Alphabet Adventures

F is for Fancy Fried Rice

2013-05-04T11:58:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cooked chicken breasts cut in 1 inch pieces (optional for vegetarian)

1 cup cooked rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs

2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 teaspoon grated and peeled fresh ginger

1 carrot, chopped

½ cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 small pepper)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

½ cup chicken stock

1 cup snow peas, trimmed, sliced on the diagonal into thirds

Directions:
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add eggs and scramble. Add carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken, snow peas, scallions, and ginger, cook for 3 minutes. Add rice and bell pepper , cook 2 minutes. Stir together soy sauce, sugar and stock then add to skillet. Cook an additional 3 minutes and serve. Serves 4-6.

C is for Cold Couscous with Craisins

2013-05-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

10 ounces couscous

1 cup craisins

3/4 cup chopped green onions

3/4 cup chopped red pepper

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, prepare couscous according to package directions. Place in large bowl and fluff with a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled. Stir in craisins, onions, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, paprika, salt, and pepper; pour over couscous and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 6-8 servings.

B is for Bumble Bee Banana Bread

2013-05-04T11:55:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

3 brown or blackened bananas

½ cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 egg

½ cup sugar
½ cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour and baking soda in a bowl, set aside. Mix bananas, butter, egg, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda then mix incrementally into banana and sugar mixture. Pour into muffin cups and bake about 20 minutes (60 minutes if using a loaf pan) until fork comes cleanly through the center of the muffin or loaf.

A is for Awesome Apple Chicken Salad

2013-05-04T11:53:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

4 (6 ounce) chicken breasts

salt and black pepper

¾ cup bread crumbs (optional for Gluten Free)

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 Granny Smith apple, cut into matchsticks

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Directions:

Slice chicken breasts into two inch pieces and season with salt and pepper then coat with bread crumbs. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until brown and cooked through adding more oil to the skillet if necessary. Place chicken on a plate.

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice. Stir in chicken, celery, apple, and chives. 4-6 servings.

Y is for Yellow Y

2013-05-04T11:51:00.003-07:00

A simple craft that teaches about the letter Y and the color yellow and provides an excellent opportunity for your child to practice small motor skills such as cutting and gluing.

Materials Needed:
construction paper
black marker
magazine pictures

Scissors

glue

Directions:
1. Using a black marker, trace a large Y onto a sheet of construction paper.

2. Cut out yellow pictures from a magazine and glue them into the Y shape.

X is for Xylophone

2013-05-04T11:50:00.003-07:00

Materials Needed:
construction paper – black, red, orange,

yellow, green, blue, and brown

black marker
glue

scissors

Directions:

Cut strips of construction paper as follows:

blue – 5 inches by 1 inch

green – 4.5 inches by 1 inch
yellow – 4 inches by 1 inch

orange – 3.5 inches by 1 inch

red – 3 inches by 1 inch

Cut out little drum sticks from the brown paper.

Glue the colored strips on to the black construction paper in the shape of a xylophone and draw

two little black dots on the end of each colored strip of paper. Glue the brown drum sticks

on top of the xylophone.

W is for Wizard Wand

2013-05-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Materials Needed:

8 1/2 x 11 plain white paper
hot glue gun and LOTS of glue sticks
sponge paint brush
paint (brown, red, green, black, silver and/or gold)
Mod Podge

Directions:
Begin by rolling paper into a narrow funnel. You want one end to be just a bit wider than the other.

Stick the tip of the glue gun into the narrow end of the wand first. You are going to fill the entire tube with glue. Don't miss any sections. Squirt glue into the wand until you can see it about 3/4 of the way full through the entire tube. Allow to cool for a moment. Fill the remainder of the way, through the wider end and allow to cool completely. Tube should be entirely full. When cooled it will be solid and near unbreakable. Each wand will take approx. 3-4 hot glue sticks. Squeeze a small bead of glue on the top or narrow end of the wand. This will give the wand a nice rounded finish on top.

Once the wand is completely cool, use a sponge brush to lightly brush your base paint layer. We used brown. For a darker look you can also use black .

For your second coat skim a layer of maroon or green (or whatever color you choose) over the top of the brown. The paint dries very quickly.

When it is completely dry, use the hot glue gun to carefully draw designs on your wand with the glue. We did vines with flowers, "knots" like wood, spirals, snakes, anything! Get creative!

Hold the wand vertically and squirt a bit of hot glue on the top and let it drizzle messily around the tip. Then hold it upside down and do the same just a bit thicker so it runs down like wax on a candle.

