Butterfly Snack Bags

As another Winter storm looms here in Northeast Ohio I felt the need to bring a little Spring into our lives. Every couple months Lila has a special day at preschool where she gets to perform special classroom tasks and is allowed to bring in an item for show and tell. This week she had her third special day of the school year so we decided to mix it up a little bit and make an edible craft together she could share with her classmates during snack time.

I found the idea for these cute little butterfly snack bags in a Family Fun magazine while perusing periodicals at the bookstore and thought it would be a perfect project to do with my four year old. The only task she needed my help with was twisting the pipe cleaner around the bag. I've included a list of materials I used to create the butterfly bodies, as well as the recipe for the snack mix, but honestly the possibilities are endless, just use your imagination.  The butterfly bodies can be decorated with anything you have in your craft closet such as glitter glue, markers, paint, beads, buttons -- you name it, it would probably work.   If you prefer the snack to be healthy use nuts, dried fruit or fresh veggies.  If you rather it be more of a special treat use candy, cereal or crackers. In my opinion, as long as it is colorful and tastes good it will be perfect.

Butterfly Materials
Spring action clothespins
Glitter glue
Toothpicks
Wiggly eyes
Pipe cleaners 6 inches in length
Snack size resealable plastic bags

Snack Mix Ingredients
2 cups Crispix
2 cups Chocolate Cheerios
1 cup Fruit Flavored Jet Puffed Marshmallows
1 cup M & M Candies
Other colorful bag filler suggestions: Colored GoldFish Crackers, Froot Loops, Skittles, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and Rainbow Popcorn.

Directions

• Squeeze the glitter glue on one side of a clothespin.
• Spread the glue with a toothpick.
• While the glue is still wet put on the wiggly eyes  near the clipping end of the clothespin and let dry.
• Combine all the ingredients for the snack mix in a large bowl.
• Fill each bag with a 1/2 cup of snack mix.
• Separate the mix in the bag and tie closed with a pipe cleaner.
• Curl the pipe cleaner to form an antenna.
• Clip the clothespin across the center of the tied bag to create your beautiful butterfly.

  

  

 

Servings

12 butterfly snack bags filled with a 1/2 cup of snack mix.

A Broken Oven Tip

I am not teacher, but I think this butterfly snack bag would be a perfect project to accompany a lesson on the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  You wouldn't even have to use real food to fill the bags. Instead, use small pieces of paper with pictures of the food the caterpillar eats and place them in the bag making a very colorful, very fun and very beautiful butterfly.

Dubble Bubble Bauble Bracelet

Winter Break was tough this year. Between lots of friends busy with their own holiday activities, the severe weather and the flu cycling through our house we pretty much stayed put. However, staying home means the kids need to be entertained. While searching online I came across a project for making candy wreaths. Since it was after the holidays and we really didn't need any wreaths, I thought the kids would enjoy making candy bracelets instead.  This craft was a little difficult for Lila since her tying skills are still developing, but Will and Sophia had a lot of fun with it.  We used Dubble Bubble Gum and Jolly Ranchers, but any candy with a twist closure would work, such as Tootsie Rolls or Starbrite Peppermints. The bracelet is heavy and a bit gaudy, but the kids think they're pretty cool, especially the girls. The picture here are of Lila with her Dubble Bubble Bauble bracelet and Sophia showing off her Jolly Rancher Gems.

Materials
1 large roll of curling gift ribbon that coordinates with your selected candy
45 to 50 pieces of twist closure candy per bracelet.

Directions

• Measure and fit the ribbon to your child's wrist like a bracelet so they can slip it off, then tie the loose ends securely in a double knot.
• Cut ribbon the ribbon to 5-7 inch lengths and wrap around one end or tail of the candy and tie in single knot. See image below and ignore Sophia's dirty nails.
• Now securely tie the candy to the ribbon bracelet using a full double knot. See image below.
• Every 5 candies push them together and trim the ribbon to desired length and curl. See image below.
• Continue tying the candies onto the ribbon bracelet until full.

Single Knot

Double Knot 

Curl Ribbon

A Broken Oven Tip

My only complaint is the the bracelet was a bit flimsy. If you want to give the foundation of the bracelet more structure, try shaping sturdy craft wire into a circle instead. A thin plastic or metal bracelet would work great too. If  you don't have an old bracelet lying around the house, I bet you could find them pretty cheap at the dollar store

Go Fish Jell-O Aquariums

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish! How may of us could recite at least one Dr. Seuss book from memory, as well as a few pages of Good Night Moon? This summer I tried my best to keep the kids occupied with fun activities and when I found this edible craft I knew it was a keeper. While these little aquariums didn't photograph very well, they were super easy and super fun to make and brought lots of smiles to the kids' faces. Get creative with your aquarium by using Skittles as gravel or green licorice as seaweed. If you would rather make it a bit healthier use fish shaped cookie cutters to make your aquarium creatures out of fruit.

Ingredients
2 packages Blue Raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water
10 Swedish fish or gummy sharks
5 cups or glasses 9 oz each -- I like the Solo Cocktail Cups.
1 toothpick

Directions

• Stir boiling water into blue gelatin until dissolved.
• Stir cold water into gelatin.
• Pour 8 oz of liquid gelatin into cups.
• Refrigerate about an hour.
• When Jell-O starts to set gently pierce the Swedish fish and place in cup and shimmy out the toothpick.
• Refrigerate another hour or until set.

Servings
Makes 5 servings 8 oz. each

A Broken Oven Tip
Next time I make this I think I'll use 1 package blue raspberry and 1 package clear Jell-O flavor such as the white grape so you'd be able to see the fish better.

Candy Flower Lollipops

Trying to keep the kids busy is a task, especially with the age gap between the older two kids and Lila.  So when I can find an activity at least two of them can enjoy, it's wonderful.  Sophia and Lila made these easy candy flower lollipops and of course enjoyed eating them.  They even were kind enough to share with Will and his friend.

Ingredients

Hard Life Saver Candies -- you'll need 7 per lollipop.  

Wooden craft sticks

Aluminum foil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees
• Place 3 Life Savers on the wooden craft stick -- petal, center, petal on a foil lined baking sheet. (see photo) 
• Surround the center of the flower with four more Life Savers. 
• All the candies must be touching so they stick together when melted and cooled.
• Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

A Broken Oven Tip
Wrap a few candy flower lollipops in cellophane, tie with bow and arrange in a cute cup like a bouquet and you have a great gift made with love and a few sticky fingers.