Frozen Pops!

Earlier in the spring, I dreamed of lazy summer days spent in our backyard and a calendar free of appointments. But just one week into summer, we're still cramming playdates, swim lessons, family vacations, and summer fun activities into our very busy days.

One way we've found to slow down and beat the heat is to make homemade popsicles. They're easy, inexpensive, and oh so refreshing! Try this recipe out the next time you're looking for a fun activity for the kids. All three had a blast mixing and measuring the ingredients and they gave these rave reviews! Plus, you'll swear they're tastier than anything you can purchase in a box.







FROZEN POPS

2 cups boiling water
1 package (4-serving size) Jello, any flavor
1 envelope Kool-aid (try to match the flavor to the Jello)
1 cup sugar
2 cups cold water

Stir boiling water into the Jello, Kool-Aid, and sugar mixture for 2 minutes or until dissolved. Stir in cold water. Pour into molds. Freeze until almost firm, then push in handles. Freeze at least 8 hours or overnight.







NOTE: This recipe makes a LARGE amount of popsicles. I used 2 molds that held 8 popsicles and still had a ton left over. Oh, and if you don't have popsicle containers, it's all good. Just use ice cube trays. Wrap the tops with plastic wrap and stick toothpicks through the wrap. Voila! Instant mini-pops!

Summer Fun Box: Make a Movie!

Today the Summer Fun Box had declared it was the day to make a movie. The kids created/agreed on the following loose script:

A princess is riding her horse through the forest. A robber steals it. She calls a hero who fights the robber and loses, but then steals the horse anyway. The robber searches "the entire earth" for the horse but never finds it. Meanwhile the hero returns the horse to the princess.

For this movie we ventured up to the local church to film in a small wooded area that seemed perfect for the "riding though the forest and then the horse is stolen" scene. I think it works.



Props:

white and black stripe shirt = thief shirt
small piece of vinyl siding trim = sword/walking stick
purple badminton sake = dagger
horse head on a stick = horse
piece of broken tree branch = phone
Duluth pack = thief's backpack

Found Art

The kids and I decided to make some collages out of all of the items we found during a morning walk around the neighborhood.



Owen focused mainly on green (his favorite color), and chose many large pieces that seemed to complement each other.



Annika went for more splashes of color. She found a nice use for the rubber band that Owen found in someone's driveway. It now serves as a decorative bow tie on the leaf in the center.



Alex went for a more minimalist approach, using touches of red and a simple sprig of pine to highlight his pen and ink drawing.