SCARY MARY’S RECIPES FOR HALL0WEEN WHY DONT YOU TRY ONE IF YOU DARE!

Blood soup 
This is an easy recipe. You will need a can of tomato soup and a pack of musksticks. First, cook the soup in a pan over a stove. Then break up the musk sticks and put them into the soup to create…blood soup with delicious fingers!

Dead Fingers
This is a shortbread type cookie that look like fingers.The dough is piped (use a bag without any tip to get a finger sized cylinder) onto the cookie sheet. Then using the dull side of a butter knife make lines suggesting knuckle and wrinkles, and add an almond for the fingernail. I found the unblanched variety look particularly creepy. You can add a bit of red icing (ie.that translucent yuk that comes in a tube) if you want a bloody finger. I have experimented with this idea and found it better to make an impression with the almond rather then bake them and “glue” the almonds to the finger afterwards with the “blood”. This gives a new twist to the term “finger foods”.

Brain Cookies 
You color a icebox type dough a sickening purplish/gray shade and then push the dough through a colander to make extruded spaghetti shapes.Then you loosely pat spoonfuls of the dough into brain shapes (well at least most kids’ notions of how a brain is shaped). I think I experimented with different kitchen tools with this one and ended up using one of those collapsable steamer things to make the spaghetti.

French Fried Eye Balls 
2 pototoes
relish
Mash potatoes and mold them into balls. Cook 160C in oven 20 min. Spread relish over and enjoy!

Bugs in dirt sandwiches 
For this you will need white bread, a pack of mixed bug shaped lollies and milo. First, spread your slices of bread with margerine or butter. Then, sprinkle the buttered slices with milo until completely coated. Carefully stick the bugs firmly into the milo and place remaining slice of bread on top. Voila! you have bugs in dirt sandwhiches!

Tombstoned biscuites 
This recipe is a nice treat. First, you will need icing sugar, rectangular biscuites and a toothpick. Take your icing sugar and mix it with hot water until fairly runny. Dip each of your biscuits into the mixture and place onto a foiled tray. Take your toothpick and carve “R.I.P” out of the icing on every biscuit. Place in fridge for a few hours and presto! Your very own mini tombstones!

Brain Cell Salad 
1 (6-ounce) package blueberry gelatin dessert mix
1 (16-ounce) container small-curd cottage cheese
1 (16 1/2-ounce) can blueberries in syrup (or 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed)
blue food coloring
Prepare gelatin according to the directions on the package. Chill for four to five hours, or until firm.
Scoop cottage cheese into bowl. Drain and set aside the syrup from the blueberries. Add the berries to
the cottage cheese and mix well. Add three drops food coloring to turn the cottage cheese a nice qrayish color when blended. To serve salad, place a few spoonfuls of firm gelatin (congealed brain fluids) onto individual plates. Top with a scoop of cottage cheese (brain tissue) mixture and serve.

Crusty Booger Balls 
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
5 1/3 cups flaked coconut (about 14 ounces)
1 large 8-ounce package lime-flavored gelatin
1 cup ground, blanched almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, coconut, 1/3 cup of the unprepared gelatin, almonds, and almond extract. Mix well with a large mixing spoon or rubber spatula. Cover bowl with platic wrap and chill for about an hour or until mixture is firm enough to mold in your hands. Scoop by 1/2 teaspoonfuls and shape into various-sized booger balls. Place them on a baking sheet, lined with a sheet of waxed paper. Make sure they are all slightly different, just as each and every booger iwsunique and special. Place a second sheet of waxed paper on your work surface and pour remaining unprepared lime gelatin on the center of the waxed paper. Roll each ball in gelatin to coat well and create a thin outer layer. Then place back on the baking sheet. Return boogers to the refrigerator for and hour before seving, and store any extras in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Cake 
Bake 2 cakes in Bundt pans. Place the 2 cakes together bottom to bottom. Frost with orange frosting made from food colouring. The pumpkin face is pieces of a Hershey Chocolate Bar cut into triangles, etc for eyes, nose, etc. And finally set a chocolate frosted cupcake at the top as the stem.
Note: This ends up being a whole lot of cake.

Another Eyeball Dish! 
Buy a can of lychee fruits and simply stuff the little devils with grapes (try mixing red and green grapes). Serve in a hollowed out gourd. Serve this down with Vampire blood. Any red-coloured drink will do. Simply serve it in small pumpkin-type gourds that have been cleaned out. Use black liquorice for straws, and start sucking.