V is for Volcano

2013-05-04T11:46:00.003-07:00

Materials Needed:

cone shaped birthday hat

paper plate

newspaper

bowl

2 cups flour

1 cup water

acrylic paint – green, brown and tan

¼ cup baking soda

½ cup vinegar

5-6 drops red food coloring

Directions

Cut ½ inch off the top of a birthday hat and place it on a paper plate.

Tear newspaper into strips 2 inches by 8 inches.

Combine 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of water then mix well. Dip the newspaper strips one at a time into the flour paste and place them completely over the birthday hat maintaining the hole at the top and the cone shape. Allow the hat to dry overnight.

Paint the hat with acrylic paint to make it look more realistic. Use natural colors such as green, brown and tan. Allow the paint to dry for 3 or more hours.

Pour ¼ cup of baking soda into the center of the volcano.

Combine ½ cup of white vinegar and 5-6 drops of red food coloring in a bowl. Stir until completely mixed. Pour the red vinegar into the center of the volcano and watch the eruption!

U is for Unicorn Horn

2013-05-04T11:44:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:

cone-shaped birthday party hat

paper plate or newspaper

crafting glue

glitter
ribbon

rhinestones and/or sequins

foam brush

Directions:
Spread crafting glue over the outside of the

cone with a foam brush. Wrap ribbon around

the outside of the cone starting at the tip and working your way down diagonally. Cut the ribbon and tuck it under the cone with a little glue.

Glue a few rhinestones or sequins in between the ribbon then sprinkle glitter over the cone while holding it over a paper plate to catch the excess. Set the cone down, point facing up, on the plate and let it dry for at least 20 minutes.

Punch a hole on either side of the cone’s base and tie the elastic to make a strap.

T is for Truffula Trees

2013-05-04T11:42:00.004-07:00

Materials Needed:
small terra cotta pot
acrylic paint
soft, feathery, boa-like material
glue gun or pins
two foam balls, sized to fit in the pot

colorful foam paper sheet
bendable floral arrangement stick
white Duck tape roll

bright green Duck tape sheet
sharp kitchen scissors

Directions:

Trace the top of the terra cotta pot onto the craft foam. Cut out the circle and set aside. Paint the terra cotta pot a bright fun color and set aside to dry.

Carefully cut one foam ball in half and place it in the pot. Cut the floral arrangement stick to 16 inches. Wrap it first with white Duck tape, overlapping the tape to fully cover the stick.

From the green Duck tape sheet, cut ¼ inch strips along the vertical edge. Peel the backing and carefully tape the green Duck tape at a diagonal down the stick. Overlap new strips when needed. When you’ve finished, carefully push one end of the stick through the center of the foam circle and then into the foam ball half until it is set and won’t move.

Using either a glue gun or pins, wrap and adhere the boa-like material around the second foam ball. Push the decorated ball onto the end of the wrapped stick.

S is for Super Sweet Sun Catcher

2013-05-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Materials Needed:
newspaper or paper towels
wax paper

crayons

pencil sharpener

heart-shaped cookie cutter

marker or pen

scissors

glue

iron (for crafting use only)

ironing board

2 towels
construction paper

hole puncher

string or ribbon

Directions:

Use newspaper or paper towels to protect your work space. Peel paper off crayons and sharpen with a pencil sharpener. Place shavings between two pieces of wax paper.

Place an old towel on your ironing board. Preheat your iron on a low setting just warm enough to melt the crayons. Place the wax paper and crayons on the towel and put another towel on top. With gentle pressure , place your iron on the towel and hold for 10-15 seconds. Check to see if the crayons have melted and repeat if necessary.

After it has cooled, use your cookie cutter to trace the heart onto the wax paper and cut the shape.

You can add an outline of the heart by tracing the cookie cutter on two pieces of construction paper and cutting out the middles. Then glue the outside outline of the wax paper heart onto the two construction paper

outlines.

Punch a hole in the top middleof the heart and lace the string or ribbon through the hole. You can use tape or a window suction cup hanger to hang your beautiful heart-shaped sun catcher.

R is for Rainbow Streamers

2013-05-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Materials Needed:
paper plates

rainbow colored streamers cut into 16 inch strips

glue

cotton balls

10 inches of ribbon or string

tape or stapler

Directions:
Cut paper plates in half. Tape or staple the ribbon or string to the middle of the round part of the plate.

Glue the streamers in rainbow order around the edge of the plate then glue the cotton balls onto the paper plate to make it look like a puffy cloud. Hang and enjoy!

