Friday, December 5, 2008

Kids and Food Battles


Parents battle daily over two things with their children. Number one is cleaning up their messes, and number two is eating their meals. We cannot compel them to clean their room, but we can entice them to eat their meals. This section is a parent’s dream; this is where we parents can “even the score” with our kids— at least a little!

How wonderful not only get them to eat healthy, but to have them help in making meal time something special by preparing fun, healthy food. (This also makes mom a superstar!) The secret to making food fun is to let kids decorate. Find out what they like to eat and slide in some healthy décor, making sure that it was their idea, of course!

Male or female, all children have an interest in the great kitchen gadgets that they never get to play with. Mom, make your work their play; create an event in your kitchen and let the kids be the stars. For those boring rainy days, your kitchen abounds with fun projects to keep little hands and minds busy.


Now A Lil Treat!
How about some fun stuff for kids today? Let’s make some toys out of common household products. These projects are taken from the book, “7001 Forgotten Secret’s of the Ages”– Have fun and have a great weekend!


Juggling Balls
Stuff You Need To Get:
3 small sandwich bags, non-zip type
Small dried beans or dried peas
6 medium-sized balloons
What To Do With The Stuff:
1. Fill one sandwich bag with dried beans until it is the size of a small ball.
2. Close the bag by overlapping the ends, like you do around a sandwich.
3. Cut off the stem of the balloons at the round part.
4. Stretch one balloon around the ball of beans.
5. Stretch another balloon around the ball in the opposite direction of the first balloon.
6. Repeat each step for the other bags and balloons.
Creative Possibilities:
Use some markers to decorate your juggling balls. Use permanent ink markers if possible.
If you do not have dried beans or peas, try using rice, sand or even salt. (But not rock salt.)
Borrow a book from the library to learn how to juggle.

***

Sparkling Rocks
Stuff You Need To Get:
½ cup white glue
Food coloring
2 cups rock salt
A large piece of cardboard
What To Do With The Stuff:
1. Mix together the rock salt and about 7 drops of food coloring in a small mixing bowl.
2. Remember, food coloring is very concentrated.

3. Stir in the glue for another 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Use your hands to mold and sculpt the mixture to the shapes and sizes you want.
5. Then place them on the cardboard to dry. How long they have to dry will depend on the size and thickness of your sparkling rocks.
Creative Possibilities:
Use cookie cutters to make different shapes for the season or holiday. For Halloween make glimmering ghosts, sparkling bats and shiny witches.
For Christmas, you can make tree ornaments. Shape the mixture into whatever you want. Get some strong thread or string, cut about 3 or 4 inches long. Tie the 2 ends of the string together to make a loop. Place the knot into your design, making sure to leave a loop for hanging. When you are ready to hang it, make sure the string is secure enough.

Make some pretty jewelry for your mom for her birthday or Mother’s Day, or just to tell her that you love her. Add some glitter to make it more gleaming.

###

The following video, CHEERIOS V-8 1960 SPACE-THEMED COMMERCIAL, courtesy of You Tube.


***


No comments: