions:

Fold aluminum so that there is a double layer. Put ground beef (about the size of a small hamburger) on foil, in the center. Drizzle a small about of oil on it (about 1/2 tsp).

Place carrots and potatoes (to your liking) and then onions. Fold over foil edges to make a flat packet. Be careful to fold over any edge so the package doesn't leak. Use tongs and place right on the coals.

When you hear it "sizzle," flip it. Flip it often and cook for 7-10 minutes. Open carefully (the foil will be hot!) and poke a potato with a fork. When it pierces it easily, supper is ready. Serve with seasoned salt and catsup.

The Girls and I at William O'Brien Camping

Olivia, Sophia, and I at William O'Brien State Park

camping one year. It was so much fun!

A couple of years ago, Sophia, Olivia, and I went camping with my sister and her two sons. One of the things we made were Brown Bears. All of us liked this easy dessert.

Ingredients:

refrigerator biscuits
spray margarine
cinnamon and sugar
wooden dowel for roasting stick

Directions:

Stretch biscuit dough and wrap around a wooden dowel and roast over coals until brown. Remove biscuit from dowel, spray with margarine and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Fun to make and tasty too.

The Girls Making Cinnamon Rolls Over the Campfire

Olivia and Sophia trying

Brown Bears for dessert.

For another dessert, there's a special treat that reminds me of when I was growing up and took a kids cooking class. It's a chocolate-banana melt dessert that was featured in the June/July 2011 issue of Family Fun.

To make the dessert, cut a lengthwise slit in a peeled banana and place it on a sheet of alumninum foil. Stuff in as many chocolate chips and mini marshmallows as you can fit.

Wrap the foil around the banana and place it on a grill for about five minutes. The melt, once cooled, is best eaten with a spoon (and lots of napkins).

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For the August Badges of Fun, the theme was "Hit the Road." Out of the three activities, we chose to do "Pack Easy-to-Eat Snacks."

One of the recipes on the Family Fun website is for homemade granola bars.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried fruit bits
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350º F. Coat a 9- by 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter or margarine in a large pot over low heat. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the sugar, honey, flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. Using a sheet or waxed paper and the palms of your hands, press the granola firmly into the pan, packing it to a flat and even thickness.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the granola to cool 1 hour in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 16 to 24 rectangular bars.

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Now it's your turn to share some of your kid-friendly summer activities!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Summer Tree Observation - Outdoor Challenge #20 and Summer Series #2

I was looking at the Handbook of Nature Study website, and came across Summer Tree Observation - Outdoor Challenge #20 and OHC Summer Series #2: Summer Tree Observations. I'm combining these into one nature study.

Throughout this post, three different typefaces are used:
- Bold - are words from the Handbook of Nature Study website.
- Italics - are words from the book titled Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.
- Regular - are my own words.

Indoor Preparation

If your first observation was in spring, you are now into summer and your tree should look a little different. Check in the Handbook of Nature Study to see if your tree is listed there and then do the reading about that particular tree. There should be some suggestions for observations that you can follow.

Read pages 618-620 in the Handbook of Nature Study: The Parts of a Tree. For your summer tree study, make sure you read the information on these pages so you have in mind the parts of a tree: trunk or bole, head or crown, spray, and branch.

Also, make sure you have a general idea of how a tree makes its own food by reading in the section, How a Tree Grows, on pages 620-622. Your job will be to relate any of this information that you think might be of interest to your child as you study your tree.
"The leaf is a factory; the green pulp in the leaf cells is part of the machinery; the machinery is set in motion by sunshine power; the raw materials are taken from the air and from the sap containing food from the soil; the finished product is largely starch.

Thus, it is well when we begin a study of the tree to notice that the leaves are so arranged as to gain all the sunlight possible, for without sunlight the starch factories would be obliged to ‘shut down’ ".

~ Anna Botsford-Comstock, Handbook of Nature Study ~

Train Your Senses

Outdoor Hour Time

Take your 10-15 minute outdoor time to study the tree you are going to observe over the next year. You can take photos of your tree to put in your nature journal or you can sketch the tree in your journal.

I'm taking pictures of the girls standing next to their favorite tree so that they have an accurate representation of how their tree, the immediate environment, and they change over the course of a year.

Olivia is standing by her favorite tree:

a white pine in the backyard.

Olivia noticed as we were standing by the pine trees that the needles still had quite a bit of water on them from the rain that fell earlier in the day. She shook some of the branches out which created a "shower" for the grass below.

The girls then had the idea of having one another stand under the branches while the other shook a taller branch. Each one had a refreshing "rain shower" which they said felt good given that it was in the 80s.

Sophia shaking a pine branch filled with water

onto Olivia. "That felt good!" she said.

We headed out to the nature trail and then into the back part of the property where Sophia's tree is located. The last time we visited her tree was in the spring on a very chilly day.

Today, it was beautiful and sunny, the birds were flying overhead, and there was a nice breeze.

Sophia by her favorite tree: a maple tree.

