This hot air balloon end-of-year craft, inspired by the Dr. Seuss’ book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, is perfect for preschool through grade 1. (Although your older kiddos just might like this too :)

I made a similar hot air balloon craft recently for a Dr. Seuss family night. The kids loved sharing where they wanted to go on spring break, after the event, and even that weekend. It got me thinking, though, at the end of the year, what are their dreams? What do they want to be when they grow up? What do they want to do over summer break? These are just a few of the questions you can ask them as they write their answers. For preschoolers, though, let them dictate to you, as you write down what they want to do or be.

How to make our Oh, the Places You’ll Go hot air balloon

This hot air balloon craft encourages fine motor, literacy, and cognitive skills. Although older children will be able to cut out all of the parts and write their own sentence, younger children will need assistance.

What you need

• Paper plate
• Tissue paper
• Our Oh, the Places You’ll Go printable
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Stapler

Instructions

Step 1

Download and print our free Oh, the Places You’ll Go printable; preferably on cardstock to make it sturdier.

Step 2

Cut the bottom section off the paper plate and staple the basket of the balloon into place. Glue the Oh, the Places You’ll Go circle onto the paper plate.

Step 3

Cut a variety of tissue paper colors into squares, approximately 1.5 inches each; they don’t have to be exact. This is something that kids with good scissor skills can do on their own.

Step 4

Use your fingers to scrunch the tissue paper squares into little pieces and glue them into place around the top of the balloon.

Once your hot air balloon is complete, it’s time for the kids to decide what they want to write on the basket.

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I’ve found 30 crafts that are PERFECT to make for Teacher Appreciation Week. Get your kids involved in the crafting too!

30 Teacher Appreciation Crafts

1. High-Five Card: Give your teacher a big high-five with this simple homemade card.

2. DIY Sharpie Jar: This Sharpie jar gift is easy, cheap, AND useful. Get the instructions from The Realistic Mama.

3. Notepads for Teacher: Any teacher would love to receive a personalized notepad as a gift! Art Bar has the details for this fun DIY.

4. Donut Printable: Who wouldn’t like to get a donut?? Get this super cute printable from Confetti Sunshine.

5. Neon Dipped Teacher Gifts: These succulent gifts from Hellobee are beautiful and they are really fun to make.

6. Classroom Print: This print would look adorable in any classroom! Get the printable from Eighteen25 and give this in a frame to your teacher.

Simple and Sweet Teacher Appreciation Week Crafts

7. Rubber Band Ball: You can never have too many rubber bands. Get the instructions and printable from Tried and True.

8. S’more Teacher Gift: This cute saying and yummy treat from The Rowdy Stroudy’s will put a smile on your teachers face!

9. Felt Goodie Bag: SUPER simple and SUPER cute- these felt goodie bags are great for stuffing little teacher gifts into.

10. Printable Target Gift Card Holder: Dress up that Target gift card with this creative holder from Landeelu.

11. Washi Tape Pencil Holder: Get out your washi tape for this creative and easy gift idea.

12. Teacher Appreciation Blooms: Give your teacher a vase full of gorgeous flowers with this sweet note from Skip to my Lou.

13. Pipe Cleaner Apples: Every teacher loves apples! Your little ones can craft these all on their own and give them to their teachers in a bundle.

14. Highlighter Roll Gift Idea: Club Chica Circle shows us how to highlight what we love most about our teachers with this simple gift idea.

15. Kit Kat Gift: Teachers deserve a break once in a while! Give them one with this cute Kit Kat printable from Eighteen25.

16. Cactus Planters: Thank your teacher for all the help with growing this school year by giving them this pretty cactus planter from Shanty-2-Chic.

17. Outer Space Watercolor Bookmarks: Show your teacher all you’ve learned about the planets with this educational watercolor bookmark gift.

18. Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub: Give your teacher a little luxury with this yummy smelling lemon sugar hand scrub from Caramel Potatoes.

Cute Teacher Appreciation Week Crafts

19. Gumdrop Apples: Teachers will love snacking on these candy gumdrop apples that your kiddos can easily craft themselves!

20. EOS Lip Balm Teacher Gift: No more chapped lips with this handy gift and printable from Wine and Glue.

21. Sweet Teacher Gift: Does your teacher love to cook? Then they will LOVE this thoughtful cooking gift from Eighteen25.

22. DIY Ruler Vase: This ruler vase from Lolly Jane would look super cute in your teacher’s classroom.

23. DIY Apple Chalkboard: How adorable is this apple chalkboard from A Night Owl? I love this idea for a teacher appretiation gift.

