Month: July 2018

Sun-Melted Crayons

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You probably know that you can melt old crayons in the oven – but in the summer, you can also let the sun do the work!

This craft is the perfect use for all those old or broken crayons in your house. Remove the paper liners and place the crayons in a zip-top bag. Smash into pieces with a hammer.

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Travis couldn’t believe he got to use the grown-up hammer!

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Select cookie cutters and place on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Fill with the crayon pieces to about 1/2-inch deep.

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Place in a sunny spot for at least 6 hours, or until melted.

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Although our crayons got very soft, they never did melt together all the way (we ought to have taken advantage of last week’s 95 degree heat wave, instead of our 85 degrees today!) so we ultimately popped them in the oven to finish the process. This only took 5 minutes (at 170 degrees F) since they were already so soft.

Let cool before popping out of the cookie cutters.

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S’more Energy Bites

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Camping out and making s’mores got us thinking about other ways to combine the timeless combo of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. My husband loves these before a run, and my son loves them for dessert. Sure to be a family crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)
  • 8 to 10 Dandies mini marshmallows
  1. Combine all ingredients except the marshmallows in a large bowl; chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Shape the mixture into balls, placing a mini marshmallow inside each. You’ll have enough for 8 to 10 servings, depending how large you make them.

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Fun to make and fun to eat!

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Cardboard Tube Coiled Snakes

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This is a fun craft to put together, and the adorable final product can be used either to play with or to occupy a cute space in your garden!

First, paint toilet paper tubes with paint on the insides and out. We liked selecting fun bright colors for this project!

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If you intend to set the snakes outside in the garden, be sure to use acrylic paint. Painting the inside was a bit tricky for Travis, so I did that part and neatened up the outside of his blue one. Let dry completely.

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Cut each tube into a coil shape. I confess that I found this step tricky, so our snakes only have about 4 loops each. I saw others online that were cut into very thin little spirals – by all means go ahead if it doesn’t hurt your wrists as it hurt mine!

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Coil your snakes around a longer tube (like an old paper towel roll) to hold them steady and add colorful dots using the handle of a paintbrush rather than the bristles – a novelty!

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Let one side dry completely before you flip the tubes and dot the other side.

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For a final touch, we glued on triangle “tongues” made from red paper and two googly eyes.

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Travis was so excited by the way the snakes stretched out! Great for imaginative games.

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When it’s time to find your snake a place in the rainforest (er, I mean garden), choose a cozy spot and nestle them in.

Red, White, and Blue Berry Shortcakes

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It’s not Independence Day until we make a flag-colored recipe from High 5 magazine! To wit, see our recipes in the past for Flags for Breakfast or Red, White, and Blue Nachos.

This year’s candidate: easy shortcakes in the colors of the American flag. We made a few vegan substitutions from High 5’s original recipe, but stayed true to the spirit of the dish.

Instead of refrigerated biscuit dough, purchase frozen pie shells (such as Wholly Wholesome) or make your favorite pie dough recipe. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to make 12 stars from the crust (you’ll have to re-roll your scraps a few times to have enough dough).

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Travis loved playing with extra dough!

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Place the stars on a baking sheet, brush with about 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes; cool completely.

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Meanwhile, combine 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups raspberries, and 2 tablespoons agave nectar in a bowl. Set aside.

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Rather than make our own yogurt cream from scratch, we purchased a can of SoyaToo whipped cream. (Note: there are vegan substitutes that whip up like dairy cream, but I didn’t have enough time to plan in advance and order online).

To assemble each dessert, place one star on a plate, along with a heaping spoonful of berries.

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Add a dollop of whipped cream to taste, and enjoy!

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Patriotic Popsicles

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Need a red-white-and-blue snack for this Fourth of July – or any day this summer? These adorable popsicles fit the bill!

First up was using a small cookie cutter on slices of melon. Ideally, we would have used a small star for truly star-spangled popsicles, but a heart was just as cute.

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Travis was so proud of the shapes he made! Cut out enough so you have 2 watermelon slices per popsicle mold, and add to your molds.

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Fill the molds nearly all the way with lemonade, then top off with a few fresh blueberries.

