Thanksgiving Tree for Kids

Thanksgiving Tree

When the turkey is history and the kids are restless, here is a craft from Amanda at iVillage.com that is easy and also has a great message!

You will need: 

Poster board

Construction Paper

Scissors

Glue

Marker, Crayons or Colored Pencils

How to do it:

Cut a piece of brown construction paper into the shape of a tree trunk with branches. Glue the tree trunk to the poster board. Help the kids trace their hands onto the construction paper. In each hand, let them write things they are thankful for (or write for them) and cut out the hands. Glue the hands on the branches as leaves".

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese!

Gluten Free Holidays

Holidays are a wonderful time to gather together and share in the joy of family. This means FOOD! If you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity in your family, try this awesome baked mac and cheese recipe...they are shure to thank you!

Ingredients:

For the casserole:

12 oz gluten free penne pasta

For the sauce:

2 T light olive oil or butter

2 T sweet rice flour

2 1/2 c milk or soy milk

1 1/2 c shredded aged sharp or mellow cheddar cheese

3/4 c small curd cottage cheese

1/2 t sea salt

1/2 t Dijon or honey mustard

1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg

1-2 T dry sherry or white wine

For the topping:

1 c Crunchy Gluten Free Bread Crumbs

Sprinkle of dried basil and parsley

Instructions:

To pre cook pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and partially cook the pasta- just to al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil to medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook for about 10 seconds and slowly add in milk. Keep stirring and bring it to a bubble and reduce heat to low. Add cheese, cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and mustard. Stir. Add sherry or wine. Continue stirring and heating until the cheese melts, a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine pasta and cheese sauce. Stir,

Sprinkle top of casserole with breadcrumbs and basil.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until heated through.

Serves 4.

Thanks to the wonderful goddess at glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com for this amazing recipe!

Kids and Computers

Whether we like it or not, kids and technology is a combination that is here to stay. With all the rewards that come with learning the ins and outs of computers and the internet, there are also quite a few risks.

The absolute best thing you can do as a parent is to set rules, as well as a good example.

Parenting.com offers some good advice on the topic:

1. Set up a where. What areas are technology free in your household? Bedrooms are difficult to monitor after lights out so younger children may be better off with access to a computer in a study or office.

2. Definitely decide on a when. Mealtimes and other family times are important to spend together without interruption.

3. Get Internet savvy. GetNetWise.com offers some tools to limit what your kids can access online as well as limiting time spent on the internet as well.

4. Have an open discussion about what is and what is not allowed to be done online. Younger children will probably benefit from a safe list of what sites are allowed.

5. Follow your own rules! If mealtimes are off limits for technology, parents should lead by example! Obviously, there are some occupations that are not limited by set hours...but do your best to limit yourself as well.

6. Decide which social media sites will be allowed and which ones aren't. The USA requires children to be over 13 in order to create profiles on most sites that can be accessed by adults as well. Play by the rules and allow children to create only profiles on sites that are aimed at kids.

Above all, talk to your kids about the dangers that can be found online. Let them know that not everyone will be exactly who they say they are and giving out personal information can be dangerous.

Backpack and Car Snacks for Families on the Go!

We spend a lot of the time in the car. Sometimes several hours a day, with commutes and school and errands...

And kids get hungry. And cranky. And we can all be tempted by the many drive-throughs and convenience foods waiting patiently on every corner in America.

The problem is that we also know that very few of those foods are healthy or nutritious and although an occasional kids' meal isn't going to doom anyone to a life of unhealthiness, having a few yummy and healthy alternatives can be helpful too!

So, to avoid snack emergencies, keeping some non-perishable snacks in the car in a lunchbox or in the glove compartment can be the difference between a  quick, nutritious snack before dinner and another chicken nugget!

Snacks that don't need to be refrigerated:

• Trail Mix
• 100 Calories packs-although these are usually not the healthiest option, it's a better alternative than fast food
• Peanut Butter packs
• Raisins
• Granola Bars
• Dried Fruit without sugar
• Cereal in snack bags
• Crackers and Pretzels
• If you are brave- pudding cups that don't need refrigeration
• Popcorn
• Fruit Snacks

Also, taking your children to the bulk section of the grocery store can be fun if you let them pick out a few snacks in small amounts to try! It's a good way to introduce them to new foods and avoid the "toy of the week" at the same time...Happy traveling!

Halloween Costume Ideas for Toddlers

With Halloween around the corner, cute Halloween costumes are everywhere! From homemade to mail order, here are some of the most adorable costumes for toddlers that we could find!

From PennyWitch on  Etsy.com 

 Etsy. com has some amazing handmade items, from hats to capes and other accessories to head to toe unique costumes for your toddler. Since the shop owners have sometimes modeled the items for sale on their own children, they tend to be a little more practical!

