T is for Teeth and Transportation

This week for preschool (I was in charge again), we learned about the letter "T." On Monday we discussed Teeth and tooth care. The kids had fun. We did an experiment with eggshells (they served as our teeth) in different kinds of beverages. The Juice Drink and Soda stained the "teeth" almost immediately. The OJ actually broke down the "tooth" into pieces. Milk and water were definitely the best.  We did some other fun teeth things.

On Wednesday, we talked about transportation. We read some fun books. I had made a train out of boxes and we had fun chugging around our house. I also made two airplanes out of boxes and that was a fun thing (but we needed more space to really "fly").  We talked about shapes and they made school buses with foam stickers.

My favorite part was our snack. I made these adorable stop lights. They tasted really great too!

graham cracker, PB, and M&Ms

St Patrick's Day Treats

Here is what we (plus other family members) are having for our FHE treat tonight. Eden and I worked on these together and we're pretty happy with how they all turned out.

Shamrock cupcakes, rainbow cake, mini cupcakes as pots of gold

Fun with Reptiles

Today for our co-op preschool, I taught about the letter "R" and Reptiles. We did some fun crafts so I thought I'd share:

This cute chameleon (stolen idea from my sister Emily)

The kids had fun sticking the tongues in my ear. Thanks TANGLED for that idea!

Torn paper turtles. I was surprised that this really captured their attention and was a good motor skills developer. Who knew that tearing paper was a skill that had to be developed?

This was my favorite. These cereal snakes were a last minute idea I had (I know, an idea of my very own!).

I prepared them to this point with embroidery thread and craft foam with a sticky side. Then I put the eyes on (they could have done that). I put tape around one side and then they went to town threading the cereal (and eating the ones that weren't perfect).

When they were done, I put a triangle piece of the sticky craft foam on to make a tail and to keep the cereal in place.

Banana Cake

I'm not a purest. There, I said it. I am probably a lot more like Rachel than I am Martha. I hope this doesn't cost me any friends. Especially those friends who might happen to raise their own chickens and goats and make their own cheese.

Ok, that said (whew), I have to share with you my easy banana cake (I can't call it a recipe).

I had three over-ripe bananas. I didn't feel like really baking. I needed a dessert for FHE. I had a yellow cake mix. Knowing that bananas make things really moist, I decided that I could leave out the oil and reduce the water. I baked it. It turned out great (I know this because I made some mini cupcakes and devoured them already). Now I'm trying to decide whether to frost the cake with chocolate or PB frosting.

1 Yellow Cake Mix
3 Over-ripe Bananas
1 C Water
3 Eggs

Mix and bake according to directions on the box

Recipe: Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

My friend, Corrie, gave me this recipe. It is so delicious! I made it this weekend while all my family was in town for my brother's wedding. It was a hit and my sister said, "will you put that on your blog?" So, Merilee, here you go:

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup 

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 20 min

Ingredients:
3 Italian Turkey Sausage Links (4 oz each), casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
13/4 C water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg (9oz) cheese tortellini
6 oz fresh (of course I used my frozen) baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 1/4 t minced fresh basil or 3/4 t dried basil
1/4 t pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded Parmesan Cheese for on top

Directions:
1. Cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil

2. Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (but I think it yielded much more)
203 calores, 8 g fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 878 mg sodium, 18 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein
Attributed to Tracy Fasnaccht from PA