Frog’s Eye Salad 
1 cup Acini De Pepe
2 cups mandarin oranges
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1 1/2 cups marshmallows
3 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup sugar
1 reg. size Cool Whip
Boil Acini De Pepe in salted water til tender, but not soft (about 10 minutes) and drain. Drain fruit. Thicken fruit juice, egg yolks, flour and sugar. Add drained Acini De Pepe while dressing is still hot, then let the whole mixture cool. When cooled, fold in marshmallows, fruit, and Cool Whip. Chill.

Graveyard Treat
Crush a full bag of Oreo cookies and spread some in the bottom of the pan. Reserve the other half for the top. Next mix chocolate pudding and coolwhip, and spread over the crust. Spread the remaining crumbs over the pudding, covering completely. Use cookies to represent the tombstones, oval cookies are best, you can even pipe on saying with icing (R.I.P. etc) I have some bats on sticks that I stick down in the cookie tombstones (if they are sandwich cookies). Just use your imagination to decorate your
graveyard. Enjoy this ghoulish treat. Happy Haunting!

Kitty Litter Cake 
1 pkg. spice cake mix
1 pkg. white cake mix
1 pkg. white sandwich cookies
green food coloring
12 small tootsie rolls
1 pkg. vanilla pudding mix
1 new kitty litter box
1 new pooper scooper
Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions. Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender. They tend to stick, so scrape often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food
coloring and mix using a fork. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Gently combine. Line new, clean kitty litter box. Put mixture into litter box. Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top, this is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter. Heat remaining Tootsie rolls, 3 at a time, in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper. This does take a bit of time. My friend made it for an adult’s Halloween party, I swear you can’t tell it from the real thing if you follow the directions carefully. Serves 24

Bone Sandwiches
Cut the crusts off of some slices of white bread. Spread peanut butter and jam on the bread. Roll the sandwiches up. Ta da! You have bones with blood and marrow for dinner!

Dinner in a Pumpkin
1 small to medium pumpkin
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 10-oz can cream of chicken soup
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS brown sugar
Cut off top of pumpkin; clean out seeds and pulp. Paint on appropriate face on front of pumpkin with pemanent marker or acrylic paint. In a large skillet, saute’ onion in oil until tender; add meat and brown.
Drain drippings from skillet. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon mixture into pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin, with filling, on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour in 350 degree oven or until inside meat of pumpkin is tender. Put pumpkin on a plate; remove top and serve. For your vegetable, scoop out cooked pumpkin and serve. Serves 6 people

Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
vegetable oil
1.Separate pumpkin seeds from the pulp but don’t wash the seeds.
2.Mix seeds, butter, salt, and stir.
3.Grease baking tray with oil and pour on buttered seeds. Gently shake the pan to even out the seeds.
4.Bake seeds at 200 degrees F. for 45 mins.

The Classic Apple Dunking
Apples
Water
A deep pan or a half barrel
Lots of people
You can blindfold the players or not. Put the water and apples in the barrel. Without using hands the players must pick up an apple with their teeth! (If you wear glasses then don’t forget to take them off.)

Pumpkin Cake This tastes like pumpkin!
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 c. dark molassses
3/4 c. milk
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Mix together sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Add one egg and beat until fluffy. Add molasses and milk. Combine flour and basking soda and add to wet mixture. Bake in a round pan at 325 degrees F. for 35 minutes. When cooled frost with orange icing.

Green Eye Pie
In a bowl combine 2 cups of washed and dried green grapes and 1/2 cup of sour cream. Pour into 1 prepared graham cracker pie crust. Right before serving sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Gory Hand – Presentation is everything.
This is both a yummy treat and a great decoration to scare your friends. Use a clean rubber glove. Make a strong cherry or other red jello by using 3/4 of the recommended amount of water. Hang the glove over the sink by using clothes pins attached to thin strips of wood. When the jello has cooled pour into glove and place in the deep freeze. Be careful not to have the hand pressing against anything or it will ruin the shape. When the jello is frozen cut the glove off using small scissors. Keep your masterpiece in the fridge until ready to display.

alternate Gory Hand tip:
Take a clean rubber glove and fill it with water, tie it and put it in the deep freeze. Keep it in there until your party. When you’re ready take it out of the glove and put it in the punchbowl instead of ice!

