Labels
are everywhere. Most of us never even think about them. Food labels
are particularly interesting.
We put that stuff in our mouth… and then swallow it.
The questions… and chances for fun and learning… go on
and on.
Use this activity in conjunction with the little meals … or
not.
Go to the Market
Pick up random interesting looking packages. Talk about why it’s
interesting. Does it have a great label? A great name? A funny shaped
bottle? Do great labels make people want to buy the product? Talk
to the shelf stockers and cashiers. Ask them what the most popular
foods are. Think about all the different sizes. Why are there 18 sizes
of water bottles? How do you figure out which is a better deal to
buy? What countries produce the products? Now you need to find a map
and look at the countries. This activity is what an interesting country
and but you can save it for another time. For today, go to the ingredients.
Look at how many things are in food. Talk about why all these things
are used. Some are spices… what are they for? Some have those
unpronounceable names. What are they? How do you figure out how to
pronounce the names and learn what they do? Do I hear a dictionary
opening here? How about those funny charts that talk about fats and
calories. What are these? Are they good or bad? Do we need them? What
for? What do those percentages mean? Some things are called organic.
Some things aren’t. Is there really a difference? What is it?
Does it matter? Do you care?
Checkout
How do these scanners work? Are paper or plastic bags better? Why?
How come there are one hundred cents in a dollar instead of ninety
or one hundred and thirty? What are we eating? What does food do for
us? Where does it come from? What are those words no one can pronounce?
How is an organic tomato different from a ‘regular’ one?
What’s in the ethnic food aisle? What kinds of jobs are there
in a grocery store?
The questions and opportunities for humorous discussion and learning
are infinite.
Keep it at an appropriate level. Ask and interact, don’t be
the voice of the answer.
ENCOURAGE THOUGHT & RESEARCH BUT MOST OF ALL HAVE
FUN!!!
Offer and accept odd and funny and unusual answers. After all, what
fun trying to pronounce hexametaphosphate and poloxamer!
Activity taken from Things to Do, Places to Go,
Friends to See.
Big Brothers Big Sisters 2007
Created by Steve Smolinsky, Benari Ltd and Anita Janney, Anita Design
Now.
Other
Activities
Self
Portrait Collage
Collages are great craft activites for small
kids but here is a different twist - a self portrait collage. For
the paper you will need to source some newsprint, or something of
an equivalent size.
Materials
12 X 18" 100# (or heavier) paper
18 X 24" black paper for frame
rulers
magazines
oil pastels
tempera paint
brushes
water containers.)
scissors
newspapers
found objects (fabric scraps, wallpaper samples,
buttons, feathers, ribbons, yarn, etc)
felt pens, crayons, pencils
mirrors
glue
Now have each student create
a mixed-media self-portrait using the following steps:
1. Make a list of words that describe you. Include your favorite color
and favorite animal, characteristics of your family, where you are from,
what you like to do, your interests, your friends, what music you like,
etc. Describe images, textures, colors, etc. that would represent these
words next to them. You are creating symbols with which to describe yourself.
2. Using a mirror, draw your self-portrait (head and shoulders). Here
are some hints on facial proportions:
- Begin with the eyes.
- There is one eye width between the eyes.
- The bottom of the nose is approximately one eye width from the bottom
of the eye.
- The bottom of your bottom lip is approximately two eye widths from the
bottom of the eye.
- The bottom of your chin is approximately one eye width from the bottom
of your mouth.
- To measure for the top of your head: It is the same distance from the
bottom of your eyes to the bottom of your chin as it is from the bottom
of your eyes to the top of your head.
- Notice that the corners of your mouth line up with the iris of your
eyes, and the corners of your nose line up with the tear ducts of your
eyes.
- Your neck lines up with the outer corners of your eyes.
- Your shoulders extend almost a full head width from the side of the
head.
3. Make an envelope for storing found objects, fabric scraps, and magazine
clippings.
4. Pick out found objects and magazine images and colors that you feel
represent your personality and interests, based on your lists.
5. Arrange the objects and textures to form your self-portrait, using
your drawing as a guide.
6. To create a unified composition, spread the textures, colors, and objects
around, repeating three of each three times. Use a variety of different
sizes of objects.