24. Washi Tape Gift: What is more simple than this washi tape gift idea from Confetti Sunshine? Give a teacher your favorite designs and colors of washi tape to use all year long!

25. Tote Teacher Gift: Present this cute tote and printable from Uncommon Designs to your teacher to show them how much you care.

26. Card Candy Necklace: Put gift cards and candy into this charming candy necklace from Whipperberry.

27. Pipe Cleaner Pencil Toppers: Get out the pipe cleaners to make these cute pencil toppers for your teachers.

28. Caramel Apple Gift: I know I would love receiving this delicious caramel apple all wrapped up from Makoodle. Your teacher will too!

29. Oreo Dipped Apples: These Oreo apples from A Girl and a Glue Gun are tasty, pretty, and make such a special gift for a teacher.

30. RedBox Teacher Present: Give your teacher a night off with this movie bundle package from The Crafting Chicks.

31. 50 Cute Sayings for Teacher Appreciation!

Your teacher will love any one of these crafty gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week!

*Originally posted 4/23/15

The post 30 Crafts to Make for Teacher Appreciation Week appeared first on Make and Takes.

The recipe comes from baking wizard, Dorie Greenspan. If you aren’t familiar with her and you like to bake, do a quick Google search and check out her recipes. They rarely, if ever, disappoint.

When we decorate chocolate cupcakes at our house in a few weeks, this will be the recipe we use.

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the chocolate cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Instructions:

Getting ready – Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fit the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan with paper muffin cups, or butter them with flour and tap out the excess.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter. Add the egg, then the yolk, beating 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. Cool to room temperature on the rack before decorating.

Powdered Sugar Frosting

1 stick butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a little milk

Beat butter for a minute with an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time alternately with a little milk. Add the vanilla extract. Continue beating until light and fluffy.

The post Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes appeared first on Make and Takes.

21 DIY Hanging Planters YOU Can Make

1. Wooden Box Hanging Planter: Talk about a wow-statement! These hanging planters are simple to make and look amazing on a wall. (via A Beautiful Mess)

2. DIY Macrame Hanging Planter: this projects keeps on giving with 2 projects in 1! (via Make and Takes)

3. Wood Slice and Rope Hanging Planter: Keep your plants up and out of the way with this super easy wood slice hanger. (via The Summery Umbrella)

4. DIY Floating Shelf: You can make this floating shelf with just a few supplies. You’ll stay in your budget too. (via Hometalk)

5. DIY Plywood Hanging Planter: How gorgeous are these diamond shaped hanging planters? They’re easier to make then they look. (via Deuce Cities Henhouse)

6. Make a Driftwood Hanging Planter: This driftwood hanging planter is way easier to make than it looks. We actually used a lot of things that we already had and the project only cost us $15 in plants to bring it all together. (via Make and Takes)

7. DIY Mason Jar Hanging Herb Planter: Plant your own herbs in your home with these darling mason jar platers. (via Ramshackle Glam)

8. Modern DIY Hanging Planter: Can you believe that this hanging planter is made from recycled plastic bottles? You have to make this! (via eHow)

More DIY Hanging Planters to make:

9. DIY Modern Hanging Planter: This gorgeous planter is made from an embroidery hoop! How easy it that? (via Northstory)

10. Plant Hanger From Fabric Strips: Use leftover fabric strips to make this plant hanger. Hang it in your home or outside on your porch. (via Gleeful Things)

11. Wood Planter: This hanging wood planter is simple, yet elegant, and would look great in anyone’s house. (via Shanty 2 Chic)

12. Disco Ball Hanging Planter: I need this disco ball planter in my life. It’s so much fun!! (via A Beautiful Mess)

13. Triangle Planter: You can make this beautiful copper geometric planter to decorate your home. (via Another Big Bite)

More DIY Hanging Planters

14. Leather Sling Hanging Planter: Keep the floor clear with this lovely leather planter. It’s modern, easy to make, and brightens up any space. (via A Designer At Home)

15. Easy Hanging Planter DIY: Use metal bowls to make these cool hanging planters. (via A Beautiful Mess)

16. Hanging Planter Hack: This $5 hanging planter hack is easy on your budget and time. (via Paper and Stitch)

17. DIY Planter With A Pair & A Spare: I love this leather DIY planter. Place your potted plant in the center of the leather and hang it in your home. (via BLDG 25)

18. DIY Crescent Moon Hanging Planter: Wouldn’t this moon planter look cute in a baby nursery? I love the crescent moon shape of the pot. (via diys.com)

19. Hanging Planter Shelf: This horizontal planter shelf is perfect for a minimalist. It’s simple and beautiful. (via Curbly)

20. Crochet Boho Plant Hanger: Learn the basics of crocheting to make this cozy plant hanger – Boho Style (via Curbly)

21. Recycled Water Bottles Hanger: This is a great recycled craft for a rainy afternoon. (via Momtastic)

Keep those floors clear and hang your plants from the ceiling. I love all of the beautiful DIYs. Which one will you choose to make?