Eyeball Snacks
1 lb. icing sugar
1 egg white
peppermint essence
black liquorice
blue or green colouring
Beat the egg white lightly and blend with a small amout of icing sugar and a few drops of peppermint essence. Mix until you get a fine dry paste. Using your hands knead the paste adding small amounts of icing sugar until the paste will absorb it. Separate a small quatitiy to make the irises, adding a few drops of blue or green coloring and mix. Roll the white mixture into small round balls. Press a hole in the top of the ball with your finger and add some of the colored mixture. Cut a small piece off of the
liquorice and place in the middle of the colored mixture for the pupil. Voila!

Spider Salad
1.Place one half of a canned peach on a plate, flat side down.
2.Cut eight curls off of a carrot with a vegetable peeler.
3.Tuck the curls under the peach to make spider legs.
4.Put raisins on top of peach for eyes.
5.Put a small piece of marachino cherry under the raisins for the mouth.

Easy Insects
1.Melt a 6oz. package of butterscotch chips over low heat, stirring constantly.
2.Remove chips from heat and stir in 1 cup peanuts and 3 cups chow mein noodles.
3.Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper and cool.

 

Drinks

Vampire’s Blood Shake
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 package frozen starwberries or raspberries, thawed
ice cubes
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1.Mix yogurt, vanilla, and berries in the blender.
2.Pour into tall glasses over ice cubes, or chill.
3.Top with a big spoonful of strawberry ice cream.

BLOOD RED ICE
For deep red ice, try cherry Kool-Aid®. It Can even be frozen inside a plastic glove, now this really adds some snap to a punchbowl! MYSTERY PUNCH 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground ginger 2 quarts apple cider 3 cups water 12 ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate Stir all ingredients together until well blended. Chill 1 hour. Serve cold with blood red ice mold (above) To serve warm, after chilling, bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

BOILING WITCH’S CAULDRON OF WHAAP
Get one of those plastic witch’s cauldrons from your nearest Halloween supply store usually available at large retail outlets around Halloween. Wash it out real good. Purchase some frozen lemonade, lime-lemonade, and whatever other flavor you want to use as your base taste. Then proceed to add a couple liters of lemon-lime tasting soda such as 7-UP, Sprite, Squirt or even Ginger Ale. Add a whole bunch of cut-up fruit: watermelon, strawberries, musk melon, cantaloupe, oranges, and of course your favorite style of grapes (they make good eyeballs). To darken the mixture you may want to add a couple of packages of grape or blackberry Kool-Aid®. For added effect you can purchase some plastic bones, eyeballs, bats, spiders or whatever else you can find. Lastly you will want to add dry ice for the boiling effect and to have “steam” rolling over the edges.

A WARNING ABOUT DRY ICE!!!! IT CAN BURN SKIN BY HANDLING IT OR SOMEONE’S THROAT IF THEY SWALLOW IT! BE SURE TO WARN YOUR GUESTS OF THE DANGERS BEFORE THEY GET AT IT OR MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF SIGN TO WARN THEM. WE CANNOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUGGESTING IT’S USE.

There’s Bugs in my Drink! 
Put raisins in your punch for bugs!

A Gruesome Brew
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 quart apple cider
5 cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
toads and salamanders
1.Mix lemon juice and cider in a saucepan.
2.Put spices in a tea ball and add to cider.
3.Bring mixture to a boil over low heat and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
4.Cool slightly, remove tea ball, and serve. Also good cold.

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Rainbow cupcakes

Simple but ever so pretty, these multi-coloured cupcakes are topped with sprinkles and a glacé cherry. Perfect for Red Nose Day bake sales.

Less than 30 minspreparation time

10 to 30 minscooking time

Makes 24

Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need two 12-hole muffin tins and a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Ingredients

For the rainbow cupcakes

• 240g/8½oz plain flour

• 240g/8½oz golden caster sugar

• 3 tsp baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 80g/2¾oz unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 240ml/8½fl oz whole milk

• 2 medium free-range eggs

• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• 4 food colourings of your choice (such as red, yellow, green and blue)

