Worms-n-Dirt Brownies

When my kids get out of school they always complain that they are "SOOOOO Bored!".

I hate that phrase, with a passion.  Usually, if it continues past the first week of school being out, I find all sorts of "fun" things for them to do.  Like weeding the garden, staining the fence, washing walls and baseboards, cleaning out my cupboards, etc.

After that I don't hear it so much but I do try to have fun things for them to do.  We made these one night for Family night.  They were a huge hit with the kids and they thought it was so fun to put together.  It's a perfect summer activity.

Worms and Dirt Brownies

(click here for printable version)

Box of brownie mix, plus ingredients to prepare
6 (8 oz) wide mouth, half pint jars (this size works the best for this recipe)
Can of chocolate frosting
About 20 Oreos, crushed into crumbs
About 30 Gummi Worms

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray inside bottoms of jars with cooking spray.

2.  Mix your brownies according to package directions and fill jars about 1/3 full of brownie batter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place jars on a cooling rack until cool.

3.  Remove lid and foil from canned frosting. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until pourable, but still thick.  (TIp: I have found that it’s a lot easier to get frosting to spread neatly and evenly in a jar when you can just pour it in and microwaving it does that). Pour about 1 inch of the frosting in each jar.
Immediately top with a handful of crushed Oreos and gummi worms. Enjoy!

Source: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Jello Playdough

Playdough is a very favorite past time at our house.  Everyone loves to dig their hands into the stuff and play to their heart's content.

I always have to prep myself for playdough time though.

Because it gets everywhere.  Seriously how does it get clear across the room and in cupboards but somehow it does!  So every time it comes out I have to prep myself for the mess.

But man it sure is magical stuff.  The kiddos played for a solid hour with this stuff.  They made all sorts of food for each other, animals, and shapes.  It was so much fun.

And guess what?...this is by far the best homemade playdough recipe I have found.  The consistency was very close to the real stuff, plus the Jello makes it smell fantastic.  This is another kid pleaser for spring break.

Jello Playdough

(click here for printable version)


1 1/2 cups white flour + more for kneading
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
1 3oz package Jello (any flavor)

1.  In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Stir until thoroughly incorporated.  Put saucepan on stove over medium low heat.

2.  Stir continuously until mixture starts to thicken and forms into a big ball.  Remove pan from heat and pour mixture onto wax paper.  Cool completely.

3.  Once cool, knead with additional flour until dough becomes smooth and not sticky (I had to add quite a bit of flour but just keep working with it).  You can add food coloring or even glitter at this step, just knead it in.

4.  Store in airtight container in refrigerator and it will keep for several days.  Enjoy playing!

Source: Pinterest via Playdough Recipe

Melted Crayons

I decided since it's Spring Break at our house that I would post some fun "recipes" to do with your kiddos.

I actually look forward to some time off school.  Mostly because my 6th grader has lots of homework so it's nice to have a break from it.

Plus we have been having the most fabulous weather here so we spend most of our time outside but have found a few projects to do inside.

On of our favorite things to do (at least me and my girls) is color.  Sometimes I just love to sit down and color.  Any other adults still like to color!!??!!

I noticed the last time we colored we had gobs of broken crayons which I can't stand because they are so hard to color with.  So we decided to melt them down and have some new colors to color with.

My kids thought this part was fun but I thought it was the least favorite part.  You need to unwrap all the crayons.  

We then sorted them by color because that's how my girls wanted them to be, but it really doesn't matter.

Next we lined a mini muffin pan with liners.  You can also use fun shaped silicone pans (IKEA has quite the selection) but you will need to throw them away when you are done, but I know the kids would probably love them more than round, but hey we had these on hand.  

Fill them 3/4 full with whatever color combination you want and stick them in a 250°F oven until completely melted.  Remove from oven, let cool completely before popping them out, removing the papers and coloring your favorite picture!