TIGERS

Snack Time/ Fresh Baking

Family Activity

Circle Ten Council

The Kitchen can be a fun place of learning and provide hours of quality time for the two of you together. It's also the area of the house where you and your family probably spend the most time. So when you are looking for a time to squeeze in a fun activity with your child, it's the logical place to begin. Try creating games with food products. A game of sorting vegetables or fruits can help them practice counting as well as develop reading and math skills. A box of ziti or colored Fruit Loops are fun to string on waxed dental floss. This activity is a great for keeping a boy's attention while you stir up a quick meal

Here are some thoughts to consider before beginning your kitchen fun:

•  Select a cooking time when you can take a little longer in your preparation than usual.

•  Select a cooking time when you don't mind spills. You won't want to have family cooking night right after you've had the floors mopped.

•  Find a task that fits the age of your child. Preschoolers need projects that are completed in short amount of time.

•  Pick a time and day when your child hasn't already had a full day of activities.

•  Laugh and be silly when you can. Ever dabbed flour on a child's nose? You'll surprise your child and yourself as well.

Useful kitchen gadgets that double as toys

•  Tongs A simple pair of tongs can be used to serve spaghetti, remove a lost bay leaf from a stew, pluck boiling baby bottles and nipples from a pot or toss a salad. Get a pair that locks in the closed position for easiest storing. Young children will enjoy practicing their coordination in picking up marshmallows or pieces of fruit while you are preparing meals.

•  Garlic Press A good garlic press not only makes crushing garlic easy but also can squeeze juice from a piece of fruit or an onion. For fun allow your child to push cookie dough through the press to make "hair" for decorating gingerbread cookies or animals on cupcakes.

•  Melon Baller How many times have you picked the seeds out of fruit for a child? When you aren't using this tool for making melon balls, try it for coring pears and apples. It makes the perfect size scooper for children to dish out cookie dough on to a cookie sheet too! And for fun how about making mini ice cream balls that can be piled up to build crazy desserts.

•  Assortment of Cookie Cutters Metal cookies cutters can be used for making lots of delicious treats and family fun. Press a fun shape into a sandwich to bring life to a PB&J or place one into a skillet and pour pancake batter inside to form a new kind of pancake. And when you are done using the cutters for cooking purposes, allow your child to trace their shapes for entertaining arts and craft projects.

Den Activity

Circle Ten Council

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE BREAD!

There are many different types of bread. It may be different in size, shape, color, taste or texture.

How many different types of bread can you find?

How many different types of bread do you know? Make a list.

After everyone has made their list then each partner names off a type of bread they have listed. If some else has it, then everyone with the name of that type of bread must remove it from their list. Who ever has the most types of bread left on their list after all have been named is the winner

MEXICAN ROLL UPS

Ingredients

1 flour tortilla

1-2 tablespoons cream cheese

1 tablespoon shredded carrots

1 tablespoon sliced olives

1 tablespoon chunky salsa

Directions

Spread the cream cheese over the flour tortilla.

Spread the olives and carrots on top of the cream cheese

Then follow with the salsa.

Roll up the tortilla and eat cold

Or microwave, seam side down, uncovered on high for 15-30 seconds

Ingredients

strawberries

grapes

cantaloupe (use a melon baller)

honey dew melon (use a melon baller)

orange sections

banana pieces

fruit flavored yogurt

skewers (available at all grocery stores)

Directions

Take the fruit pieces and slide them up the skewer in alternating order.

Use your imagination here. Any fruit! Any order!

Go nuts with your creativity.

ZIPLOC ICE CREAM

This was always the favorite at Day Camp.  Boys would sit for a long time rolling the coffee can to make their ice cream!! CD

Ingredients

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 tablespoons rock salt

ice

1 sandwich sized ziploc bag

1 gallon sized ziploc bag; a coffee can with a lid or a plastic Tupperware container with a lid.

Directions

Add the half-and-half, vanilla and sugar to the small bag, seal tightly.

Add, to either the larger ziploc bag, coffee can or Tupperware, half the ice

Then sprinkle with half the salt.

Add the small bag and cover with the rest of the ice and salt.

Whichever container you use, be sure it's filled to the top with ice.

Seal or put the lid on your container and shake...shake...shake! 

10 - 15 minutes

Other flavorful ideas:

Add a teaspoon of cocoa to your bag for chocolate ice cream.

Add a tablespoon of chocolate chips

Add a tablespoon of toasted almonds

Add a tablespoon of cookie crumbs

Add a tablespoon of finely chopped strawberries (make sure to drain them!)

Add a tablespoon of chopped banana

CRUNCHIES

4 1/2 cups graham cracker

1 cup peanuts, chopped

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

30 mini muffin cups

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine cookie crumbs, peanuts and peanut butter

Mix thoroughly.

In a small saucepan, an adult melts the chocolate chips and milk over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.

Remove from the heat and add vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over crumb mixture and stir until well blended.

Set the mini muffin cups on a baking sheet and fill them 3/4 of the way with the peanut-cookie mixture.

Chill for 1 hour or until the bites are firm.

CHOCOLATE TARANTULAS

Ingredients

3 cups chow mein noodles

2 cups chocolate chips, melted

1 cup of chopped peanuts or almonds

Directions

Combine the noodles and nuts in a large bowl.

Have an adult melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in a microwave.

Pour the melted chocolate over the noodles and mix well.

Moving quickly, drop about 2 tablespoons of the mix onto a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet.

If you pop the sheet in the refrigerator they will set up quickly!

Go See It Outing

Circle Ten Council

¨       Go to a local bakery.

¨       If available in your town go to a facility were food is made or processed.

¨       Go to a cooking school.

¨       Go to a restaurant and see how the food is prepared

¨       Attend a cooking contest.