Celebrate Earth Day Organically with these Activities: Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Salad Recipe

Raspberry and Grilled Chicken Recipe for Earth Day

This Earth Day, celebrate with organic and green friendly recipes. Let the kids help make dinner with this easy grilled chicken and raspberry salad recipe. Enjoy!

 Homeschool Science: Research an Endangered Species for Earth Day

Click Photo for Free Printable Recipe from Cascadian Farm.

Earth Day. What a fabulous day to celebrate life. This year, Cascadian Farm sent us an awesome gift pack to help us celebrate organically. The main thing I want to say is, YUM!

Earth Day: Celebrate with a Cooking Lesson for kids.

I love the honey granola cereal, chocolate chip granola bars, and the to die for raspberry fruit spread.

They sent us a picnic basket with water bottles and yummy recipes to try. We chose to make the Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Salad with Spa Smoothies and Spinach Manicotti. 

Marinate Chicken in Pomegranate Red Wine Vinegar
 and Raspberry Fruit Spread.

Earth Day Craft for Kids

Arrange on plate. Why, yes, that is a styro-foam plate. Not Earth friendly you say?  I use them, wash them, and re-use them for lots of craft projects. We try...

Spinach Stuffed Manicotti Recipe for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!  Note the Earth Friendly Tickle Me Crown and Necklace.

This weekend, we moved into our new home on five, amazing acres (in which I have high hopes for self-sustainable farming) we'll have a picnic next to the pond with the awesome basket they sent.

How we celebrated Earth Day

Recommended Reading: 

I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (Little Green Books)*

Hip Moms Go Green: 
Very Berry Smoothie Recipe and Organic Garden Party  

For Such a Time as This: Earth Day Picnic  

In the Kitchen with Audrey: What's for lunch? 

Cascadian Farms and Snack Girl's:  Healthy Blueberry Muffins














ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Introducing Angie's Blog Posts

Today ~ I'd like to introduce Angie as a contributor to Kid's Creative Chaos.  She has been posting recipes for several weeks now and I felt it was time to bring her in as a true blogger. I thought it might be fun to bring a new perspective on living life in true mommy chaos. Don't fret, she'll still post those yummy recipes on Tuesdays, but on Thursdays she'll share some of the fun activities she and her family do together. Angie's kids are into sports and lots of recreational fun.

'Day in the life with two spirited kids'

by Angie of Kids Creative Chaos (the mind behind Angie's Recipes)

Tweet

Yes, normally on Tuesday's and Thursday's I put up recipes but I was asked if I would like to post what we do with our kids on Thursday's to switch it up.  I have never actually done a blog of any sort before so please bare with me as I stumble through this. :-)

I will just do a quick introduction of my family today, only because the only things we have done together as a family of late is homework, and I don't think my kids would appreciate me taking their picture during full on "Homework Meltdown". lol.

I am a stay at home with 2 very spirited kids, a daughter 9 soon to be 10 (but thinks she is going on 16 sometimes. lol) and a son that just turned 6 (with the personality and charm that could make him sly like a fox as he gets older. lol).  But, both are extremely sensitive and caring kids who make sure they don't purposely hurt the feelings of others.

Right now, we haven't gone and done much together, well because up until recently it has been cold and we tend to go into "hibernation" of sorts over the winter.  My kids do bowl on a Saturday Youth League so that is where you will find us on Saturday mornings.  My daughter does tournaments where she can earn College scholarships and my son is in a different league for younger kids, but next year he moves up to his sister's league where he can start bowling tournaments. Bowling ends the beginning of May, and then my daughter starts up fast pitch softball and my son wants to attempt football.

As a family we like to camp, attempt gardening, (we start out great and by late summer it all goes down hill) and visit places- even if they are quick, weekend getaways. Spring Break is coming and I have a couple of places I would like to take the kids. Crossing my fingers they will get along and have a good time- periodically our outings end up with one or both kids going into a meltdown over something and ends with my husband or I mad and disappointed the trip didn't go the way we had envisioned it would when we planned it.

Stay tuned as we share our camping, 4-H, and sports activities with you each Thursday.

Make a Fun Paper Hat for Hat Day, a Parade, or Caps for Sale

Paper Birthday Party Hat Ideas for School Hat Day: Caps for Sale

Make your own fun caps for your elementary school hat day, a birthday party activity, or to celebrate with a Saint Patrick's Day Parade. You could even use them as a companion project for the book Caps for Sale. Enjoy!

Make a silly hat for a birthday party or 

a leprechaun wig for a parade from construction paper.

Make a construction paper hat base by following the Daisy Head Mayzie Hat instructions. Then, cut strips of paper, curl the ends around a pencil, and glue or tape to cover the paper hat band with silly hair. Ta da! Now, you've got a fun hat for a parade or school hat day.

