CookingJam: Ice Cream in a Bag

Do you love to eat ice cream in the summer?  Of course you do! For a healthier and cheaper alternative to the local ice cream parlor, try making home made ice cream with your little one.  It’s fun and easy to do.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup salt (The bigger the granules, the better. Kosher or rock salt works best, but table salt is fine.)
• Ice cubes (enough to fill each gallon-size bag about half full)
• 1 pint-size ziplock bag
• 1 gallon-size ziplock bag

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag and seal it tightly.
2. Place the salt and ice in the gallon-size bag, then place the sealed smaller bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag. Now shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to determine when it's done.
3. Take the smaller bag out of the larger one, add mix-ins, and eat the ice cream right out of the bag. Easy cleanup too! Serves 1.

• Make shaking the bag a game. Sing songs while one child has a turn shaking and then pass the bag. The person passing gets to pick the song the next person will sing while she shakes.

Home Made Felt Boards

Homemade felt boards are easy to make and a unique toy to add to your child's play room.  Using felt board puppets can help your little one practice interpersonal relationships. It will definitely give your child an opportunity to develop language and social skills. Plus it’s super easy and wont take you out of your crafty comfort zone!

Follow these simple steps:

• Glue a whole piece of felt to a recycled cardboard. Part of a moving or shipping box will be best because of it’s thickness. You can make a large board for your playroom wall, or make a smaller travel size for the car. 

• Cut out pictures of family and friends.  Glue felt pieces to the back of the pictures.  Don’t forget to add pictures of your own children so they can be part of the story!  

• Add to the scene by making background pictures such as hills, trees, sun, clouds and some flowers out of felt, or by cutting them out of photographs like you did with the people.

• Decorate a shoe box to keep all of your special new felt toys in!

Home made felt boards can be a way for a young child to relive a special day, remember a loved one who lives far away, or prepare a child for an upcoming move.  Felt boards are concrete and tactile tools that help children understand stories and concepts, much like illustrations in books.  Plus, they make wonderful personalized gifts!