One Step Ahead has a pretty big selection of costumes available for order...infants and toddlers.

The Spirit of Halloween has a gigantic selection of costumes for all shapes and sizes of infant and toddler. Their costumes tend to be more mainstream, but sometimes a little guy just wants a Spiderman costume!

If your toddler doesn't really have much interest in a full costume, there are a few accessories that can bring out the Halloween spirit in even the fussiest dresser!

• Tutus and leotards
• Feather Boas
• Wands
• Crowns and Jewelry
• Crazy Socks!
• White T-Shirts and fabric markers and they can make their own!

OneStepAhead.com

The Spirit of Halloween Costume Shop

      Happy Halloween to all of our Families!

Playdough Recipes

Kids love playdough. It is a universal truth. And, just as universal truth worthy, is the fact that playdough gets left out, eaten, fed to the dogs, shoved in the couch cushions...and sooner rather than later, it's time to buy more!

But, it's even more fun to make your own- Here are some awesome tried and true playdough recipes that are  super easy to make!

Remember to store playdough in an airtight container to keep it fresh. You can also add a little vanilla to keep it smelling sweet!

Colored Playdough

Materials

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food coloring
• Saucepan
• 1 cup flour

Directions

1. Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
2. Remove from heat and add flour.
3. Stir, then knead until smooth. The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.
4. Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.

Kool-Aid Playdough

Materials

• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 cups water
• Saucepan
• Food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid powder for color
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 tablespoons alum

Directions

1. Combine salt and water in saucepan and boil until salt dissolves.
2. Remove from heat and tint with food coloring, tempera powder, or Kool-Aid.
3. Add oil, flour, and alum.
4. Knead until smooth.
5. This dough will last 2 months or longer.

Salt Playdough

Materials

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour plus additional flour
• Saucepan

Directions

1. Mix salt, water, and flour in saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat when mixture is thick and rubbery.
3. As the mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make the dough workable.

Thanks to FamilyEducation.com for the awesome recipes!

Peanut Allergies in Preschool

          As a parent it can be challenging to find snacks that are peanut free. As more and more schools lean toward being completely peanut free this makes packing lunches and snacks difficult. Of course we want to include things that our children enjoy eating but we would also like those same snacks to offer some nutritional value. Here at The Children’s Center of Austin this is something we see our parents struggle with so we decided to investigate and find some peanut free snacks we know children love.

            As children continue to be diagnosed with severe peanut allergies many companies have begun to create peanut free snacks. Although it is possible to find processed snacks without nuts we have had great success at snack time when we offer fresh fruits and vegetables. These are a staple of The Children’s Center of Austin’s menu and the children continually enjoy everything from carrot sticks to strawberries. Not only do these snacks have the benefit of being nut free but the also provide fiber and many essential vitamins. Yogurt and cheese sticks are also always appreciated at our snack table. These healthy snacks offer a boost of calcium and protein that keeps our children going all afternoon.

            In the event that you need a snack on the run, sometimes fruit is not a viable option. In this event you can always use an easy on the go snack. We have found that our children love Goldfish and, lucky for us, these fish are made without any nut product. There are also many crackers that are nut free. Some of these include Ritz crackers, Nabisco saltines and Keebler Club crackers.

            If you’re looking for a sweeter on the go snack, we have found that many of our children love fruit snacks. They come in every size, shape, color and cartoon character you can imagine and many of them are made with 100% fruit juice. Some of the nut free brands we have discovered include: Fruit Roll Ups, Gushers, Scooby Doo fruit snacks, and Hi-C fruit snacks.

            There are many other options out there so if you need some new ideas for snack time try looking at SnackSafely.com. We love snack time so we know our children do to and none of us want to eat the same things everyday. Variety is the spice of life so be sure to add some spice to your snack time.There are even fun, healthy kid inspired recipes like this one:

Allergy-Free Dessert Recipe: MockBuckeyes 
A peanut-free version for chocolate lovers!

Recipe Information  

Category: Candy
# of Servings: 30 candies
Recipe Created By: Cristi Schwamb

Ingredients

□       Tbs  softened margarine or softened (or melted) coconut oil

□       1/2  cup  sunflower seed butter such as Sunbutter®

□       1  cup  sifted powdered sugar

□       1  cup (approx)  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

□       Stir margarine, sunflower seed butter and powdered sugar together. If the mixture is too sticky to handle, you can knead in a little extra powdered sugar, one spoonful at a time, until the consistency is a bit firmer and doesn't make a mess all over your
hands.

□       Divide dough into small balls. Refrigerate (or freeze) for a while so that they aren't so sticky. Put a glass measuring cup full of chocolate chips into microwave for a minute or so -- stirring every 30 seconds. Dip balls into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper. Chill until firm.