Fold Over Painting

I've been meaning to do this activity with the boys forever, finally we got around to it, and they were interested it it.
We started out with butterfly shapes but tried other symmetrical shapes too, dotting on paint, folding it over, and then opening up the paper to see color added

Very Easy. This kept them busy for an hour. They made many more fold over paintings

Color Me Playhouse

Grandma and Grandpa got the boys this for Christmas, but we didn't get it out of the box until February.

This color me playhouse was really big, probably too big for some houses, but it was fun that we could all fit inside.
The boys drew on the inside walls too. I think Westley drew a TV for watching football.
They also really enjoyed the mail slot. I got out envelopes and addressed them to the boys and put 1 cent stamps on them and included an I love you note inside.
They were just as excited to get this as to get real mail.

I think this would be great if you could get a little smaller one for a week vacation in a condo or trip somewhere where you are staying and there is not much kid stuff.

Valentines

Will was very interested in making Valentine poster/cards this year. His ritualistic nature produced about 10  pictures almost exactly alike.
Each included a big heart made by the old trick of folding a piece of paper in half, drawing 1/2 a heart, and then cutting it out and opening it up to be a full big heart
He got good at it though - he can cut the hearts out all by himself!

Grandma Martha came to help one day. We all had lots of fun together

 Valentine's Day morning at our house (you can see a couple of Will's Valentines on the Wall

Homemade Tortilla Factory

After getting Will's hopes up to visit the Tortilla factory in California Adventure, we discovered it is not there anymore. Sad, that is all Will was interested in doing during our trip to Disneyland.

So I had to make it up to him by having our own tortilla factory.

I've posted this recipe before, but have to again because it is so good.

This time the boys enjoyed shaping the tortillas with me

Here's the recipe from the website preschool rock.com but this recipe should not just be limited to preschoolers. I would make them even if I didn't have kids.

NOTE: we skip the steps of rolling them in oil and letting them sit 15-30 min.
I just make sure the griddle is greased and spread a little butter on them when they are finished.

How to Make Flour Tortillas

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup water

Step 1:Combine flours and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add oil and water and mix with a fork until dough holds together.

Step 2:Place dough on a floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Add more all-purpose flour to the surface when dough becomes too sticky to knead. Give your preschooler a small piece of dough to knead.

Step 3:Divide dough into 12 pieces and let your preschooler form a ball with each piece. Add a small amount of oil to a bowl and place the dough balls in the bowl, one at a time, coating each with oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and let stand 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.

Step 4:Roll each dough ball with a rolling pin into a 6 inch circle. Place tortilla in a preheated, ungreased skillet and heat until brown spots appear on the bottom. Flip the tortilla and cook for an additional one minute. Cool slightly and serve.

Crepes (French Pancakes)

We have been on a cooking spree lately.

The boys helped make these, and Westley helped devour them

I've never made crepes before. Having to turn the heat on and off for each one was a bit of a pain, but it was nice to have something different.

Crepes (French Pancakes)

recipe make 4

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sale
• ½ cup milk or soy milk (might need a tiny bit extra)
• 1 egg
• vegetable oil

Directions:

1. 1
   Mix together flour, powdered sugar, and salt.
2. 2
   Add milk and eggs.
3. 3
   Mix well until smooth.
4. 4
   Heat oil in frying pan on medium/high until pan is hot (you may not need oil if you have a nonstick pan).
5. 5
   Pour about 1/4 of the mixture in the pan and turn off heat.
6. 6
   Cook until dry and then flip. Remove immediately and place on plate or serving dish.
7. 7
   Repeat.

Soft Whole Wheat Bread

Will helped me make this bread. It was really good fresh out of the oven, we all ate 1/2 the loaf right away
It is from the Book Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes A Day.
Don't be fooled it too much longer than 5 minutes, but it was worth it

100 Day of School

Westley's first school project

Needing to glue on 100 things for the 100 day of school