Learning about the Night Sky and Chocolate Night bark

This last year, I've been doing Motherhood On A Dime's God's Little Explorers preschooler program with my four year old. We've really enjoyed it. It's flexible and easy to add or change if need be. Big Blue Eyes loves that we read a story from the bible each week (the weekly plan centers around that as well) and she particularly enjoys the songs. I love the addition of chore ideas (learning to fold laundry, sweep the floor, etc.).

This idea stems from U is for Up in the Sky. It's week 27 in the God's Little Explorers program.

 

Big Blue Eyes really enjoyed the pinpricking constellation idea and then drew with a white crayon to connect her constellations (picture below). We also checked out Fancy Nancy: Stellar Stargazer! from the library and did some nighttime sight-seeing.

 

 

We used to have a preschool/kitchen book but I was not pleased with the ingredients in most of the recipes so I was trying to come up healthy alternatives or just starting from scratch. When I was trying to think of a "whole food" alternative to making constellations or an edible night sky, I received Sarah Britton's cookbook My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season in the mail. I was flipping through it and I found a recipe for what she deems "Night Sky." I was sold!

Her recipe is a wonderful totally-from-scratch chocolate bar recipe so please buy the book so you can try it her way (plus you'll get to enjoy all her other amazing recipes). Here, I've substituted chocolate chips for an easier alternative for Moms and children. Then I laid out the "Star and Moons" toppings in little glass bowls for Big Blue Eyes to decorate the bark with. She had lots of fun and was excited to enjoy her Night Sky treat! This would also be a great gift idea for children to help make.

I know I mention "healthy alternatives" and here I am showing you how to make chocolate bark. Shame on me! This is, of course, a treat. But a fun one!

 

Night Sky Chocolate Bark

3 cups chocolate chips (Enjoy Life semi-sweet and Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate are both dairy-free)
Large tablespoon coconut oil
 

Star and Moon toppings:
Bee Pollen
Rose hips (dried)
Coconut flakes
Pink sea salt
Goji Berries
Chopped Nuts and Seeds
Dried Blueberries
Freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries

1. In a double bowler, melt chocolate chips and large tablespoon coconut oil.
2. Once melted, spread chocolate on a parchment paper-lined tray.
3. Sprinkle with star and moon toppings.
4. Let cool in refridgerator then cut and enjoy.

All the toppings can be found at your local natural grocery store, amazon, and Mountain Rose Herbs, my favorite place.

I'd really encourage you to buy her Sarah Britton's cookbook. I usually steal borrow my mom's cookbooks but this one I knew I needed my own copy.
 

And if you are looking for a homeschool program, make sure to check out Motherhood On A Dime's God's Little Explorers preschooler program. I plan to do that program with my next child when he is old enough. For now, I am planning Big Blue Eyes' kindergarten year. Excited and pumped for a new year of homeschooling!

Week of Love: Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks

Today's week of love post is a craft perfect for children: Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks.

 

This idea came to me while my daughter and I were making Jean Van'T Hul's Sticker Resist Starry Night Cards from the Artful Parent blog. Jean is the author of The Artful Parent: Simple Ways to Fill Your Family's Life with Art and Creativity and The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons and Holidays with Crafts and Recipes, which actually looks like it was released today! How exciting! I own The Artful Parent which I've found to be a great resource. I read the book initially and return to it again and again. It's my main kid creativity cookbook. Geared towards ages one through eight, it has a lot of fun activities but part one is worth the price of the book alone. So go give Jean some love on this momentous day of her second book release!

My daughter really enjoyed making the sticker resist starry night cards. When we were making them before Christmas, I thought how easy and fun it would be to do these for Valentine's Day but with heart stickers and pink/purple/orange colors. And instead of handing out cards, why not bookmarks? Big Blue Eyes was tickled!

To preserve the bookmarks and keep them from leaking on to books when in use, we laminated them with Scotch Thermal Laminator 2 Roller System (TL901) and trimmed the sharp edges. I think they look just beautiful and very professional.

This is a great opportunity for learning as well. Some ideas that can be discussed (depending on age and skill):
1. Different Colors
2. Shapes
    * Hearts, Stars and Circles (think polka dots) are all great options here.
3. Color Mixing (read below for suggestions):
    * white + red = pink
    * red + blue =  dark purple
    * red + blue + white = light purple
4. Patterns
    * Big Hearts, Small Hearts, Little Hearts, Tall Hearts
    * Also works for paints - paint pink then red then purple
5. Talk about Love
    * This is why we celebrate Valentine's Day
    * Different kinds of love - unconditional love, friendship love, and mommy & daddy love
    * Read verses about love - 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 16:14, 1 Peter 4:8, Ephesians 4:2
    * Read about the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. We are currently doing the God's Little Explorers Week 19 from Motherhood on a Dime, which I highly recommend!

Big Blue Eyes and I discussed color mixing, patterns, and love during this activity. She had a lot of fun and was very excited that she gets to hand them out to family and friends. She is four but can sit down and dedicate time to a craft for a while. Some kids might need breaks or a chance to return to the craft the following day. I suggest having it all set up with bookmarks cut, heart stickers out, and watercolors ready to go so that you can enjoy the craft with them.

A note about color mixing. We used Reeves Watercolor Paint Tubes. From what I understand, these are not washable and we did keep the window open. If I had done this activity when my daughter was three, I would have stuck with just plain old Crayola watercolors and skipped the color mixing talk and instead spear-headed it with identifying colors. Again, this will look a little different for each kid. Be flexible and breath!

On to the directions:

Sticker Resist Heart Bookmarks
1. Cut 9x12" Watercolor or heavier weight art paper into 2.25" by 6". I recommend using a paper trimmer like this one. A 9x12" will yield 8 bookmarks.
2. Place heart stickers (we used some from the Target dollar section and some from a mega sticker book) on the bookmarks. Other shapes are fine too! Circles are great for a polka dot effect and stars are just fun.
3. Use watercolor paints and paint over the bookmarks. A great tip from Jean is to use a different paintbrush per color - this way you don't have to keep rinsing.
4. Let dry overnight.
5. Gently peel off heart stickers (younger children will probably not have patience for this activity). This is a great time to write the child's name and year on the back. Older children can write their own names. We even chose a verse to write as well.
6. And laminate (we used this laminator. Trim the edges to allow for at least 1/8" and then snip off sharp ends. Again you'll need a paper trimmer for even lines.

Hand out and enjoy!

And sorry for the delay on this post! Took our little girl to the doctor because of a rash and discovered she had dermatitis so we've been washing all of her clothes among other things!

Come back tomorrow for a smoothie recipe that is good for your heart!