Caps for Sale book.

We adapted this book for a mini-drama camp and had so much fun pretending to be sneaky monkeys! 


Companion printables for Caps for Sale:


 Classroom Printables for Caps for Sale 

Caps for Sale Printables for Pre K from Royal Baloo


Recommended Reading:

Caps for Sale*

How to Make a Chef's Hat

Crazy Saint Patrick's Day Parade Hat 












ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Skillet Harvest Vegetarian Pasta Recipe

Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipes to Make in a Skillet

Angie's, Harvest Vegetarian Pasta Recipe, is a delicious vegetarian dish you cook in a skillet. Her family didn't even notice it was missing meat. Enjoy!

            Vegetarian Skillet Pasta Recipe.

Harvest Vegetarian Pasta Recipe

1 lg onion
8oz white mushrooms

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 15oz solid pack pumpkin

4C low sodium vegetable broth

3/4 C dry white wine such as a Chardonnay (or just sub it for additional vegetable broth)

1/2 C water

5 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tbsp Moroccan Rub

1/4 tsp salt

1 14.5oz pkg of multigrain penne pasta

1/4 C. shelled pistachios

1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

1oz Parmesan cheese

coarsely ground black pepper and chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Thinly slice onion using Simple Slicer on #2 setting, cut onion slices in half.  Slice mushrooms using Egg Slicer Plus. Heat oil in 12in skillet over medium high heat 1-3 min or until shimmering.  Add onion and mushrooms.  Cook and stir 2-3 min or until onion is translucent.  Meanwhile, combine pumpkin, broth, wine and water in bowl; whisk well.

Add garlic pressed, rub and salt to skillet; cook 10-20 sec. or until fragrant.  Stir in pumpkin mixture.  Bring to a simmer; stir in pasta.  Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 9-11 min or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop pistachios using Food Chopper. Turn off burner; stir in cream.  Grate cheese over pasta; sprinkle with pistachios.  Garnish with black pepper and parsley if desired.


Recommended Reading:

Fresh and Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

-->

Edible Paint Craft: Kissing Hand Preschooler Sensory Art

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is the perfect Story for the First Day of School

This story is so sweet, a little tale about Mama and Baby Raccoon. Mama kisses her baby's hand before he heads for his first day of school. We've made a companion craft for preschoolers with a Sensory Play appeal that uses our special recipe for edible paint.

The Kissing Hand with Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten.

Chester Raccoon's Mom reassures him he will enjoy school. She takes his hand, gives it a kiss and tells him to touch his cheek when he needs a kiss. He gives his Mommy a kissing hand too. And, we've made one for you to share with your little ones.

How to Make an Edible Handprint for The Kissing Hand Book

Vanilla Jell-O Pudding Cups

Gel Food Coloring

Strawberry Gel Pie Filling

Sugar Sprinkles

And lotsa love...

Edible Paint Recipes

The Kissing Hand book.

Look, it's a craft. It's a dessert!  It's crafty, edible art!

This hand-print is 100% Edible and Yummy too.  Jell-O Pudding Cups make the perfect finger paint, just add a little gel food coloring. We let the kiddos mix in red and blue for a fun color mixing experiment, then we got some gooey, strawberry pie gel, plopped it in the middle to show where to kiss, and then added purple sugar sprinkles on top.  

It smells and tastes great and after six weeks this one still looks the same (no nasty rotting) so pin it on your fridge or better yet, frame it!

Recommended Reading:

The Kissing Hand

One Tricky Monkey

Hawaiian Luau Pizza Recipe

Make a Hawaiian Pizza for a Luau

Having a Hawaiian theme party? Try this Hawaiian Luau Pizza Recipe by Angie. It is easy to make, and more for grownups than the kiddos. Enjoy!

Make a Hawaiian Pizza for your next Luau.

Please excuse the huge chunks of pineapple, I bought the chunked pineapple and in the middle of the evening chaos around my house, I forgot to chop it up a little bit so decided to just go with it so the kids could start eating dinner before they started to complain and want to snack me out of house and home. lol.

Hawaiian Luau Pizza Recipe

1 pkg refrigerated thin crust pizza dough

1 12 oz piece deli ham (I just buy a package of diced ham)

2 green onions with tops, divided

1 large jalapeno pepper (I seed and remove ribs from mine to cut down on heat)

3/4 C ketchup

1 Tbsp Smoky Applewood Rub

1 garlic clove pressed

8 slices cheddar cheese (I just use shredded cheese)

3/4 C canned pineapple tidbits, drained

• Preheat oven to 425.  
• Lightly brush Large Bar Pan with canola oil. Unroll dough in bottom of pan, gently stretching and pressing dough to cover bottom of pan. 
• Bake 12-14 min or until deep golden brown.
• Meanwhile dice ham into 1/2 in pieces (if you chose not to buy already diced ham), thinly slice green onions; set aside the tops, finely chop the jalapeno using Food Chopper.  
• Combine ham, onion bottoms, jalapeno, ketchup, rub and pressed garlic in Classic Batter Bowl and mix well.  Stack cheese slices; cut in half diagonally for a total of 16 slices( unless using shredded cheese) using pizza cutter.
• Remove pan from oven to cooling rack.  Evenly top crust with ham mixture, pineapple and cheese.  Bake 5-6 min or until cheese is melted.  Remove pan from oven to cooling rack and cut pizza into 16 slices and sprinkle with green onion tops.

