Day: April 11, 2019

Jack-in-the-Box

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Jack in Box (3)

Here’s a cute and easy jack-in-the box that you can make for your infant. It’s a little less startling than the kind you buy where a wind-up figure pops out, making it a good intro to the toy. And you only need a few pantry items to make it!

Poke a hole in the bottom of a Styrofoam cup with a pencil.

Jack in Box (1)

Push a straw through the hole, and attach a small   to the other end of the straw (I just taped one on).

Jack in Box (2)

Hold the straw so the puppet is hidden in the cup, then… Peek-a-boo!

Jack in Box (4)

Here’s a cute rhyme you can say before the big reveal:

Jack in the box, still as a mouse,

Deep down inside your little dark house.

Jack in the box, resting so still.

Will you come out? Yes, I will!

Lots of giggles and delight for this one.

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Big siblings will probably want to take a turn doing the popping, too.

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Ribbon Dancer

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Rainbow Dancer (4)

April showers bring May flowers, or so they say! Which means we’re having a rainy month and we’re on the lookout for rainbows these days. This easy craft is a cute way to bring a little color and rainbows inside, even when the days are cloudy and gray.

Rainbow Dancer (1)

First, we measured out a length of red ribbon that was as tall as Travis – he thought it was neat to see a piece so long!

Rainbow Dancer (2)

Once we had our red, we could measure out the other colors of the rainbow against it. This is a good chance to review ROYGBIV order for preschoolers. Travis used scissors to cut each to the right length.

Now fold one ribbon in half, and loop through the ring of a canning jar. Pull the ends of the ribbon through the loop.

Rainbow Dancer (3)

Pretty soon we had our rainbow strings for dancing!

Rainbow Dancer (5)

Put on some good music and just jive.

Rainbow Dancer (6)Or perhaps do a raindance.

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If you’re lucky and it’s beautiful outside, this little rainbow looks even prettier out in the sunshine!

Build Your Own Tacos

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Tacos (5)

When Travis came home for lunch today, we set up a whole taco assembly line in the kitchen. He loved the hands-on nature of this recipe, care of his final issue of High Five magazine.

Ahead of time, I cooked a package of Gardein chick’n strips, and let cool. Travis helped shred the chicken, and we sprinkled it with 1 teaspoon taco seasoning. Microwave for 1 minute to rewarm.

Tacos (1)

Meanwhile, warm up hard taco shells according to package directions. Travis then got to hone his knife skills; together we chopped a tomato and a little lettuce.

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Time to assemble! We made a big line with everything.

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In goes:

  • Gardein chick’n
  • Tomatoes
  • Lettuce
  • Shredded Daiya cheddar
  • Non-dairy sour cream
  • Guacamole
  • Mild salsa

Travis loved it! We made one version that was a stuffed taco and one that was more like nachos.

Tacos (4)

If your kids don’t like Gardein chick’n, try the recipe using black beans and roasted sweet potatoes as the base instead.

High Five tacos alt.JPG