Q is for Q-Tips Pick Up Sticks

2013-05-04T11:35:00.002-07:00

Materials Needed:

25 Q-Tips

blue, green, and red acrylic paint

paint brush

Directions:

Paint 3 Q-Tips blue, 8 Q-Tips green and 14 Q-Tips red

Game Instructions:

For 2-3 players. Bundle the sticks in your hand and then drop them on the table. Take turns picking up as many sticks as you can without moving any other stick except the one you are picking up. If you move a stick, then your turn is over. When all of the sticks have been picked up, the player with the most points wins. Blue (8 points each), green (3 points), red (1 point).

P is for Potato Prints

2013-05-04T11:33:00.004-07:00

Materials Needed:

potatoes
pencil
cookie cutter
small knife with a point

paints (if you want to stamp onto a t-shirt, use fabric paint)

paper

Directions:
Cut a potato in half. Using a sharp pencil, etch a design onto the flat, cut surface, or use a metal cookie cutter to make the shape on the potato. With your knife, carefully cut away portions of the potato around and within your image. The remaining raised portion of the potato will be the image that gets stamped. If you make a mistake, simply slice 1/4 inch off the end of the potato and try again.

Rinse the potato to remove small cut bits.

If you’re stamping onto a t-shirt use fabric paint and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for setting the painted image once it dries. For stamping on paper, I simply created an “ink pad” by pouring out a variety of paint colors and then used my finger to flatten the mounds of paint out.

Dip the potato image into the paint, then stamp it gently on paper. Instruct kids to dab the potato stamp on a paper towel to remove excess paint when they are ready to change colors. Sometimes it’s quite pretty when more than one color is used!

O is for Octopus

2013-05-04T11:32:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:

toilet paper roll

paint – green, blue, or the color of your choice
paint brush

yellow and red craft foam

glue

scissors

hole puncher

Directions:

Paint the toilet paper roll green or blue the color of your choice. Let dry and cut strips midway up the tube.

Roll each strip around a marker to curl it.

Paint white and black circles for the eyes. Punch holes from the craft foam and glue the circles onto the octopus’s arms.

N is for Noodle Necklace

2013-05-04T11:30:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:

box of pasta (any shape you’d like as long as you can get a string through it)
string or ribbon with length to make a necklace and tie

food dye
scissors
plastic sandwich bags

Directions:

Separate uncooked macaroni noodles into several plastic bags. To each bag, add 10-15 drops of food coloring. Seal the bag and shake to evenly cover each noodle.

Lay the noodles out in the sun to dry. Once dry, your child can string them together to make a colorful, safe necklace.

K is for Kindness Coins

2013-05-04T11:12:00.002-07:00

Materials Needed:
baking clay
small flower or heart shaped cookie cutter

drinking straw
acrylic paint
6 inch pieces of ribbon
make a copy of the kindness quotes on page 68

hole puncher

Directions:
Roll out the clay and use cookie cutters. Use the straw to make a hole in the middle of the flower or heart. Remove the middle piece.

Bake the clay at the temperature and length of time suggested in product directions. Allow to cool completely.

Cut the kindness quotes and punch a hole on the side. Paint the coins. Lace the ribbon through the painted coins and the paper quotes.
When you see someone do something kind, give them a coin to spread kindness.

J is for Jelly Bean Jewelry

2013-05-04T11:10:00.001-07:00

Background: This really should be an “E” craft – easy edible Easter bracelet. Your kids will have just as much fun making their little bracelets as they do eating them.

Materials Needed:

bag of jelly beans

sewing needle you don’t plan to use again
thread

Directions:

Tie a large knot at one end of the thread. Carefully push the needle through the jelly beans. It’s a bit hard to get the needle through the jelly beans, but it will go.

As soon as the bracelet is the right length for your child’s wrist, tie off the thread. The project can get a little sticky!

I is for Icing Igloo

2013-05-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Materials Needed:

1 paper or foam cup

construction paper or paper plate

white icing

mini marshmallows

Directions

Cut one inch off of the top of a disposable cup.

Cut a half circle entrance for your doorway to fit into.

With the strip you cut from the top of the cup, create a little doorway by cutting a smaller strip to fit the opening (see photo).

Spread icing all over the cup and door then stick marshmallows into the icing to look like snow.

H is for Heart-Shaped Locket

2013-05-04T11:06:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:

pink or red construction paper

Heart-shaped cookie cutter or paper heart to trace

hole puncher

20 inches of pink, white, or red ribbon
two small photos that will fit into the heart shape

glue

Directions:

Trace around the cookie cutter on the photos and cut out the hearts.

Fold construction paper in half and trace the heart with the left edge of the cookie cutter slightly overlapping the fold. Cut out the shape, taking care not to cut off the folded edge.

Glue the picture into the open hear. Punch a hole into the side of the heart, lace the ribbon through and tie.

