Painting with Sweetened Condensed Milk

Today we painted with some of the SWEETEST and yummiest tasting paint ever!

We poured a bit of Sweetened Condensed Milk into clean paint containers (you could use paper cups if you want), then we added food coloring to make each color of the rainbow and painted sweet rainbows!  The kids loved tasting the paint!  And it dries shiny and pretty -- but please note, it spoils since it has milk in it so you'll have to throw your cute painting away.  If you want to keep your project try Karo Syrup Paint found HERE!

Here are some other MARCH activities from my archives you might enjoy too!  Just click on the links below the picture to go to the snack or activity!

1. Rainbow Munchies
2. Rainbow Cupcakes
3. Lucky Leprechaun Pudding

4. Graphing Lucky Charms

New Snack Experience from KRAFT Foods

I had the best experience this past week and found out about a new snack from KRAFT Foods that I wanted to share with you!
First: I got the coolest package in the mail ... which contained everything I needed to host a super fun taste test!  KRAFT Foods sent me free product samples and a gift card to conduct the taste test!  Isn't that exciting?

The product is MilkBites - they're a milk and granola bar.  I'll give you a little information about the product and then let you know the results of my unbiased opinion and taste test results.

Here's a little information about MilkBite Bars:

Kraft Foods is raising the bar in snacking with its new KRAFT MILKBITE Milk & Granola Bars. Found in the refrigerated dairy aisle, each KRAFT MILKBITE Bar combines real milk with whole grain granola and other tasty and nutritious ingredients like fruit or roasted nuts, while providing the same calcium as an 8 oz. glass of milk.  In Stores February 13, 2012!

picture courtesy of KRAFT Foods

Here's a rundown of the important facts:

* Wholesome snack alternative, great for on-the-go

* Made with real milk and calcium, to deliver the calcium of an 8 oz. glass of milk - 30% of the daily recommended value

* Available in the following delicious flavors: Chocolate, Strawberry, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin and Mixed Berry

* Includes 5g of protein, 7g of whole grains, and is a good source of vitamin D and fiber

* No high fructose corn syrup, artivicial flavors, colors or preservatives

* Available at local grocery or superstores for a suggested retail price of $3.49/box

Picture courtesy of KRAFT Foods

On to the Taste Test!  Like I said before, KRAFT Foods sent me 2 boxes of MilkBites (Chocolate and Strawberry)

and they also sent me a gift card to buy two other brand name granola bars

I could choose any 2 other kinds of granola bars that I wanted (I picked a chocolate dipped peanut butter bar and a oatmeal raisin bar).  I then ran a taste test with some of my preschool students, some 6th grade students, and some of my friends and family members.  With everyone ready, I opened the granola bars and cut each into bitesized portions.  The preschool kids reported whether or not they liked each bite, and the older kids and adults ranked each granola bar from favorite to least favorite.

Here are the results:

Preschool kids (no pictures): overwhelming result that they all liked the Chocoate Milkbite bar and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar.  They didn't like the Strawberry Milkbite bar or the Oatmeal Raisin.  One drawback - we have a few preschool students with milk/dairy allergies - so they could not participate.

Our daring and fun 6th graders

6th Grade kids: The Milkbite Bars were in their top 3, and they preferred the Strawberry Milkbite bars to the Chocolate Milkbite Bars.  The winner of the taste test was the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar.

Some of the awesome adults!

Adults: The top 2 Favorites were the Chocolate Milkbite Bar, then the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, then the Strawberry Milkbite Bar, and finally the Oatmeal Raisin Bar.

As for me and my husband: I love the Chocolate Milkbite Bar (to me, it tastes like a yummy no bake cookie), and he loves the Strawberry Milkbite Bar.  Everyone wins!

If you'd like more informaton about KRAFT MilkBite Milk and Granola Bars, and access to fun content like photos, videos and more, go to http://www.milkbite.com/ - but you may have to check back, because I can't get the web page to load.

Feed the Penguins!

This week in my preschool class, we are learning about PENGUINS!  I thought it would be fun to feed the penguins since we're also working on counting, 1:1 correspondence and numeral recognition.  So, I found a cute penguin picture, added a number to each of 10 penguins, printed and laminated them (for easy cleaning).  The kids just had to find the number on their penguin and 'feed' the penguin that many fish (goldfish crackers).  Once they 'fed' a few different penguins, they got to eat the goldfish themselves.  The kids loved it!

Planting Pumpkins

For some Halloween fun, we "Planted" (and counted) pumpkins!  The kids loved it! 

This was super easy!  I googled 'garden' pictures.  When I found a picutre of a garden I liked, I copied it and printed it off with a different number 1-10 on each 'garden' and then laminated the pictures (for re-use later).  Then I bought the pumpkin candies.  Each student got 10 pumpkins, but they would have to 'plant' the  same number of pumpkins that was listed on their garden.  The students LOVED it! 

 Happy Halloween!

Skeleton Bones

One of my dear friends (and fellow teacher) just shared this idea with me and I wanted to share it with you!  Here's what she has to say about these super cute Halloween snacks:

"We made a cute skeleton in class today and I thought I would share it with you! All we used were Scooby Doo Snacks and white frosting. We made them on paper but you could do it on wax paper."

Aren't they the best?  I think kids would just LOVE to make (and eat) a skeleton!

Guest Post Article - Pool Party Treats

Hello Readers!  I am super excited to have a guest post from my new friend Kristen! 

