A few weeks ago I received copies of Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make And Do With Kids and Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes To Make With Kids both by author Rae Grant.
These books have been sitting next to my computer since then, begging to be opened. This past weekend was very chilly and rainy, so after playing in the rain for quite awhile the boys came in, shed their clothing, wrapped up in towels and declared "Time to bake something for a snack". Perfect timing.
They fingered through the Cooking Fun book and came across the recipe for everyday cupcakes. The recipes are simple and easy to follow - even fore early readers like my boys. And most of the recipes call for ingredients most of us already have on hand. It is full of little recipes like cinamon toast and strawberry smoothies that we regularly make, but it is so great to have them in one place and presented in a way that my boys feel like were written down just for them.
The cupcakes were simple to make and oh, so yummy! We didn't make the icing recipe that follows. We instead used icing we already had on hand from Wyatt's birthday cake and smarties from our candy jar. After tasting his creation, Ian asked "Does this mean we get to eat cupcakes everday?" I'd take that comment as a good review!
The only negative thing I can say is that it doesn't contain many pictures, so for a little person it is difficult to flip through and see what recipes are available. But for bigger people, the cute retro graphics more than make up for it.
We haven't gotten into Crafting Fun yet, but just flipping through it is similar to Cooking Fun. Great retro graphics coupled with easy, timeless activities for kiddos. This book is devided by season, so it makes finding the perfect craft super easy to find.
The bottom line...Either (or both) of these books would make great summer birthday gifts for a little baker or crafter.
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This is the post that was supposed to appear yesterday but it just didn't feel right. Thank you so much for your kind words. It really is nice to know that we are all learning these lessons together. My chat with the boys about death and life and the fragility of it all went well. There were lots of questions and throughout the day, we revisited the subject again. Thank you for the kind words...I read many of them to the boys. They meant alot to all of us.