For the vanilla buttercream

• 250g/9oz unsalted butter, room temperature

• 500g/1lb 2oz icing sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate

• multi-coloured hundred and thousands

• 24 glacé cherries

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/Gas 3. Line two 12-hole cupcake trays with cupcake cases.
2. For the cupcakes, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter together in a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk). Mix in half the milk until it is just incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and remaining milk together. Pour into the flour mixture and beat until the mixture is smooth.
4. Divide the batter equally between four bowls and colour each one with food colouring, so you end up with four brightly coloured bowls of cake mixture.
5. Now layer the coloured mixtures in the cupcake cases. Starting with one colour, divide the mixture equally between the cupcake cases and smooth it out so you have a layer at the bottom. Continue with all the other colours in the same way, evenly spreading each layer out and being careful not to mi the colours together, so that you end up with distinct layers of mixture.
6. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
8. For the vanilla buttercream, beat the butter with a handheld electric mixer until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and incorporate to make a smooth icing. Add the vanilla extract and beat the icing for a further few minutes until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
9. When the cupcakes are cold, pipe the vanilla buttercream on top of the cakes and decorate with the hundreds and thousands. To finish, top each cupcake with a glacé cherry to resemble a red nose.

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Easy Snow Globe – Crafty kids

This is a fun little project the kids loved making last year and were just as thrilled to pull out of the Christmas decorating box And see them again this year.

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Here are the supplies you will need:
– Figurine ($3 at local toy store) and tree ($1 for 3-pack at dollar store)
*Note, make sure figurine fits in opening of globe!
– Globe (I used a jar from a dollar store $1)
– Snow (here I used finely shredded coconut and sugar to add sparkle)
– Glue gun
– Marker

I am sure it is pretty self-explanatory to do this but here are the steps:

1) If the jar is not even all around, close lid and make a mark on lid where the front of the jar is so you will know which way to place figurine.

2) Open lid and hot-glue figurine and tree to lid

3) Fill globe with snow, close lid and voila!

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Is Christmas Just for Kids?

Christmas is not just for kids!

Is Christmas just for kids? I say-no way! Christmas is a time of joy for us all. I view it as an all-American holiday that has religious meaning for some but can also be enjoyed for the many other things it represents. No, Christmas is not just for kids! Adult pleasures abound and may be even more wonderful than the magical feeling children have while awaiting Santa Claus.

Here are a few of my favorite reasons to embrace the holidays in a grown up way.

The arrival of the winter solstice:

In the Pacific Northwest, where I live, we celebrate the solstice, because this date just before Christmas opens the way to longer days. My husband and I always enjoy hosting a gathering for friends around this time of year. We ask everyone to bring their favorite foods and wines to share, and friends who are willing to play for the group entertain us around the piano. We all wrap up the evening feeling warm, with a smile on our faces.

Time to enjoy wonderful foods:

I love to cook, and Christmas Eve dinner is one of my favorite meals to plan and prepare. It’s become a tradition to make a rich potato dish that’s really just sliced potatoes covered in rich cream and baked-I prepare this dish only once a year and savor every decadent bite! Sometimes we have lamb, and other years it’s prime rib. This Christmas we’ll enjoy a pork roast with the potatoes and lots of other treats, including a decadent dessert. I’ve also been busy baking cookies and surprising friends and neighbors with a plate of treats still warm from the oven.

Time to express gratitude to friends:

The holiday season is a wonderful time to slow down and enjoy getting together with our favorite people for a meal, a drink, or dessert. It’s a time to express appreciation for services done and for friendships, both of which we tend to take for granted during the rest of the year. I got great pleasure from watching our two pet sitters open their cards to find extra holiday cash and seeing the face of my next-door neighbor when I arrived with a plate of treats.

The music is amazing:

I simply adore holiday music. My favorites are Andrea Bocelli and the Three Tenors, and these two CD’s are getting worn from being played over and over. There’s something quite magical about having a lit tree that smells of the forest as a backdrop for Christmas songs sung in Italian.

So, while the Christmas season can be stressful for many, for so many reasons, it doesn’t have to be. Take the steps you need to take to have a relaxing, bright, and warm holiday season!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK

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Harvest-Time Corn-Husk Dolls

INTRODUCTION

The cornucopia can be a bit of an attention hog: proudly spilling its bounty across the dining room in a way that borders on needy. As harvest-time icons go, we much prefer the simple beauty of corn-husk dolls: They’re understated, easy to make even for children, and truly ingenious — requiring not much more than some husks, twine, glue, and felt.

Resources: Square-cut corn husks — the ones used for tamales are sold at international grocers and surfasonline.com.

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• 

MATERIALS

• Square-cut dried corn husks
• Wool felt, in assorted colors
• Yarn or raffia
• Paper towel
• Buttons
• Scissors
• Glue

STEPS

1. STEP 1

   

   Start by soaking the husks in water for 10 minutes, and then blot excess water with a paper towel.

