In Season
Welcome Back Spring
March into the new season with sun and smiles.
by Kayla Mossien
PARENTGUIDE News March 2010
Looks Who’s Awake
March 20 marks the launch of springtime. Celebrate by reading Who’s Awake in Springtime? (MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group) with your children. The beautiful picture book features a little boy and his baby animal friends who want to stay up past their bedtimes. The text offers a terrific turn-of-the page effect as toddlers have to guess which baby animal is still awake. Find the title at most bookstores.
Clover Cupcakes
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this sweet treat.
Ingredients: •Cupcake batter •Cupcake tins and liners •Aluminum foil •White frosting •Green food coloring •Toothpick •Green licorice
Directions: Place paper liners in 32 standard muffin cups, then fill each halfway with the batter. For each cupcake, roll three balls of foil and insert them evenly around the perimeter between the liner and the tin. Bake the cupcakes for a few minutes less than the package suggests because there’s less batter per cup than usual, or until a toothpick comes out clean. After allowing the cupcakes to cool, remove them from the tin. Cover each cupcake with green frosting. Use a toothpick to draw leaf veins, and place a two-inch-long piece of green licorice on the top for a stem.
Let the Reading Begin
On March 2, which is Read Across America Day, the National Education Association (NEA) encourages every child to read in the company of a caring adult. To aid in this mission, the NEA puts out the 2010 Read Across America Resource Calendar. Available at www.nea.org/readacross, the calendar lists books by award-winning authors and illustrators as well as titles that fit math, science and history themes. Head to the site for inspirational books along with posters for your children’s classrooms and bedrooms.
Edible Gold
There’s no longer a need to travel to the end of rainbow with the St. Patrick’s Pot of Gold recipe, courtesy of www.familyfun.go.com.
Ingredients: •3-ounce box of lemon-flavor gelatin •6 limes •Sugar •1 tsp. of whipped cream
Directions: Line an eight-inch square baking dish with plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang on each side. Combine a three-ounce box of lemon-flavor gelatin and one cup of boiling water in a medium bowl; stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in one cup of cold water and pour mixture into the baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill the gelatin for four hours or until firm. Next slice the gelatin into half-inch cubes. Cut off the top quarter of each of six limes, and, without cutting into the fruit, slice a thin layer of peel from the bottom of each lime to help the citrus stand upright. With a small knife, cut around the inside of each lime’s rind to loosen the pulp, then spoon it out to make a shell. Place a pinch of sugar and 1 teaspoon of whipped cream in the bottom of each shell. Finally, fill each lime pot with gelatin gold.
Tracking Leprechauns
Have fun with your clan this St. Paddy’s Day by making Leprechaun Footprints.
Materials Needed: •Green construction paper •Scissors •Cellophane tape (optional)
Directions: Prompt your child to imagine what a leprechaun’s footprint would look like and have him start cutting according to his whims. If the child doing the project can’t think of anything, he should trace his foot on the green construction paper and cut it out. Place prints anywhere little green men might wander.
Honoring Women
March 8 marks International Women’s Day. Take a moment to teach your children about this global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. Use this holiday as an opportunity to discuss prominent women, such as Harriet Tubman— who freed more than 300 blacks from slavery in the South to freedom in the North— and Clara Barton— Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross.
Tickling the Ivories
Although March is Music in Our Schools month, it’s always wonderful to instill a love of music at home. Play the Self-Teaching Piano Game for Kids (Piano-K) by Victoria Mandly is a book that uses colors and graphics to teach kids ages 4 to 8 to play the piano. To order a copy, visit www.amazon.com.
Camp Commotion
Camp comes next season. Besides exploring this issue’s Camp Directory and content, check out The 175 Best Camp Games (Boston Mills Press). The title by Kathleen, Laura and Mary Fraser is chock full of creative, kid-tested activities for children ages 4 to 16. Most of the games featured require little to no special equipment. For more information, visit www.fireflybooks.com.
Kalya Mossien is an associate editor.