7. Rearrange, add, and subtract objects until you are satisfied with the
composition.
8. Glue the objects down to the paper.
9. Finish the collage by drawing your features in using oil pastels and/or
paint.
10. To frame: Measure 3" in from each edge of the black construction
paper. Glue the collage in the center.
Stress
Balls
Birdseed
Funnel
Latex Balloons
Use a funnel and fill a whole
balloon with the bird seed. This is a slow process but well worth it.
Cut the neck off the filled balloon. Cut the
neck off a second balloon and place it over the filled balloon covering
the open hole. Now you should have a completely covered ball with no
bird seed popping out.
If you want them to be super strong add another
solid balloon with the neck removed.
Take a balloon and cut some holes in it with
the tips of your scissors. Remove the neck of the balloon then open
it up and place it over the ball.
The colored balloon underneath should be showing
through the holes and giving it a nice colorful pattern.
Repeat this with several layers of balloons and holes adding to the
effect and also the the strength.
Try to arrange it so the original birdseed hole
is always covered by a firm piece of balloon and not a balloon hole.
For a Yo Yo stress ball add a piece of elastic
by tying it around one of the holes. Then it can be bounced like a yo
yo.
No
Sew Baby Fleece Ball
Polar Fleece (assorted
colors)
Scissors
Toy Filling or Foam
Rattle or Bell
For this project you don't need
to sew or glue anything making it suitable for beginners and all ages.
Cheap fleece works well for this project as it
has a little flexibility in it, making the knot tying easier.
Start by making 6 sides to the square. We made
a large ball using panels 10 inch x 10 inch pieces.
You can use fleece all the same color or have
6 different colored panels.
Mark out each panel with a 2 inch border to provide
you with a cut line that sits 2 inches in from the edges.
Using your scissors you will cut a fringe, going
no further than 2 inches using the line as a guide.
Make your fringes no less than 1 cm wide otherwise
it will be too frail for tying.
Make sure each side has the same amount of fringes
as you need to tie these to fringes on another piece so you have to
have an equal amount.
Once you have fringed all your pieces your ready
to tie the block together.
Start by laying on piece on top of the other
and double knotting two fringes together. Keep doing this till you finish
one side. Now you should have 2 pieces joined.
Lay out the rest of the squares as shown below
to form a flat cube tie each section to the next panel until you form
a cube, leave one row untied so you can fill it with filling and add
your rattle or bell.
If you are using a foam block it is much easier
with the knotting process as you can tie them around the foam giving
you something to push against and to keep things nice and square.
But filling is great if you want to be able to throw it into the washing
machine.
Once your foam or filling is inserted then simply
knot up the opening and you’re done.
A very easy no sew ball.
Christmas Santa Recycled Lightbulb
Craft
• One burned out lightbulb
• acrylic craft paints in white, red, flesh toned, black and blue
(or you could use paint markers or even plain markers for the blue eyes
and black eye shape and beard highlights)
• paint brushes
• rubbing alcohol
• 1 white chenille stem or pipe cleaner for the hanger
• scrap of red fabric for hat
• jingle bell trim or pom pom
• scrap of white hat trim (quilt batting, felt, fleece or similar)
• hot glue or craft glue
Need a small Christmas gift for the teacher or babysitter? This Christmas
Santa tree trim is quick, easy and inexpensive to make as the main supplies
are a burned out light bulb and craft paint. Older children who enjoy
painting projects may wish to give this one a try!
1. Clean the lightbulb thoroughly with rubbing alcohol to help the
paint adhere to the glass.
2. Paint the bulb in a base coat of white, let dry, and repeat.
3. When dry, copy the facial features from the photo above. Paint an
oval for the face area in flesh tone.
4. When dry, add white whiskers around the face, creating a fairly
large moustache.
5. In red, add a thin line for lips below the moustache. Add two red
circular shapes for the red cheeks.
6. When dry, dab white onto the red cheeks to make them reddish-pink.
Add white eyebrows.
7. In black, with a small, fine tipped brush - or a black paint marker,
outline the eye shapes. Add very faint black irregular lines on the
moustache and beard to provide definition and shape.