2. STEP 2

   Lay 4 or 6 husks (always an even number) in a stack.

3. STEP 3

   

   Using thin twine, tie husks together, about 1 inch from top.

4. STEP 4

   

   Separate husks into equal portions (2 and 2, or 3 and 3), and fold halves down, covering twine.

5. STEP 5

   

   Using thin twine, tie husks about 1 inch down, creating head.

6. STEP 6

   

   Roll a single husk and tie at ends to make arms.

7. STEP 7

   

   Position arms below knot at neck, between equal portions of husks.

8. STEP 8

   

   Tie waist. For female doll, trim husks to an even length.

9. STEP 9

   

   For male doll, separate legs into equal portions. Tie at knees and ankles. Trim evenly.

10. STEP 10

    To make hair, glue yarn or raffia to the heads. Fashion clothes from pieces of felt: Cut rectangles, and snip slits or X’s in the center; then slide over doll’s head, and secure around the waist with a strip of felt or yarn. (Glue on buttons, and use scissors to make fringe as desired.) Create hats and bonnets by cutting felt to fit, and then gluing in place.

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Entertaining the kids in the holidays!

 

Keeping kids entertained for the long summer holidays can feel like a full time job. Especially when money is tight and the weather is unpredictable. But fear not, whilst it may seem that the holidays will never end and the children may be getting restless, we have some great ideas to keep them occupied, even on the gloomiest days.

Have a painting day

A really good, cost effective way of getting paper for children to paint on, is to use lining paper – the paper sold by DIY shops for lining your walls before painting. It comes in long rolls and you can cut a length and either attach it to a door (might be worth putting a couple of old towels down to protect the floor!) or you can take it outdoors lay it on the ground and let the children run riot with the paint. Encourage them to try painting on a big scale and to try new techniques, not just using a paint brush, encourage them to use their hands and their feet as a brush.

To make it an even cheaper event, you could try making your own paint as well.

How to make paint

Ingredients

• 750 mls water
• 65 grams cornflour (cornstarch)
• food colouring

Directions

1. Mix 250mls water with the cornflour. Start by adding a small amount at a time to build up a smooth paste
2. Add 500mls more
3. Put into the microwave and zap on high for 8-9 minutes, or till thickened. It’s important to keep stirring every minute or so throughout the cooking process.
4. Divide the mixture between 6 small bowls.
5. Add 3 drops of (different) food colouring to each bowl.

Word of warning – food colouring may stain hands so your children might need a good bath afterwards!

Go camping in the garden

You don’t need to travel miles and spend a small fortune to go camping. Children will have fun wherever they are and will have just as much fun camping in their own back garden as they would at an expensive campsite.

You can even build a camp fire (adult supervision at all times!) and have a great evening sitting round the fire singing songs, telling stories and even eating smoors. For those Brits that have never heard of S’mores, they are a traditional campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada. They consist of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate, sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. We don’t have graham crackers in the UK, but apparently the nearest thing we have is a digestive biscuit.

Go to the Beach

The weather in summer may be pretty hit and miss in the UK, but that shouldn’t stop you having a day out at the beach. If you set off expecting it to be wet, it can only get better. Just accept it’s going to be wet, and grab some waterproofs and a picnic and head on down to your nearest beach for some fun and games.

You can even have a wet weather picnic if you go prepared. You could always take a pop up tent to shelter in if the weather is really bad, but most days the weather holds out long enough to have some games on the beach.

You don’t need the sweltering sun to build sand castles, go rock pooling, or make beach art with driftwood and seaweed. Children will have fun whatever the weather.

When preparing a wet weather picnic, think about taking some warm food. Sausages and baked beans can be kept warm in wide mouth flasks and homemade soup with chunky bread always goes down well. And of course don’t forget the trusty flask of hot chocolate.

Make a fuzzy head

You will need

• Some old knee high pop socks or cut off panty hose,
• grass seed,
• a mixture of soil and sawdust
• 2 small elastic bands
• decorations – paint, googly eyes (purchased from a haberdashery store), paper, pipe cleaners, bits of felt, some old wool for hair etc.

