HomeEducatorMom

How to Make Homemade Finger Paints

January 2, 2013 by Betty

I came across this recipe on how to make finger paints that is food based and safe for kids. As many of the store-bought paints are lead based and are not safe for kids in the long run, I choose to make my own finger paints. This homemade finger paint recipe is very simple and inexpensive. Refer to the picture above for the recipe.

My thoughts: You might find your paint thickens a bit more over time. Simply add a little water to thin (or add corn starch to thicken). Paint containers are baby food jars. I hope your kids will enjoy some finger paint fun with these colorful homemade paints!

Paint keeps for about one week.

I first saw this recipe on The Honorable Mention Preschool Blog. You can also find it at Easie Peasie homemade finger paints.

Filed Under: Indoors Activities, Recipes Tagged With: homemade finger paints

Zuppa Soup Recipe

December 28, 2012 by Betty

If you have an Olive Garden Restaurant nearby, the chances are you’ve probably tried this soup. The first time I had Zuppa Toscana, or simply Zuppa soup was a few years ago at my local Olive Garden and since then, I’ve tried a few versions of Zuppa recipes. Recently, I found one that my family loves. This defiitely satisfied our cravings for Zuppa soup; hopefully you and your family will enjoy this too!

Ingredients:

2 bunches kale

12 small red potatoes, sliced thin

1 whole onion, chopped

1-1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more To Taste)

4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 cups whole milk

2 cups half-and-half

4 cups water

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Tear kale into bite-sized pieces and set it aside. (chop up kale ribs for soup or reserve for juicing)

In a medium pot, boil sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage. Drain as much fat as you can using a spoon or paper towels. Stir in the red pepper flakes, chicken broth, milk, half-and-half and water. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, then stir in the kale. Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Kale that’s been torn into bite-sized pieces.

Sliced red potatoes in strainer.

Zuppa soup cooking in a big pot.

Delicious Zuppa soup served with your favorite bread and salad or enjoy a simple meal of soup and crackers!

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Filed Under: Soup, Stew, and Chili Tagged With: potato kale soup with sausages, Zuppa soup

Merry Christmas 2012

December 20, 2012 by Betty

I hope you’re all enjoying a blessed Christmas time with your family this holiday season. May your celebration be joyous and memorable. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Looking for some Christmas or winter activities for your kids? Here are some we’ve done. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Winter Tagged With: merry christmas

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

December 19, 2012 by Betty

One of our Christmas traditions is to make a birthday cake for Jesus. You can make it as fancy as you want or a simple homemade one with your kids. Over here, we like to make a birthday cake for Jesus with the Wordless Book colors. If you’re new to this site, check out my post, The Wordless Book, on how to use the Wordless Book to share the gospel message, and now incorporate these colors into your birthday cake for Jesus. What a fun way to share Jesus with kids this Christmas. See note below on how the manger and baby Jesus were made.

The kids and Bubba made this cake together and we used things that have the Wordless Book colors, black, red, white, gold and green to decorate the cake. As the kids are decorating the cake, we talked about what each color represented.

Here’s a recap of the Wordless Book colors: For a full explanation of these five colors, click The Wordless Book.

Black: Reminds us of the the darkness of sin.
Red: Reminds us of the blood of Jesus Christ.
White: Reminds us that we can have a clean heart when we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
Gold: Reminds us of heaven.
Green: Reminds us of things that grow. It’s importance to grow in Jesus after we put our trust in Him.

After going over the colors, we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and enjoy the cake together. This is a blast for kids of all ages and even adults too. Try it and you’ll be amazed at the responses. Have a Christ filled Christmas!

Note: The manger was made with graham crackers, “glued” together with white frosting. Baby Jesus was borrowed from our modeling clay nativity scene.

Filed Under: Mom's Corner, Winter Tagged With: a birthday cake for Jesus

The Wordless Book

December 18, 2012 by Betty

CEF Wordless Book

Image Credit

As I get ready to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, I’m reminded of an evangelism tool that I’ve used. This tool is very simple to use and I felt that it was very effective especially if you’re talking to kids about God. This tool is called The Wordless Book and it only has five colors: They are black, red, white, gold and green. The colors are in that specific order because they take you through a progression of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The first color that you would talk about is black.

Black page reminds us of the darkness of sin.
The Bible says that we all have sinned. Because of our sin, we cannot go to heaven on our own. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But God had a wonderful plan for us.

The second color is red.

Red reminds us of the blood of Jesus.
God’s plan was to send His only Son Jesus to die for our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, He shed his blood to pay for the
penalty for our sin.

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The third color is white.

White reminds us that we can have a clean heart.
When we put our trust in Jesus and ask Him to forgive us of our sins we can be white as snow.

Psalm 51:7 says, ” Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” When Jesus washes our sins away, we’re made new in Him. (2 Corinthian 5:17)

The fourth color is gold.

Gold reminds us of heaven.
The Bible says that the streets of heaven are lined with gold. Revelation 21:21 says, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.”When we believe in Jesus, we will one day be with God in heaven. Heaven is a perfect place because God is perfect and holy. God is preparing a beautiful home in heaven for those who put their trust in Him.

At this point, you can ask the person these questions:

Do you believe you have done wrong things and sinned?
Do you believe that Jesus died to forgive you of your sins?
Would you like to ask Jesus to come into your heart and make you white as snow?

If the answer to these questions are “yes, ” have the person say his own prayer to receive Christ or repeat the prayer after you.

Sample prayer:

Dear Jesus, I know I have done wrong things. I believe you came and died for my sins. Please forgive me and make me clean. Please come into my life so I can live for you.

The last color is green.

Green reminds us of things that grow.
After we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, He wants us to grow in the knowledge and obedience of Him. 2 Peter 3:18 reminds us, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” We grow in Jesus by prayer or talking to Him, reading the Bible and getting together with other Christians.

That’s all you have to know about the wordless book. It’s quick and easy to use. Now you can share this story with others so that they can come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Reference:

Bible used: New International Version from BibleGateway.com

Child Evangelism Fellowship