Patriotic Fruity Flag

If you need a healthy, fun snack for Memorial Day, Flag Day, or Independence Day, this is perfect.

To make this flag, you need:

• blueberries
• banana slices
• chunks of watermelon
• skewers

Simply skewer the fruit to look like a flag.  It doesn't get much easier.

Check out I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson and illustrated by Chris Raschka.  This is the best book I have ever seen to help kids understand the pledge of allegiance.

Chango Bars

My son's second grade class recently read Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha  Wing.

Pablo, the main character, has to bring something in to school for International Day, but he can't decide what to bring.  His parents own a Mexican-Jewish bakery and he considers some of the Mexican treats and some of the Jewish treats.  In the end, he decides to bring jalapeno bagels because they are the perfect combination of two cultures, just like him.  The story is based on a real bakery in Arcata, California - Los Bagels; you can order jalapeno bagels from their website and try them for yourself.

One of the Mexican treats mentioned in the book is chango bars (a chocolate chip cookie bar), and there is a recipe in the book too.  I made a batch for C to share with his class and they were a big hit.  Click here to visit Natasha Wing's blog where you can find the recipe.  There is also a recipe for jalapeno bagels in the book; I think they sound delicious, but I have never tried making bagels at home.

We highly recommend the chango bars; make some today for an easy, sweet Cinco de Mayo treat!

Earth Day Cupcakes

I mixed up a little blue and a little green frosting for some cupcakes.  I frosted them with the blue first and then just added a few dabs of green.  The kids were happy!  They liked taking a bite out of the earth.

There are so many fun books for Earth Day, but right now we are reading Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel - a fun story about a superhero that teaches people about the power of recycling.

Easter Treats

We are currently reading The Easter Chick by Geraldine Elschner.  Hilda the hen laid an egg and waits weeks for her baby to hatch.  One day she hears a voice from inside the egg asking, "Mother, when is Easter?".  Hilda is not sure because the date seems to change every year.  The little chick wants to hatch on Easter Sunday to be a true Easter chick, so Hilda sets out on a mission to find out how to determine when it will be Easter.  Luckily, the wise old owl offers up an answer to help the little chick.  This is a nice book to help children understand why the date changes.  The book also offers hidden bunnies to be found throughout the book, as well as religious symbols (a church, three crosses on a hill in the background).  

I thought it would be fun to make a hatching chick treat.  I made marshmallow crispy treats in the shape of eggs and arranged marshmallow chicks hatching out of the eggs.

I also used cookie cutters to make marshmallow crispy bunnies with candy, sugar, and icing eyes, noses, whiskers, and ears.

Leprechaun Sandwich

Our leprechaun sandwich is a sandwich (any filling is fine) cut out into a circle with a biscuit cutter (you can use a glass if you don't have a biscuit cutter).  The hair and beard are carrots, the eyes are raisins, and the nose is cheese.  The hat is green bell pepper with a strip of the pepper to make the brim and a piece of tortilla chip for the buckle.  The shamrock is cucumber slices.

The Luckiest Leprechaun is about an unexpected friendship between a leprechaun and a dog.  It's funny and unique, and we always enjoy books about friendship.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Taste the Rainbow

We made a fruit rainbow, and every piece of fruit was eaten.  I actually had to give C and R more fruit.

What Makes a Rainbow? is helpful for teaching colors as a young rabbit goes on a quest to find out what makes a rainbow.  Each color page features a ribbon of that color to make up the rainbow.  My five year old still likes this book, mostly because of the ribbon rainbow.

Truffula Trees and Brown Bar-ba-loots - The Lorax Snack

We are looking forward to seeing The Lorax soon.  I hope it's good, and I really hope it stays true to the book.  I LOVE that Danny Devito does the voice of the Lorax - how perfect!!!!

We have been reading The Lorax on the iPad this week because we couldn't get our hands on the book.  Honestly, we are loving the convenience of having the book on the iPad!!!

To make our book themed snack, I used:

• watermelon sherbet
• orange sherbet
• chocolate wafer cookies, and
• Teddy Grahams

I placed one scoop of each flavor of sherbet on a plate and made swirls in the ice cream using a fork.  The wafer cookies became trunks, and the Teddy Grahams are the obvious choice for the Brown Bar-ba-loots!

Do you plan on seeing the movie?  I read Teacher Tom's concerns about the movie today, and he really made me think; he has many valid points!  Little Wonders' Days posted a great craft and educational activity to go along with the book/movie.  Finally, click here for directions on how to make your own Lorax mustache.

Linking to:  Happy Birthday Author, Dr.Seuss Linky Party, and Wow Me Wednesday