8. When dry, dot on blue paint or paint marker for eye color.
9. For the hat, create a cone shape from a square of red felt or other
red fabric and use hot gun to retain the shape you want, making sure
it will fit over the metal part of the bulb. Cut the bottom of the hat
in a straight line and a hot glue a strip of white trim around the brim.
10. Bend the top of the hat to one side, and hot glue in place. Add
a bell trim or pom pom at the end, either stitching in place or using
a small amount of hot glue.
11. Twist the chenille stem around the bottom of the metal base, above
the face, and twist the two ends together in an oval shape to create
a hanger. Push the oval down until the hat is in place. Alternatively,
you could use some thin wire, or strong thread as a hanger.
12. Place the hat over the metal base and the chenille stem. Hot glue
to secure, making sure that you add glue to the chenille stem as well,
under the hat, to fasten it securely.
13. Once the glue has set, readjust the
chenille stem, pushing it upwards to act as the hanger.
Hang on the tree and enjoy your little Christmas Santa creation!
PAPER AIRPLANES ~ "The Nakamura
Lock"
Paper
Airplanes “The Nakamura Lock”
Linda Workman, our Ambassador of Paper Airplanes, has got a really
cool and easy paper airplane for you to try out. If you like this
one come to our office and pick up a few more or you can go to a couple
websites which specialize in the paper airplanes. http://www.10paperairplanes.com
and http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/paper/air-bld1.html
How to fold a paper airplane
If you've ever made a paper airplane, you've probably just folded
the paper into a simple dart—as people have done for at least
a hundred years. But in the last two decades, paper airplane designers
have imported techniques from origami. Perhaps the best innovation
was the addition of one fold to the classic dart design to create
a plane called the "Nakamura lock" after the origami artist
who designed it.
Trimming and flying your plane
Once you've made all of your folds and the plane looks
symmetrical, it's time to trim it, or adjust it, for flight. Give
it a gentle toss forward. Your goal is to have it glide smoothly and
gently to the ground, either flying straight or in a gradual curve.
Make these adjustments, if necessary:
• If the nose drops and the plane dives into the ground, bend
up the back of the wings. A little bend goes a long way.
• If the nose rises first and then drops, the plane is stalling.
Bend down the back of the wing. Keep your adjustments small.
When you get the plane to balance on the air and float
down gently, then you can give it faster tosses
LITTLE
MEALS
Introducing
our little meals section We thought we would try and give
a dinner and dessert recipe for everyone to try out. This is something
we will try and see if people like. Let us know what you think. Every
month we will mix it up with something new. Have Fun!
Old
Fashioned Baked Ham
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple slices
1 canned ham (5 pounds)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
Maraschino cherries
Drain pineapple,
reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice; set aside. Place ham in a baking
pan; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Combine brown sugar, cloves, mustard
and vinegar in a small bowl; stir in reserved pineapple juice. Score
ham; place pineapple slices and cherries on top of ham; spoon glaze
over fruit and ham. Bake for another 40-45 minutes, basting occasionally.
Apple
Pie
3 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 medium Red Delicious apples, peeled, sliced
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar
In a small bowl,
mix water and cornstarch until dissolved. Add egg, cream, sugar, cinnamon
and nutmeg. Place apples in a large bowl; pour cream mixture over and
stir to coat. Line a 9-in. pie pan with the bottom pastry. Pour apple
mixture into crust; dot with butter.
Top with remaining pastry; flute edges and cut slits in top. Brush with
milk and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes
or until golden brown. Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 422 calories
Easy
Spaghetti
1/2 pound lean ground
beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
3 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken
1/4 pound reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat
is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, water and spaghetti;
bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until
spaghetti is tender. Add process cheese; stir until melted. Sprinkle with
Parmesan cheese. Nutritional Analysis: 1-1/2 cups
equals 570 calories
Nana's
Unbaked Cookies
2 cups sugar
1/4 pound margarine
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
3 cups quick cooking oats
Combine sugar, margarine,
milk and cocoa in a 4 quart sauce pan. Cook at a full rolling boil for
approximately 1 minute. Remove from heat, add vanilla and peanut butter.
Stir well. Add oatmeal to mixture, combine thoroughly.
Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.