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Freeze completely before serving. Ha, he seems to be asking, “Hey Mom, how do I get to the fruit?”

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DIY Fireworks

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We’re making our own fireworks this Fourth of July… on our t-shirts that is!

Ages ago Travis and I made toddler tie-dye, and the method for this shirt is a variation on the idea. Except now Travis can design with much more intention.

First, place a piece of cardboard inside a plain white t-shirt.

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Use permanent markers (such as sharpies) in blue and red to draw asterisk shapes on the shirt. This design was a bit over Travis’s head, but he enjoyed scribbling with the sharpies.

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Use an eye dropper (great for building those little finger muscles!) to drop a few drops of alcohol onto each colored portion of the shirt. The colors will bleed out into “fireworks” and sparkles. Travis had incredible concentration and determination as he dripped the alcohol over each line of marker.

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Let dry completely before wearing.

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Happy Fourth!

Cantaloupe “Ice Cream”

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Here’s an adorable way to delight your kids for dessert this summer, with a treat that’s both healthy and delectable.

Use an ice cream scoop to make balls from a whole cantaloupe (honeydew would work well, too). Scoop the melon into ice cream cones – we love the vegan cones from Let’s Do Organic.

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Voila! Dessert.

Kids don’t like melon? Equally as easy is to give them a bowl of vanilla non-dairy yogurt with stem-on cherries for dipping – just make sure to pop out the pits with a cherry pitter (through a non-stem part of the fruit) first.

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BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Here’s a great, almost no-cook dinner option – and the first way I’ve gotten my preschooler to enjoy spicy barbecue sauce! A summer win for all.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Gardein chick’n strips
  • 2 tablespoons bbq sauce (such as Organicville)
  • 1 avocado
  • Bibb lettuce leaves
  • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing (such as Organicville)
  1. Cook the chick’n in a skillet according to package directions, omitting the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the barbecue sauce.
  2. Thinly slice 1 avocado and set aside.
  3. Place the lettuce leaves on plates, and fill each lettuce cup with 1 avocado slice and 2 to 3 strips of chick’n. Drizzle evenly with the ranch dressing before serving.

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Water Balloon Yo-yo

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Here’s the perfect water balloon activity for smaller kids who aren’t ready for a good old-fashioned water balloon fight!

Something I didn’t know until now: in order to fill water balloons, you need a special nozzle that attaches only to an outside spigot – our indoor sink didn’t work for this one! That meant we had to wait until a day at the relatives’ house to have fun.

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Fill up water balloons and tie off.

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Cut long rubber bands open, and tie one to each balloon. Now they bounce up and down like yo-yos for endless enjoyment.

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These were Travis’s first water balloons, and he loved how squishy they are.

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And of course, pelting daddy with a surprise handful is still fun, once the elastics slip off!

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Green Time: Camp in Your Backyard

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I’ve given our Ranger Rick Jr. subscription credit before for getting us outside and inspired, but this time the magazine really hit a home run. Never in a million years would I have taken Travis backyard camping, until it was the magazine’s summer Green Time suggestion. We pledged to join the Great American Campout at National Wildlife’s Federation’s website, originally aiming for the start day of June 23. Rain delayed us by one week, but we’re so glad we got out there!

Let’s start by saying I’m not a camper. Luckily we were able to borrow a tent from a friend, leading to instant excitement once it was up in the backyard.

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Folks, I’m here to say backyard camping is the way to go! Easy access to bathrooms if needed, popping inside to cook vegan s’mores over a cast-iron pan, and a cozy bed if kids decide they can’t make it a full night outside.

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We headed out at bedtime (8 pm) with the sun still setting. Travis popped up with his flashlight for every sound, enamored with nature.

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“I heard something! Let’s check it out!” We loved seeing birds and the setting sun in the clouds.

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And fireflies! Can you spot the pinprick of light in this picture?

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Stories by flashlight once it as completely dark were especially fun.

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Around 10 o’clock, Travis decided he was unable to get comfortable so we headed inside. But this was easily the most magical night of the summer so far. I asked Travis what his favorite part was, and he said playing with the zippers on the tent flaps – ha! Thanks NWF!

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