How about some summertime snacks today?
Fire Cracker Sandwich
Bread
Peanut butter, jelly, or other favorite sandwich filling
Clear plastic wrap
Yarn or ribbon
Cut the crusts off the bread. Flatten the bread with a rolling pin. (The children just like to "smush" it with their hand.) Spread on your sandwich filling. Roll up tightly like a jelly roll. Wrap in a piece of plastic wrap. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap and tie with a piece of ribbon. It will look like a firecracker!
Edible Mud Pies
Instant chocolate pudding
2 cups cold milk
Flat bottom ice cream cones
Plastic container with tight sealing lid
(Place the pudding mix in the plastic container before starting this activity.) Ask the children if they've ever had mud pies. Tell them you have and they're delicious. Show them the container and explain that it's dirt. Pass it around and let them smell it. (Be cool and don't let on!) Build vocabulary by talking about how dry the dirt is. What's the difference between dirt and mud? Suggest adding a liquid and pour in the two cups milk. Seal tightly, then pass the container around the group, encouraging each child to "shake, shake, shake." Open it up and have the children describe what happened. Serve in the ice cream cones.
Adaptations: Add seeds (sunflowers) and a worm (gummy worm).
*If you can find pistachio pudding you can make alligator pie.
Trail Mix
Cheerios
pretzel sticks
raisins
fish crackers
chocolate chips
ice cream cones
Mix all the ingredients together and serve in an ice cream cone.
Yippee ti yi yo! No mess because you can just eat the cone when you’re through with the mix.
*Use cheese crackers, sunflower seeds, M&Ms, or other dry cereals in your trail mix.
celery
peanut butter
raisins
Take a stalk of celery (the log). Spread peanut butter (mud) in the celery. Place raisins (ants) on top of the peanut butter. March the ants into you mouth! MMMM!
*Use cream cheese instead of peanut butter to make “birds in the snow.”
Ice Cream in a Bag
1 gallon size heavy duty zip bag
1 sandwich size heavy duty zip bag
1 cup whole milk
1 heaping teaspoon of sugar
1 squirt chocolate or strawberry syrup
2 handfuls of ice
1 tablespoon rock salt
Pour the milk, sugar, and chocolate in the sandwich bag and zip. Place that bag in the larger bag, and then fill with ice. Sprinkle on the salt and zip shut. Throw the bag up and down for about 10 minutes until it starts to harden.
*Wear mittens or gloves to keep your hands warm.
*You can also make homemade ice cream with a small and a large coffee can. Fill the smaller can with the ice cream mixture. Place it in the larger can and pack with ice and salt. Children can “kick the can” until it freezes.
Pudding Pops
1 large (4oz.) package of regular pudding mix (not instant)
3 cups milk
large marshmallows
popsicle sticks
paper cups
aluminum foil
Stir the pudding mix and milk until well blended. Fill cups half full with the pudding mixture. Put a marshmallow on the end of the popsicle sticks, then insert them in the cups. Cover with foil to keep the marshmallows down. Freeze and enjoy!
*For healthier frozen treats, freeze fruit juice, yogurt, or smoothies.
Life Preserver Sandwich
Bagel
Cream cheese
Blue food coloring
Fish Crackers
Add a few drops of blue food coloring to the cream cheese. Let the children spread the cream cheese on one half of a bagel. Decorate with 4 or 5 fish crackers.