G is for Gnome Hats

2013-05-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:
Red or blue fleece material, 25 inches square

Thread

Pins
Stuffing
Scissors
Pinking shears
Sewing machine

Directions:

Cut your fleece material in half and lay the pieces on top of each other. Measure your child’s head circumference. Add two inches for seam allowance and ease. Divide this total by two and use this number

as the length of your triangle and pin both ends of the line. Then locate the exact middleof this line, measure 20 inches up and pin. Cut from the top pin to each side pin.

Using a ½ inch seam allowance, sew the two sides of the triangle from the base up to the point. Leave the base open. Use a pinking shears to trim the edges of the seam. If you want you can finish the base by turning it up and sewing the base of the hat with a ½ inch seam allowance. This is not necessary but gives the hat a more finished look. Turn the hat right side out. Stuff the tip with stuffing to make it stand straight up. If you’d

like the hat to look more like an elf hat, just leave the stuffing out and let the hat flop down.

F is for Fairy House

2013-05-04T11:01:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:
yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, or plastic plant containers, any size
gold metallic paint

craft glue
feathers
stickers
ribbon
beads
stickers
decorative moss
pre-cut paper items

Directions:
After washing and drying a plastic container, turn it upside down and cut out a small rectangular hole for the door. You can either leave it attached and fold it so it swings open and shut or just cut it off entirely.

Be sure to do the painting outside or in a well-ventilated area. Paint the outside of the container with gold paint. Dabbing and blotting it will create a fun texturized look and may be needed to keep it from streaking. You may need more than one coat.

After the paint has thoroughly dried, glue feathers, stickers, ribbons, beads, moss, buttons and paper items such as tiny little fences onto the fairy house. We used Froot Loops to decorate the houses because we were celebrating the letters F and L.

E is for Emo Dough

2013-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Background:
Emo-Dough is something I created to help children cope with overwhelming emotions such as anger, sadness, fear and excitement. I’ve found that Emo-Dough has many benefits that include simply the act of identifying emotions and having alternatives to hitting, yelling, or even obsessive thinking. Keeping their hands busy can help children process challenging situations and difficult emotions. I’ve found that Emo-Dough has been a great visual and hands on technique for dealing with hard to see and understand abstract emotions, especially when you don’t have the words to articulate everything that’s going on inside.

Materials Needed:

3-4 containers of Play-Doh in assorted colors
8x2 inch strips of paper
crayons or markers

tape or glue

Directions:

Designate an emotion for each color of Play-Doh. We chose yellow for glad (or excited), red for mad, blue for sad and white for scared. Create a new label for each can, decorating a strip of paper using words or pictures to convey the chosen emotion. Wrap the label around the can and secure it with tape or glue. You can easily do this with homemade play dough by decorating its container or plastic bag.

Let your child know that when they’re really angry and want to hit or hurt, you can pull out the Mad Emo-Dough and let him or her pound on it. If she’s sad or sulky, here comes the Sad Emo-Dough. If he’s really excited about something coming up and having a hard time dealing with the anticipation, you can have him make shapes with the Glad Emo-Dough. If your child is experiencing mixed emotions, let them mix up the Emo-Dough.

D is for Decoupage Diary

2013-05-04T10:58:00.001-07:00

Materials Needed:
metallic gold paint
paint brushes
composition notebook
magazines filled with colorful inspirational pictures
Mod Podge

Directions:
Be sure to do this task either outside or in a

well-ventilated area so you and the children

do not become overwhelmed with paint fumes.

Carefully paint the notebook cover with gold paint and allow it to dry thoroughly. You may need to apply multiple coats. It can be fun to blot, make waves, or spin circles with the paint to create a unique texturized look.

Cut out pictures, words or sentences from magazines that inspire you or make you happy.

After the notebook has completely dried, paint Mod Podge onto the back of each cut out magazine image or word, then place it on the notebook. Paint Mod Podge completely over the magazine item. Mod Podge is white when wet but it will dry clear.

B is for Bubble Wrap Butterfly Bags

2013-05-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Materials Needed:

3 inch by 3 inch piece of bubble wrap

Pre-made canvas bag large enough to hold books
packaging or scotch tape

butterfly stencil
fabric paint

Directions:

Copy butterfly stencil below. Cut at dotted line.

Slightly bend the paper in the middle of the butterfly to

start a cut with your scissors, then carefully cut out the

butterfly, keeping the square around it intact. This will be your stencil.

Securely tape stencil to the bag.

●

Dip bubble wrap into paint then softly tap it with paint onto the stencil. The less paint you use, the more textured and patterned your butterfly will be.

Allow paint to thoroughly dry then head off to the library to fill up your bags with stories about butterflies.