Follow us on Pinterest for more inspiration!

Originally posted 6/23/17

The post 21 DIY Hanging Planters YOU Can Make appeared first on Make and Takes.

There are so many ways you can make these. My girls were having a blast shaping their coffee filters into all sorts of flowers.

How to Shape Coffee Filter Flowers

Once your coffee filters are all dyed and dried, it’s time to start shaping them into flowers. This is where the fun really begins — there’s no one right way to do it, and that’s exactly the point. Let the kids experiment and see what they come up with!

Simple Folded Flower

Fold the coffee filter in half, then in half again. Gather the pointed end together and twist it to form a stem base. Fluff out the top to open up the petals. Easy and so pretty!

Crinkled Flower

Lay the coffee filter flat, then scrunch it up from the center. Pinch and twist the bottom together tightly. Give the top a little shake to loosen the petals and you’ve got a full, fluffy bloom.

Ruffled Rose

Fold your coffee filter in half and then fold it in half again. Starting at the outer edge, cut a gentle curved spiral all the way in toward the center, leaving a small circle uncut in the middle. Gently roll the spiral from the outside in, using that center circle as the base. It curls right into a beautiful rose!

How to Assemble Your Coffee Filter Flowers

Once your flowers are shaped, it’s time to add the stems and put your bouquet together.

1. Pinch the bottom of your flower tightly and push it onto the end of a straw.
2. Wrap washi tape around the base of the flower and down the straw to secure it in place. This is a great chance to add even more color!
3. Keep wrapping all the way down if you’d like, a fully taped straw looks so cheerful in a bouquet.
4. Repeat with all your flowers and gather them together for a beautiful springtime display.

Set them out in a vase or a glass and you’ve got an indoor flower arrangement that lasts forever. My girls spent a whole afternoon making one flower after another, each one a little different. The best kind of craft, easy to start, hard to stop!

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Boysenberry barbecue sauce

This delicious boysenberry barbecue sauce will become your family’s favorite barbecue sauce recipe for meatballs, wings, pork, and so much more.

When we lived in California, my daughter absolutely loved the boysenberry barbecue sauce from Knott’s Berry Farm. She was so sad when they discontinued it because we ordered it online when we moved to Kentucky. We decided to make our own, and she loves this one just as much, if not more than the original.

Ingredients

This recipe only requires pantry ingredients, a lot of which you probably already have on hand, but is a great way to use those that are coming up to their expiration dates.

• Dark brown sugar
• Dijon mustard
• Seeded mustard
• Ketchup
• Hot honey
• Soy sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Marmalade
• Boysenberry paste
• Onion powder

Recipe

This recipe is so simple that you literally combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce is heated through.

Homemade barbecue sauce can be stored in a glass canning jar for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator; make sure the sauce cools to room temperature before storing it.

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Print

Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce

A delicious homemade boysenberry barbecue sauce to add to pulled pork, chicken wings, meatballs, and so much more.

Keyword gluten-free

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Tonya Staab

Equipment

• 1 Saucepan

Ingredients

• 2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Stone Ground Mustard
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Boysenberry Paste
• 2 tbsp Marmalade
• 1 pinch Onion powder

Instructions

• Beginning with liquids, add ingredients to the saucepan and stir over low heat until combined and sugar is dissolved.

The post Homemade Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce Recipe appeared first on Make and Takes.

This is the Valentine’s Day box I’ll be putting on my desk for the Valentines I receive from my preschool class this year (and probably every year after).

Pete the Cat Valentine’s Day box

All you need to make your own Pete the Cat box is a cereal box, paint, and a small paper plate. This is a project you could do with your child, or your older child will be able to make on their own.

What you need

• Cereal box
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Small paper plate (or cardstock)
• Scissors
• Mounting pad
• Pencil
• Fine marker

Instructions

The first step is to paint your cereal box. I wanted to keep with the color scheme of the book, so I applied three coats of light blue paint.