Your tree should have its leaves now and we are going to spend 10-15 minutes of your outdoor time using the ideas from the Handbook of Nature Study to do some focused observations of your tree. Remember you may want to start using the proper vocabulary for the parts of a tree when you are completing your tree observations.

Sight: Look closely at the bark and/or leaves. Stand or lay under your tree and look up. Use a magnifying lens to look at the bark and leaves. Look for birds, animals, or insects in your tree. Look for all the parts of your tree: trunk, crown, branches, and spray.

Sophia brought in a trio of leaves from her maple tree. With a magnifying glass, she noticed "bumps, tiny cells, and a half-eaten leaf...like a bug ate it. One of the leaves is slightly lighter than the other."

Tree galls on a maple leaf.

She said, "On the back side of one of the leaves where the bumps are there are brown stains and the remainder of an old web."

I didn't know what the bumps were, so we looked it up on the internet. We found out that they are tree galls.

Tree galls look like green or brown bumps, and may resemble a wart, blister or pouch. Galls are created when insects, mites, nematodes, or other organisms such as bacteria or fungi feed on a tree's leaves.

Galls usually do not cause any serious damage to a healthy tree. However, large numbers of galls can affect the tree's appearance and cause premature leaf drop.

There were no birds or animals in the maple tree. The tree galls indicate that there were insects at some time in Sophia's favorite tree.

For Olivia's favorite white pine tree, she said that she did not notice any birds, animals, or insects.

Smell: Smell the bark. Rub a leaf and see what it smells like.

Sophia smelled the trio of leaves. "It smells like box elders. It doesn't smell good," she said.

Olivia rubbed her fingers over the pine needles. She said, "They don't have much of a scent. There's nothing" she said in terms of smell.

White pine needles.

Touch: Close your eyes and feel the bark. Feel the leaf or needle from your tree and describe its texture. A tree gall is an abnormal growth on a tree's leaves and stems. The growth is the plant's reaction to the feeding of insects or other organisms.

Sophia described her leaf as: "...kind of leathery. Maybe kind of silky. You can kind of feel the veins. They feel like pieces of string on a piece of paper...but maybe not as pronounced."

Olivia said the pine needles felt "soft and silky."

Hearing: Quietly sit under your tree for one minute. Can you hear the leaves or branches moving? Can you hear a bird in the tree or insects buzzing near the tree?

After taking a look at her tree, Sophia said, "I'm going to lay down by it." She found a nice area of tall grass and laid down. "It's so soft...like a bed!"

We talked a bit about the deer who sleep in the grass at night and how soft the grass is for them. As she was laying down said she could hear birds. "I heard insects buzzing around my ears which was kind of annoying. I also heard a dragonfly. I could hear the wind blowing through the grass."

Olivia said she heard wind near her tree, but no other sounds.

Follow-Up Activity

After your outdoor time, complete your Seasonal Tree Study notebook page sheet or record your tree observations in your nature journal. Take a few minutes to talk about your time outdoors to see if there is anything that your child wants to learn more about. Follow up any interest shown.

We learned about tree galls which was something new to us all. We found out that you don't have to spray the tree which is good - the natural predators will eat the insects on the leaves.

We walked by the willow tree which reminded the girls of having picnics under it last summer and early fall. "Can we do that again?" Olivia asked. "Can we take Eenie outside with us again?" Sophia asked.

The willow tree. It was planted about 9 years ago and

was about 5 1/2 or 6 feet tall at the time.

Once the weather cools down a bit and the mosquitos aren't as bad, the girls and I will definitely be having some picnics under the willow tree.

After your outdoor time, complete a nature journal entry using the notebook page provided for the Summer Series, a general notebook page from the sidebar of my blog, the original notebook page, or your own blank journal. Photos of your tree are a good record in your nature journal as well. This might be a good season to press a few of the tree’s leaves for your nature journal.

The girls each wrote in their nature journals, attached a pressed leaf or pine needles, and put photographs to accompany their entry.

Things to Do this Summer with your Kids

Now that all my kids are home for the summer I have been trying to find some fun things that we can venture out and do. We have our normal routine of the four os us heading to the gym and then home to get ready for the pool, but I figured I would throw something new into the mix and we can do an outing of some sort each week, whether it be going to the Zoo, Grant's Farm, the Museum of Transportation, etc...

I also was looking for some pick your own farms where we could go peach picking, strawberry picking, blueberry picking ,etc... If you go to the Pick Your Own website you can search around the area you live for pick your own farms...how fun!! I have plans to make and can strawberry jam with a friend of mine very soon and this site also has tips on canning fruits, veggies, etc...

I also found this site and I am sure you can plug in whatever city/area you live in and find a fun list of FREE things to do as well. I have St. Louis plugged in obviously to see what is out there that we can do for FREE!!

Wehrenberg theaters in our area also show free movies on certain days through the summer...all child and family friendly!!

Show me Your Summer Cooler Roundup

Summer is fun! And summer can be made more exciting and fun with these delicious and refreshing summer coolers! Here are the various entries I received for Show Me Your Summer Cooler! event. Hope you enjoy them. Also do check out the next in the series - Show me your Dosa!