Method

1. Have the children put 2 teaspoons of grass seed in the bottom of the toe of the panty hose.
2. Add 1-2 handfuls of the soil mixture. It is important to help the children with this stage as you need to ensure that the seeds stay in the top of the head, otherwise you’ll have hair sprouting from under the eyes.
3. Use the small elastic band to pinch off a nose about half way up the head.
4. Use the second elastic band to tie off the bottom, or you could just tie a firm knot in the stocking.
5. The children can decorate by pasting on eyes, mouth, ears, or what ever else inspires them.
6. When you’ve completed your Fuzzy Head, you can either rest it on a saucer or put it in a small plastic pot, such as a left over hummus pot with water in the bottom. It is important to keep it well watered over the next few days.The ‘hair’ should sprout in less than a week. Kids can style the hair with elastic bands, clips and scissors.

Make an egghead!

In a similar vein to the fuzzy heads you could also make cress heads

For this you will need

• Egg shells
• soil
• Mustard and cress seeds
• Markers

Method

1. Cook boiled eggs to eat and carefully slice off the top of the egg. Eat the egg gently so as not to break the shell.
2. Fill the shell 2/3 full with soil and then sprinkle some seeds on the top and put into an egg cup.
3. Use the marker to very gently draw a face on the shell. Encourage the kids to get as creative as they want and give their egg heads character.
4. Water your Egg Head every day and it should start sprouting hair in 2-3 days.

Organise an old fashioned tea party.

Children love a party, even if it’s only for 3 or 4 people. Organising it can keep them happy for days.

Get the children to design and make their own invitations to give to their friends.

They can organise the food – keep it simple, but keep it small. Go for a miniature food theme, the children will love it. Try miniature fairy cakes, mini sausages, mini pizzas, mini tomatoes, mini sandwiches and even mini fairy bread. An Australian friend introduced me to the delights of fairy bread and my children loved her for it. Butter some slices of white bread and sprinkle liberally with hundreds and thousands then using cookie cutters, cut the bread into shapes. Not a particularly healthy choice, but fun as a real holiday treat.

Make a den

Dens are great fun whatever your age. There’s something magical about sitting with your friends in your secret den. The great thing about making a den is that it isn’t dependent on the weather. Dens can be made inside and out and are equally fun.

Organise an old fashioned sports day for your children and their friends

Children may have all the latest Playstation and computer games, but they still love these old fashioned events. You don’t need a garden to run one, you can simply go to your local park and organise one there.

Include events such as

• Egg and spoon race
• Sack race (using old pillow cases)
• Wheelbarrow races
• Dressing up race
• Skipping race

Make your own playdough

Children of all ages love playdough, and it’s even more fun when they can make it for themselves. This recipe makes a really great version of playdough that lasts for ages.

How to make one-minute playdough You will need:

• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• I cup of boiling water (from the kettle) mixed with
• some food colouring

Method

• Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then mix thoroughly with the hot water.

This recipe makes wonderful playdough at a fraction of the price of shop bought. When the kids have finished with it for the day, put the leftovers in little plastic sandwich bags and it should last for ages.

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How to Make Rag Dolls – Crafty kids

 

 

  

Rag dolls are often a child’s favorite and they’re super easy to make from spare pieces of fabric or unwanted older fabric that would otherwise be turned into rags. In putting a rag doll together, a unique personality forms every single time.

 

1. 1

   Choose how you want your doll to look. Start with the fabric color. Any plain fabric will do, but you might want to choose something approximately skin-colored, such as cream, brown, tan, white, or pink.

    

   

    

   • Traditionally, rag dolls were made from scraps of fabric (rags), so see if you can find enough fabric to recycle from a pillow case, an old shirt or clothes that don’t fit.
2. 2

   Draw the outline for your doll on a cloth. Add some extra width (half an inch to 5/8″) all around the outside of your outline for a seam allowance.

    

   
   • Make the doll shape a little larger than you want the finished doll. When you stuff it, it will puff up and the sides will come in a little bit.
   • You can practice the outline on paper until you get it about right.
   • Make the head fairly large and round or oval.its ugly man
3. 3

   Place a second layer of fabric underneath with the right sides of the fabric together. Cut out both on the outermost line.

   

    

    

    

    
    
4. 4

   Pin the fabric and stitch around the outline, leaving an opening for the stuffing.

   

    

    

    

    
    
5. 5

   Relieve the seams around curves and corners by cutting triangular notches in the seam allowance.

   

    

    

    

    
    
6. 6

   Turn the doll right side out, working the fabric through the opening.

   

    

    

    

    
    
7. 7

   Stuff the doll with any fiber stuffing you choose.

   

    

    

    

    
    
8. 8

   Turn the edges of the opening under, towards the inside, and stitch it closed by hand or machine.