The second step is to sketch Pete the Cat on the painted box.

The third step is to paint Pete the Cat. While the box is drying, sketch a heart on the paper plate, cut it out, and then paint it.

Using a darker teal paint with a brush, use circular motions to apply a darker shade around the outside of the box. Write with white paint, and then outline everything with a fine black Sharpie. The final step is to attach the heart to the box using a double-sided felted mounting pad.

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Related: A basket full of activities for snow days

Penguin sensory bin

I created this winter penguin sensory bin for the tubes and tunnels unit in my preschool classroom. The kids absolutely love using the different materials in a variety of ways, which I’ll show you below.

What you need

• Miniature penguin figures
• Blue sand
• Magnetic blocks
• Plumbing tubes

Instructions

The instructions are simple: let them play.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Winter math activity

This winter math activity also uses fine motor skills. Have the children stack magnetic blocks and see how many penguins can fit on top. The most we got was four, making it the perfect preschool activity for younger students learning to count and quantify.

Penguin footprint

Make animal tracks in the sand. Use a magnetic block to smooth the sand and then make penguin footprints. Can they count how many? Can they make them come in and out of habitats?

Penguin habitats

Use a variety of magnetic blocks to make different habitats for your penguins.

Penguin slide

As I mentioned above, this activity was for our tubes and tunnels unit, so what could be more fun than penguins shooting down a tube slide? Add as many tubes as you like, but beware that the heavier it is, the more likely it is to fall out of the sensory bin.

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It’s perfectly paired with some toasted crusty bread. Dip your bread into the broth for extra goodness! This soup is ready for lunch or dinner. Or I actually just ate some leftovers for breakfast this morning too, ha :)

Print

Simple Italian Soup Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs pre-cooked ground meat (turkey, beef, sausage)
• 3 medium potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup greens chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 32 oz broth
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook the meat and drain it. Set it aside and let it cool. If using whole pieces of meat, dice them into 1/4 inch chunks or slices.
• In the same pan as cooked meat (with all those brown meat juices), add in the oil. Add in garlic and onions. Let these cook and steam for 3-4 minutes. Add in the other spices: oregano, basil, salt and pepper Stir.
• Add in the diced potatoes and let them brown up a bit on all sides for 1-2 minutes.
• Add in the broth and bring it to a boil. Once at a boil, turn down the heat to low and let the potatoes soften for 8-10 minutes.
• Add in the cooked meat to warm back up, also the milk. Add the greens now as well. Stir and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
• It’s perfectly paired with some toasted crusty bread!

Notes

For this recipe shown, use any meat you have on hand. I used 1 lb ground turkey and 12 oz. breakfast sausage links. I used brown russet potatoes, but you could use red or sweet potatoes. I used arugula, but you could use spinach or kale. Any broth will work, and I used coconut milk, but whole milk would cook up just as good. 

Want more soup recipes?

1. Easy Taco Soup

2. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

3. Root Vegetable Soup

4. Sweet Potato Kale Soup

*originally posted 3/4/16

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Christmas potluck dessert tray

We went to a pajama and gift exchange holiday party recently with friends, but blew everything off until the last minute, because it’s the holidays and life is busy. We bought pajamas and gifts to exchange, but a couple of hours before leaving the house, I realized we hadn’t thought about a dish to take.  Off to the grocery store we went; I had my partner drop me at Marshalls so I could grab gifts for co-workers while he went to find a pre-made tray of something to take with us. There were no trays.

So, while at Marshalls, I popped into the food aisle and grabbed everything I could that looked decadent and festive. Just 10 minutes at home, and I had a beautiful tray ready to go that was so much more elegant and beautiful than anything we could have found at the grocery store.

What I included on our dessert tray

• Shortbread
• Gingerbread cookies
• Meringue
• Chocolates – salted caramel and pistachio
• Jumbo white peppermint pretzels
• Wafers
• Macarons

Here are a few more ideas:

• Chocolate-covered anything
• Cake balls
• Truffles
• Homemade bark
• Peanut brittle
• Peppermint sticks
• Miniature desserts

How to assemble a dessert tray

The best way I’ve found to assemble a dessert tray is start along the outside, and gradually move toward the center.

Take not of the size of the items you are going to include and how many are in each package. For example, I only had four large peppermint pretzels, so I made sure to space those out around the tray for little pops of color.

Fill in gaps at the end with smaller foods such as meringue and chocolate-covered fruit and nuts.

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