Just Surfing

I found this website today http://woofnanny.blogspot.com/2007/09/fortune-telling-cake-set-1957.html while searching on fortune telling cakes in England. I had read about them the other night & I was intrigued. Since my daughter has a liking to the Chinese fortune telling sticks, I thought this might be the perfect type of birthday cake for her. Of course, her birthday isn't until August. I just hope I remember it at that time.

These are charms that were baked into a cake, then the recipient would discover his or her prediction of luck for the coming year.

This idea of finding fortune in a slice of cake is still a feature in many traditions around the world.
During Mardi Gras, for example, The King's Cake includes a bean (representing the baby Jesus). Whoever is fortunate enough to receive the slice with the bean (or coin, or plastic Jesus, etc) is said to have good luck for the rest of the year.

The Victorians added ribbons to the ends of the charms.
The ribbons extended outside the cake slices, and the charms were pulled out (they are called cake pulls).
You can buy modern examples of these charms, usually for wedding cakes.

St. Patrick's Day

OK...Next Kids Dinner Theme is Tuesday, March 15th. Theme is St. Patrick's Day. Lots of ideas here!

Main Course:
Green Eggs & Ham
Lucky Charms Cereal


Other Foods:
Shamrock Trail Mix Ideas: Green Froot Loops or Lucky Charm Cereal, Andes Mint Candies (cut in 1/2), Green Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Green Jelly Beans, Green Candies (like M&M's)
Celery - Ants on a log
Pickles
Ham Roll-ups with Pickles - dye the cream cheese green
Colored Popcorn - color by adding green colored chocolate over the top or by popping 3/4 cup with 1/4 cup sugar, 2 TBL olive oil & several drops of green food coloring (this makes the sugar melt & stick to the kernals - similar to a carmel corn - picture below). Or purchase food coloring powder, or add food coloring into your butter.


Crafts Ideas:
Dye noodles & make Shamrock necklaces.
Go to this website: http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-day-pasta-necklace.asp (Dying the noodles a couple days prior is needed)
Coloring Pages (these can be found all over the internet & printed)
Kids can make 4 leaf clovers with their hands by dipping in paint & displaying each hand as one petal of the clover. (I have tons of paper & paints)
Kids can paint rainbows with pots of gold at the end.
Make Irish Hats

Movies:
Chip 'N Dales Rescue Rangers - The Last Leprechaun movie...found on Series 2.

WEAR GREEN!!

Let me know what you want to bring, so we don't duplicate & have a variety of foods/crafts for the kids.

Scooby Doo Theme Dinner

Scooby Doo Day will be Tuesday, September 7th - right after our long Labor Day weekend!!

I'll supply the Main Meal (Scooby Mini Pizzas - kids can make their, we'll be just using biscuits) & you can bring something to go with our meal. Ideas are: Scooby Snacks crackers, Scooby fruit snacks, Scooby Applesauce, Scooby Go-Gurt, Potato Chips, Popcorn, Puppy Chow, Ghost lollipops, cookies in the shape of dog bones or Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo Cake, etc.....

Our Project will be making Tye Dyed shirts & I'm going to price printer iron-on paper to print out an image of Scooby Doo that each child can take to iron on at home. Please bring a plain t-shirt to tye-dye for anyone who wants to.

Next project in the works? Bugs, Bugs & More Bugs. Got any ideas or suggestions? Let me know 'cuz I'm stumped on this one. All I have so far is Fruit Punch & we are calling it Beetle Juice (of course!!).


ALL IDEAS FOR SCOOBY-DOO IN MY BOOK:

Invitation Suggestions:

What to Wear Suggestions: Scooby Doo clothes or Tye-Dyed clothes. Or dress to look like a member of the gang...LOL

Decorating/Music/Party Favors Suggestions:

Food/Menu Suggestions:
* Beverages:
* Main Meals: Scooby Mac & Cheese, Scooby Mini Pizzas made using biscuits, Hot Dogs, Scooby Snacks (chicken nuggets)
* Accompaniments: Scooby Snacks crackers, Scooby fruit snacks, Scooby Applesauce, Scooby Go-Gurt, Potato Chips, Popcorn
* Desserts: Make Brownies & cut into individual pieces. On each one put a letter to spell Scooby Doo, Puppy Chow, Ghost lollipops, cookies in the shape of dog bones or Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo Cake -- For Dessert.....OOPS...What happened to the Dessert? Wait, there's a clue!!