   

    

    

    

    
    
9. 9

   If desired, stitch across the legs and arms to form joints.

   

    

    

    

    
   

    

    

    

    
    
10. 10

    Decorate the doll. Embroider a face or sew on buttons for the eyes and nose. Hair can be made from yarn; braid it for special effect if the hair is long.

    

     

     

     

     
     
11. 11

    Sew doll clothes for it (another great use of found, leftover, or recycled materials), or make no-sew doll clothes.

    

• This doll is your own, so have fun with it. If you want crazy colors or crazy hair, make your doll that way.
• One way to get your doll the same shape on both sides is to trace the outline on paper, fold this pattern in half down the middle, and cut it while it is folded in half.
• You don’t have to make fancy clothes. A simple no sew pinafore looks just as nice as a beautiful sewed masterpiece!
• Use tailor’s chalk or washable pencil to mark the fabric if you don’t want leftover marks showing through.
• Make the doll a bit bigger, if the fabric permits. It will be that much easier to work with and stuff.

Warnings

• Use appropriate caution with sewing machines, needles, and scissors.

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100 Ways to Have Fun with Your Kids

 

School holiday’s is where we try to have fun together as a family, often for free or without spending much money. I thought it would be useful to list some ways to have fun with your kids without spending a lot of money:

1. Have a reading marathon.
2. Write stories together.
3. Play soccer.
4. Paint or draw together.
5. Create a fort in your living room out of blankets or cardboard boxes.
6. Go on a hike.
7. Have a sunset picnic at a park or beach.
8. Play board games.
9. Play kickball.
10. Get up early, pack breakfast, and have a sunrise breakfast.
11. Go to a museum.
12. Go to a playground.
13. Play hide-and-seek.
14. Have a pillow fight.
15. Ride bikes.
16. Build sandcastles.
17. Rent a dvd and make popcorn.
18. Tell stories.
19. Have a scavenger hunt.
20. Make mazes or puzzles for each other to solve.
21. Play card games.
22. Garden together.
23. Bake cookies (let the kids help).
24. Go to the zoo.
25. Go to the library.
26. Shop at a thrift shop.
27. Create a blog together.
28. Create a scrapbook.
29. Make a movie using a camcorder and computer.
30. Learn to play music.
31. Fingerpaint.
32. Make play dough from scratch.
33. Make homemade mini pizzas.
34. Buy popsicles.
35. Make hand-painted T-shirts.
36. Set up a hammock, make lemonade, relax.
37. Go to a pool.
38. Go to a public place, people watch, and make up imaginary stories about people.
39. Visit family.
40. Write letters to family.
41. Paint or decorate the kids’ room.
42. Make milkshakes.
43. Play freeze tag.
44. Create a treasure hunt for them (leaving clues around the house or yard).
45. Decorate a pair of jeans.
46. Do a science experiment.
47. Play games online.
48. Teach them to play chess.
49. Learn magic tricks.
50. Create a family book, with information and pictures about each family member.
51. Fly kites.
52. Go snorkeling.
53. Barbecue.
54. Volunteer.
55. Donate stuff to charity.
56. Compete in a three-legged or other race.
57. Create an obstacle course.
58. Pitch a tent and sleep outside with marshmallows.
59. Roast marshmallows.
60. Play loud music and dance crazy.
61. Write and produce a play (to perform before other family members).
62. Paint each other’s faces.
63. Have a water balloon fight.
64. Have a gun-fight with those foam dart guns.
65. Explore your yard and look for insects.
66. Go for a walk and explore the neighborhood.
67. Go jogging.
68. Take pictures of nature.
69. Play a trivia game.
70. Make up trivia questions about each other.
71. Make hot cocoa.
72. Play house.
73. Decorate the house with decorations you make.
74. Make popsicles.
75. Play school.
76. Do shadow puppets.
77. Make a comic book.
78. Play in the rain.
79. Make mud pies.
80. Blow bubbles.
81. Take turns saying tongue twisters.
82. Sing songs.
83. Tell ghost stories in the dark with a flashlight.
84. Build stuff with Legos.
85. Give them a bubble bath.
86. Play with squirt guns.
87. Play video games together.
88. Play wiffleball.
89. Play nerf football.
90. Build a rocket from a kit.
91. Bake a cake and decorate it.
92. Play dress-up.
93. Thumb-wrestle, play mercy, or have a tickle fight.
94. Make a gingerbread house, or decorate gingerbread men.
95. Learn and tell each other jokes.
96. Play basketball.
97. Learn to juggle.
98. Walk barefoot in the grass and pick flowers.
99. Build paper airplanes and have a flying contest.
100. Prank call their grandparents, using disguised, humorous voices.