Marinated
Turkey for Two
2 turkey breast tenderloins (about
1 pound)
1-1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
Dash garlic powder
Place the turkey in
a shallow glass dish. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Set aside
1/3 cup; cover and refrigerate. Pour the remaining marinade over turkey.
Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard marinade. Place turkey in an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in.
x 2-in. baking dish. Pour reserved marinade over turkey. Cover and bake
at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer or until
no longer pink, basting twice. Slice and serve immediately.
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons shortening
6 tablespoons cold water
FILLING:
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cans (15 ounces each) solid-pack pumpkin
2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping
In a small bowl, combine
1-1/2 cups flour, sugar and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. In
another bowl, whisk water and remaining flour until smooth. Gradually
add to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide
pastry in half. Roll out each portion between two pieces of plastic wrap
into an 11-in. circle. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Remove one sheet of plastic wrap from one pastry; transfer to a 9-in.
pie plate coated with nonstick cooking spray. Remove remaining plastic
wrap. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond edge of pie plate; flute edges.
Repeat with remaining pastry.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg substitute, egg, sugars, salt
and spices until blended. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour
into crusts. Bake at 375° for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted
near the center comes out clean. Garnish with whipped topping.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 piece with 2
tablespoons whipped topping) equals 245 calories.
Ice
Cream in a Can
1 cup of very cold milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
ice + salt
You will need 2
coffee cans with lids. 1 must be bigger than the other. Place all the
ingredients in the smaller coffee can and put the lid on top. Place
the smaller coffee can into the center of the larger coffee can.
Fill the larger can with ice and salt surrounding the smaller can.
Place the lid on the large coffee can.
Allow the kids to roll it around for 1/2 hour or so til thick. This
should result in a soft ice cream
Quick
n Easy Lasagna
16 lasagna noodles
2 pounds ground beef
1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
Cook noodles according
to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over
medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
Add the spaghetti sauce; heat through. Rinse and drain the noodles.
In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish, layer a third of the
meat sauce and half of the noodles and cheese. Repeat layers.
Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes
or until bubbly.
Hugs
'N Kisses Brownie
1 package fudge brownie mix (8-inch
square pan size)
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cups vanilla or white chips
14 to 16 milk chocolate kisses
14 to 16 striped chocolate kisses
1-1/2 teaspoons shortening
In a large bowl, stir
brownie mix, egg, oil and water until well blended. Fold in 1 cup vanilla
chips.
Pour into a greased 9-in. heart-shaped pan or a 9” round pan.
Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2-in.
from the side of pan comes out clean.
Let stand for 10 minutes; alternate milk chocolate and striped kisses
around edge of pan with points toward center. Melt shortening and remaining
chips; stir until smooth. Drizzle over brownie. Cool completely.
Tuna
Egg Salad
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
1 can (3 ounces) light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped sweet pickles
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
Combine all of the
ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Spoon into tomatoes, use as
a sandwich filling or serve with crackers.
Nutrition Facts: One serving equals 129 calories
Time
Savings Tacos
1 pound hamburger, browned
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
6 to 8 taco shells or flour tortillas
Toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced ripe olives,
shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, salsa
In a saucepan, combine
hamburger, taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer,
uncovered, until heated through.
Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture into each taco shell or tortilla. Serve
with toppings of your choice.
Grandma's
Fruit Salad
1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple
chunks
1 can (15 ounces) reduced-sugar sliced pears, drained
1 can (15 ounces) reduced-sugar sliced peaches, drained
1-1/2 cups seedless red grapes
1 package (3 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
2 medium firm bananas
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 jar (10 ounces) maraschino cherries, well drained
Drain pineapple, reserving
juice in a 1-cup measuring cup. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple,pears,
peaches and grapes.
Cover and chill.
Add enough water to pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Pour into a small
saucepan. Whisk in pudding mix. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat; set aside to cool to room temperature.
Slice bananas into a small bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice; gently toss
to coast. Let stand for 5 minutes; drain. Add bananas and cherries to
chilled fruit. Add cooled pudding; toss gently to combine. Refrigerate
until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Nutritional Facts: One serving (1/2 cup) equals 126 calories,
Labels
are everywhere. Most of us never even think about them. Food labels
are particularly interesting. 
