Baking: The Ultimate Craft

Whether it's from scratch or a ready-to-bake mix, baking is really the ultimate craft. If you don't mind a little mess, this is a perfect rainy-day or any day boredom buster. Let the kids measure, pour, stir, and watch as their creations slowly grow and turn golden brown. The children I care for especially love when I turn on the oven light and they can see how it changes as the baked good bakes. Here are a couple ideas to get you started:

• Sugar cookies- Find you favorite sugar cookie recipe and some awesome cut-out shapes. If you don't have any shapes to bring and the family doesn't own any either, use a glass to make circles and frost them into moons, smiley faces, or pumpkins. =) If you are extra creative, you can even try cutting out shapes with a knife. After the dough is made (note: you may want to crack eggs if you want shell-less treats, but let the kids see the inside of the shell and make it a learning experience for them!) cut out whatever shapes you have and place them on a baking sheet and into the oven. Frost them with fun designs and many colors until every cookie is decorated. If you want to make everything homemade, you can even bring a recipe for frosting and let the kids pick colors from food dyes. Little extras like sprinkles, decorating gels, and various candies (m&m's, skittles, licorice, candy corn, etc.) will make the activity even more fun! When you are finished, enjoy some of your creations with the kids, if you have more energy, you could even make up tea or cocoa and have a tea party together!
• This one is simple and can be easily varied for each season and holiday. Simply make rice krispy treats, and roll them into balls, placing a Reese's mini peanut butter cup in the center. If it is winter, top them with powdered sugar and edible glitter for a snow ball look. For autumn, find orange rice krispies and top them with green icing and candy corn to make pumpkins. In spring, make Easter eggs with pastel icing writers. In summer, make beach balls out of rainbow-toned cereal. You can also change up the type of candy in the center to your own tastes. 

Have fun with the kids and enjoy the treats you create together!

Tools of the Trade

I recently started a new babysitting job which requires many hours spent with only one small child who cannot do much. This has really been a challenge for me because it is very difficult to think of new, fun things for a child with a short attention span to do every day. My mother came to the rescue with four tools of the trade: blocks, books, beanie babies, and balls. Basic, old fashioned wooden blocks are great for younger children, while the modern version, Lego's, bring hours of creativity and are great for boys and girls. Books are a life-saver. When a child refuses to go down for a nap, suggest reading a couple books (until they nod off that is). If you are at your wit's end and cannot think of one more thing to do, read a book. The children's section at the local library has been great; just go get a pile of books and rotate them through on different days. When the stories are getting old, simply return them and you will never have to read that book again... or at least for a while. Beanie babies (or any sort of stuffed animal toy) are also a wonderful staple. Although they will require a little more imagination, they can easily keep a child entertained. Try building a cardboard home and coloring it, setting up a tea party, or even creating outfits if the child is older. Bouncy balls, kick balls, basket balls, rubber balls, and super balls all offer endless options. Most department stores offer fairly cheap rubber balls throughout summer months. Bring one along and encourage the kids to kick it back and forth outside. Have a contest on who can kick it the furthest. You could even make up a game together... just be careful it does not turn into a harsh game of dodge ball. During the winter months, snow balls are a great option in colder regions. Throw them at "targets" such as trees or bushes, or ambush a snowman. These tools of the trade are life savers and great to keep children occupied throughout long days.