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CRAFTY KIDS -CABLE TIDY

I created this tutorial for the Buzz Feed website. I loved creating it as it was a bit of a challenge to do something I wouldn’t usually do and be given a little brief for a craft make – it got the cogs whirring!

You can see the tutorial on the Buzz Feed website, but all the instructions are below too!

You will need: two wooden clothes pegs, all purpose glue, washi tape in colours or patterns of your choice, and your headphones.

Get your pegs right: First you need to check the pegs are the right size for your headphones. Open one of the pegs and clamp around the wire just below the jack plug of your headphones. If the jack plug doesn’t fall through the end, you’re onto a winner. If it does, you’ll need to get some slightly smaller pegs.

Get taping: Bare wooden pegs are OK but you’ll want to add a bit of colour and fun to your cable tidy. To do this add some washi tape down one side of each of the pegs. Pick your favourite colours or patterns, I went for some black and white dots, but you could try neons, or pastels which would look great against the light wood.

Glue it together: Once you’re all washi taped up, use the all purpose glue to sandwich the non-decorated sides together. The pegs will need to top-and-tail each other as shown, so you can wind your headphones round it properly.

It’s a wrap: Woo hoo! You’re pretty much there, you just need to add your headphones – et voila! Start by putting the jack plug into the end of one of the pegs, then wrapping the cable round and round your new creation. Once you run out of cable, open the other peg and secure around the wire under the earbuds.

Ready to go: So there you have your super-simple cute cable tidy.

I made a few more and played with some colour combos, for one of them I also decided to offset my pegs slightly to add a little something extra to the design.

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wow lets make a snowman this ones for the kids

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Spending Quality Time with Your Grandchildren (Crafts and Games Can Help)

Working together on a craft project can be a real bonding experience for you and your grandchild. It will allow you to teach them values without being “preachy” and will create memories your grandchildren will remember all of their life.
Try to match the craft activity to one that the child is interested in. As a grandmother, I have used holidays and important family dates to participate in a craft with my granddaughters. I always help them make a Christmas gift and a Mother’s Day/Father’s Day gift for Mom and Dad. And birthdays are never forgotten. Not only do we enjoy spending the time together, but also they are so excited to be able to give a gift that they have actually created. We have great fun putting together “beautiful” cards with construction paper, glitter, buttons, feathers, ribbon, etc. Sometimes we find pictures on the Internet that can be used. Sometimes the girls know more about how to find them than Mimi does. One of the most fun crafts we did was for Mother’s Day this year. Their mother’s favorite craft is cross-stitch. Now one of her most treasured keepsakes is the plastic grid that her six year old worked on for several weeks in order to create a “beautiful” cross-stitch butterfly. It is important to keep the craft age appropriate and not to expect that the end result be perfect. The kit we used was one that is inexpensive and can be bought anywhere sewing crafts are sold. The four year old was also excited to give her Mom a “sewing” project. I used colored craft foam and cut out a large heart. Holes were punched along the edge and my granddaughter used a plastic needle to lace plastic “thread” through the holes. It is now also one of her Mom’s most valuable treasures.

One of the important concepts communicated to the child when I help them with a gift for their parents, is that I value their parents. Two of my granddaughters are now six and four years old, and they are aware that their father is my son. I use this as an opportunity to speak to them about families and how they love and care for each other. When we make a gift for their mother I make sure they know that I also value and appreciate her and consider her to be a good mother.
My husband also uses crafts and games to bond with the girls. One of the most fun activities was the time he helped them to make wooden boats with sails and then both families (along with their eighty three year old great grandmother) went down to the neighborhood pond and floated the boats. It was a great bonding experience for the whole family and the girls still talk about the memory that was created. A little different spin on the craft idea for my husband is his cache of child friendly toys. He is always finding something unusual, a lot of times something that was more popular in a bygone era. An example is a set of pick-up sticks. It was a big hit and something the children have enjoyed doing with “Pa”. He keeps the collection in a special place and when he gets it out, they are always eager to re-visit the items they’ve seen before and see what new treasures Pa has added.

I believe that even at such young ages, children know and value time spent with them over material gifts. Crafts (and games) are a wonderful way for grandparents to fill up that time with activities that will create memories that last a lifetime.

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