Fun and Easy Spring Craft Ideas for Kids

April 21, 2016 by greystar

The springtime is known for its long, rainy days, and on those afternoons when you’re stuck in the house, you’ll likely need an activity to keep the little ones occupied. Here are a few fun and creative craft ideas that offer hours of entertainment for your budding artists.

Tissue Cherry Blossom Tree [marthastewart.com]
Instead of hanging their artwork on the refrigerator, why not create a craft that you can use in your home decor? This chic cherry blossom tree sculpture is perfect for the springtime, and it’s also simple enough that the kids will have a great time piecing it together. Let them gather branches from outside, then get to work gluing pieces of pink tissue paper in the shape of delicate blooms.

Painted Canvas Bags [parenting.com]
If you’re looking for a craft that’s both beautiful and functional, this painted canvas bag is the ideal choice. Simply purchase plain canvas bags from your local craft store, set the kids loose with fabric inks and brushes, then use the completed bags at the grocery store or even for their school books.

Faux Tie Dye Spring Flower Window Display [momto2poshlildivas.com]
Because real tie-dyeing may be a bit to complicated for young children, this unique craft is a great alternative that produces similar results. Once your child is done, you can hang the colorful flower in a window for all to see.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr James E. Petts

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Crafts, DIY, Seasonal, Spring

How to Make the Perfect Apple Pie

November 19, 2015 by greystar

New to baking? Keep these smart techniques in mind the next time you make an apple pie from scratch, and your dinner guests will be none the wiser!

Keep the crust ingredients cold. One of the most important things to do while mixing and rolling your pie crust is to keep all of the ingredients cold. Your crust will only become dense and flaky if the butter is kept in chunks rather than melting, creating layers between the flour and water mixture.
Use real butter. Dessert is not a time to worry about your diet. Make sure that you always use real, full-fat butter (instead of margarine or another butter alternative) to achieve the best results possible.
Use your hands. While kitchen stores boast a wide variety of tools for creating the perfect pie crust, the best thing to use is your hands. Knead the dough between your fingers to get it to the perfect consistency, and don’t forget to lick your fingers to make sure that it’s not too salty or too sweet.
Let the filling sit overnight. To get the best taste out of your apples, let them sit overnight with the rest of the ingredients to really draw out that lovely apple flavor.

The Food Lab's Top 9 Tips For Perfect Apple Pie [Serious Eats]
Your Grandma's Apple Pie Recipe Is Good. This One Is Better [Bon Appetit]
How to Make the Best Apple Pie Ever [Good Housekeeping]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Daniel Zemans

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Apple Pie, Fall, Recipes, Seasonal

How to Make Your Very Own Trick-or-Treat Bag

October 16, 2014 by greystar

If your kids are eagerly anticipating October 31, you can extend the Halloween celebration a bit longer by helping them to create their own customized candy bags. Here are three simple and creative tutorials that will show you how.

Custom Candy Bag
For this simple bag, first find a favorite Halloween-related image online and print it out onto iron-on transfer paper. All it takes is a household iron to adhere the decal to a canvas tote bag, and your child will love that no one else has a bag like it.

Pillowcase Trick or Treat Bags
Pillowcases have been used as trick or treat bags for generations, but this fun DIY project gives them a spooky makeover. Have your little ones help you by tracing jack-o'-lantern or ghost faces onto black iron-on patches, then adhere them to a simple white pillowcase to fill with candy.

Quick & Easy Trick or Treat Bags
If you’re feeling especially crafty (and have basic sewing skills), this DIY treat bag involves using Halloween-themed fabric scraps to create actual tote bags for your little ghouls and goblins. Best of all, these bags are so sturdy that they can even be used for small school books or as a lunch sack.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Andrew Malone

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: DIY, Halloween, Parenting, Seasonal

How to Find Pick-Your-Own Apples Near You

September 18, 2014 by greystar

You’ve always wanted to take the kids apple picking, but finding an orchard seems a bit tricky. Fortunately, apple orchards are becoming increasingly popular, and they’re actually much more common than you might think! Here are two great websites that will help you locate places to pick apples locally.

Pick-Your-Own.org
Just like the name implies, this convenient website provides information about all of the different ways to pick apples across the country. Simply select our state’s name from the cumulative list, and the site will show you detailed information about the different facilities across the state. The orchards are even separated by county to make it easier to find one locally.

Local Harvest
This is a go-to site for all types of organic and local food information, but it’s also very beneficial for finding and researching information about apple orchards. Local Harvest’s interactive map enables you to browse by wide areas, and the site also offers information about upcoming events at the orchards. Once you find the closest place to pick apples, check the ratings from other members and read a full description of all of its facilities.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Jeff Kubina

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Apples, Fall, Pick-Your-Own, Seasonal