Projects/Fun Suggestions: Do a clue type scavenger hunt -- Begin with the dessert (the missing dessert) and put a clue in the pan. Some ideas: Picture of where next clue is with a puzzle, Inside a homemade mystery machine (made of a refrigerator box) is another clue, Scooby Doo easter eggs (they had some out in the shape of the mystery machine), put clues into balloons & the kids have to stomp & break the balloons to get the clue out, clue under someones plate or cup, etc.

Make Tye Dyed shirts.

Have coloring pages & put the crayons in dog dishes.

Party Bags -- Take you bags & pinch the left side into like a triangle and wrap a rubber band around it to look like dog ears & do same with other side. Then draw scoobys face on them. Magnifying glasses, notepad & pencil to write your clues
Glue a picture of scooby to cardboard & cut it in the sizzix puzzle cutter. Each child gets a scooby puzzle.

Decoder Watch. Here's how to make, Need: Ribbon, cut to fit wrist. Match boxes, white paper to cover them and Velcro. First, write code inside slide out match box, easiest to write on paper and paste in. (Code is simply A=1 B=2 C=3--J=10--Z=26). Glue ribbon to back in center. Attach Velcro to each ribbon end. Draw watch face on top of Match cover.

Stone Soup Theme Dinner

Next weeks theme is Stone Soup.


Invitation Suggestions:

What to Wear Suggestions:

Decorating/Music/Party Favors Suggestions: Paint some rocks & set around the table.

Food/Menu Suggestions:
* Beverages:
* Main Meals: Stone Soup (Have each person bring one item to add to the soup -- read book to see what they mention in the soup -- Cabbage, Beef, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms, Salt & Papper, Pinch of Parsley, Turnip)
* Accompaniments: Rock Candy,
* Desserts:

Projects/Fun Suggestions: Have the kids paint rocks, add wiggly eyes, glitter, markers to color, & yarn hair -- their very own "pet rock".

Read Stone Soup - Brown, Marcia. 1947. Stone Soup. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York.


Combine NATIONAL SOUP MONTH with OLD ROCK DAY (on January 7th) and make STONE SOUP!

General Activities:
1. Rock Tumbling.
2. Jewelry Making with pebbles, stones and small rocks.
3. Make musical shakers for rhythm and rock band activity.
4. Create cement hand impressions.
5. Chalk drawings with limestone.
6. Rock Estimation Jar.(Fill a jar with rocks and have the students guess how many rocks are inside.)
7. Play hopscotch.
8. Play bingo using pebbles as bingo chips.
9. Layer Cake Rocks. Eyewitness Explorer’s Rocks and Minerals page 29 .
10. Make a checkerboard game using painted rocks.
11. Make Rock Candy.

scented rocks
pet rock mouse
pet rocks with tails
choc-o-rocks -- chocolate candy that looks like rocks -- Nerd candy also does
pop rocks

How to Make Your Own Scented Rocks
Place rocks in a bowl or dish to scent a room. A nice alternative to potpourri!
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 teaspoon essential oil (your favorite scent)
2/3 cups boiling water
Food coloring, if desired
In bowl, mix dry ingredients well.
Add essential oil, and boiling water to dry ingredients. (Scent will be strong, but will fade slightly when dry.)
For colored stones, blend in food coloring, one drop at a time until desired shade is reached.
Blend ingredients, and form balls into different shape and sizes to look like stones.
Allow stones to dry.

Once Upon A Time

Every Tuesday is Theme Dinner Night at our house! I've been doing these with my 2 boys almost weekly for quite some time. It started out with "dinner & a movie" & the theme related to the movie (black & white foods for 102 Dalmations, soup & cheese/crackers for Ratatouille, fish related for Finding Nemo, etc.). It has since transformed into different themes with crafts, books, games, etc. instead of a movie. So as my kids theme dinners opened up to family & friends, I had to REALLY START coming up with new ideas. So here’s my brainstorming ideas in hopes others may help me & I could help them, too.