Top 5 Kiddie Treats to Serve During Pool Parties

A swimming pool at home, plus a five year-old daughter who simply loves to swim, instantly means plenty of pool parties for my family. We already celebrated her most recent birthday with a Lilo and Stich themed pool party, and it was a lot of fun. Admittedly, it also meant a lot of preparation beforehand (decorations, pool safety, party food and favors, invitations, etc.), but the kids’ enjoyment more than made up for it.

My daughter Isabel has already expressed the desire to celebrate her succeeding birthdays with themed pool parties, and I thought it’s a great idea to make the most of the pool we bought along with our house in Fremont. We sat down and came up with a list of themes and motifs she wants to have for her next parties, and with it, we also thought of all the details that would go with each. Food is a big part of it, as kids can get quite famished after being in the water for some time. Here is a list of the 5 best pool party treats for children which my daughter helped me make, and which will fit most parents’ budgets.

• Ice pops in different flavors, colors, and shapes

These are perfect for summer days when kids are likely to get easily dehydrated from being exposed to the sun. Isabel loves making her own ice pops using her plastic mold and some popsicle sticks, and she’s used practically all types of flavors from juice powders and even fresh fruit blends. Serving them up during a pool party not only adds colorful and fun treats for kids, but also keeps them properly hydrated and refreshed. I plan on buying plastic molds in different shapes so kids can enjoy their ice pops even more.

• An ice cream cake to go with the current party theme

Every birthday party should have a cake, and it’s only fitting that a swimming pool birthday party would have an ice cream cake for the kids. Refreshing and delicious ice cream cakes come in different custom made shapes and decorations. Isabel has been eyeing an undersea themed one with mermaids, corals, fishes, and other marine details frosted in tones of blue and sea green, though I’m quite sure she’ll change her mind once she sees something that catches her current fancy.

• Seashell and fish-shaped cookies and sandwiches

I am not a cookie-baking mom by any long shot, but I can make fish and shell shaped sandwiches with my cookie and sandwich cutters. Isabel, John, and I did a trial run with tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly, and discovered that the bread is better when lightly toasted to keep the shape. My husband recommended colorful bread for the fish shapes, and even demonstrated some previously hidden artistic prowess by cutting pieces into what he claims are seaweeds and corals (I had to keep myself from laughing and telling him they looked like leftover bread crusts to me). I plan to practice with starfish-shaped cookies next using brownies and pancake mixes.

• Juice boxes, fruit kebabs, and candy in plastic buckets

This particular idea was suggested by my husband after we bought several colorful plastic buckets for Isabel’s Lilo and Stich pool party last year. At the time, we planned a barbecue for both the adults and kids, with hotdogs and hamburgers for all, beer and soda for the parents and guardians, and juice boxes for the kids. We thought of placing treats with each kiddie guest’s name labeled per bucket, containing a juice box, fresh fruit and marshmallow kebabs, and lifesaver candy to represent safety devices, as well as fish- and coral-shaped confectionery. The buckets can also act as party loot bags with treats and toys the kids can take home with them.

• Cotton candy and popcorn from carts

As a child, I remember attending some kiddie parties with a carnival theme that had a clown, magician, lots of balloons, and popcorn and cotton candy vending machines, and remember being enchanted by it all. I want Isabel to experience the same thing albeit with a swimming pool party twist, and John and I thought of hiring some Fremont-based cotton candy spinners and popcorn vendors for one of her birthdays.

These are just some of the pool party treats we plan on incorporating for our daughter’s birthday swimming parties, though I’m pretty sure we’ll come up with more as she grows older and her preferences change. One thing is for sure, though; we want to keep the treats as memorable and fun for the kids as possible.

This guest blog post was written by proud WAHM (work at home mom) Kristen Swope, who does freelance writing about everything from swimming pools to home lighting. She devotes most of her quality time to taking care of her five-year-old daughter Isabel, and being a loving companion to husband John. She lives in Fremont, California in a house with a kidney-shaped swimming pool.

Counting Pumpkin Seeds

Today we counted (and tasted) Pumpkin Seeds!  This is a fun way for kids to practice counting with 1:1 correspondence and also teach numeral recognition!  Just give each child a pumpkin and whatever number is on the pumpkin they have is the number of pumpkin seeds they have to count and put on the pumpkin!

Here are your Super Easy Instructions:
1. Find a cute picture of a pumpkin.
2. Make 10 copies (I copied mine on orange paper).
3. Number each pumpkin 1-10.
4. Laminate (optional - but makes it possible to clean and reuse them).

Taster Table: Apples!

This week in our preschool we are learning all about APPLES!  For one of our centers we had a 'Taster Table'.  The kids loved it!  They got to taste: apples, apple juice, applesauce and apple candy! 

After tasting, they put a smiley face sticker on the different apple treats they liked (which made a graph)!  When everyone was finished with the 'Taster Table' we looked at the graph and discussed which everyone liked 'most' and 'least', etc. 

Licorice Writing!

We have a pretty cool new Kindergarten Teacher at our school this year.  Well, today when I was passing by his class I saw the most awesome use of these yummy treats: Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel, and just had to share!

Our awesome Kindergarten teacher had the kids write their names with this delicious treat!  Isn't that the best?  Thought I'd share this super fun idea!  Look how cute they turned out ... and he said the kids loved it (of course). 

Makes me want to do it too!  Thanks for letting me share this super fun idea, Mr. Waadt!  You Rock!

White Chocolate Popcorn

Here's a quick and easy treat to take on a popcorn picnic or to eat during a parade this summer!

Just pop 3 bags of microwave popcorn and spread it out on 2 cookie sheets, then melt 1 bag of white chocolate chips. drizzle the melted chocolate on the popcorn and sprinkle with sprinkles. Let cool for 10-15 minutes then break up and put it in a large bowl and share with your friends!

Happy Summer!