My family loves this pizza, and what sets it off is the BBQ sauce flavor that ketchup and rub combined make.  The first time I made this my kids ate almost the entire pan!

Recommended:

Chocolate Fruit Pizza

Hawaiian Party Parasols*

Three Clever Saint Patrick Day Craft Activities for Kids (boys like them)

Saint Patrick Day Activities for Kids Boys will Love

The Leprechauns have a parade and an Irish Feast in this Saint Patrick's Day Leprechaun book for kids. "The St. Patrick's Day parade is off to a very fine start. The Leprechaun family is marching with lots of heart! Share in their dancing, share in their fun. You'll have the luck of the Irish when this day is done!" Read the companion book and then do fun St. Patrick's Day activities and crafts. Enjoy!

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever.

Share in the Leprechaun joy and make your own St. Patrick's Day Parade with our fun ideas. Here are five, fun and clever ideas that even the most un-crafty boys will love from fellow pinners on Pinterest.  

1. GREEN SLIME from Our Best Bites

How to make green slime: A St. Patrick's Day craft for boys.

2.   Leprechaun Foot Prints (for tracking that guy) from Busy Kids = Happy Mom

Make Leprechaun Footprints and then go tracking him.

3.  Hunt for the Pot O' Gold_ Mission Impossible Style from Toddler Approved

Secret Agent hunting for the Leprechaun's gold.

Recommended Reading:

EASY HANDPRINT LEPRECHAUN

Holiday Plays for PreK - 4*

STINGY LEPRECHAUN GAME

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day*

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever*

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

PB and J Brownie: Peanut Butter Recipes

How to Make PB and J Brownies Recipe

Do your kids love PB and J? How about Brownies? This peanut butter recipe by Angie combines the two for a yummy sensation. Read on to learn how to make peanut butter and jelly brownies. Enjoy!

How to make Peanut Butter Jelly Brownies.

Peanut Butter Jelly Brownies Recipe

With this pan you can make 12 individual brownies or in this case brownie sandwiches, which kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy!

Non stick cooking spray with flour

1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 box (10.25 oz) brownie mix

1/2 C. flour

2 eggs

1/2 C canola oil

1/4 C water

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/3 C creamy peanut butter

1/4 C butter softened

1/4 C. seedless raspberry jam (or any jam of your choice)

2 Tbsp dry roasted peanuts

Preheat oven 325.  Spray Brownie Pan with non stick spray.  Line cooling rack with parchment paper.  Place 1/2 C. chocolate chips in small microwavable bowl; microwave uncovered on high for 1 min or until mostly melted, stirring every 20 sec..  Combine brownie mix, flour, eggs, oil, water and melted chocolate in Classic Batter Bowl; whisk til smooth.  Using Large Scoop, divide batter evenly into wells of pan.  Bake 14-17 min. or until wooden pick inserted into centers comes out clean.

Meanwhile, for filling, combine powdered sugar, peanut butter and butter in Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.  Spoon filling into resealable plastic bag; secure and set aside.

Spoon jam into Decorator Bottle ( or resealable plastic bag)fitted with round tip.  Chop nuts using Food Chopper.  Place remaining 1/2 C. chocolate chips in small microwavable bowl and microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 min or until mostly melted, stirring every 20 sec..  Spoon melted chocolate in small resealable plastic bag, secure and set aside.

Remove pan from oven. Invert parchment lined cooling rack over pan; flip over and remove pan.  Slice brownies horizontally in half using bread knife.  Place brownie bottoms onto serving platter.  Distribute filling evenly over brownie bottoms.  Top with jam and brownie tops.  Drizzle chocolate over sandwiches; top with peanuts.

Recommended:

Chocolate Fruit Pizza Recipe

Companion Story: Peanut Butter and Jelly Rhyme*

I Can Read: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish*

Lego Thomas Memories From: A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine Train

Thomas the Tank Engine Built from Legos

Thomas the Train in real life! Nothing is more exciting for a Preschool Boy (or girl). The Giant LEGO Thomas the Tank Engine was too cool at the Day Out with Thomas in Connersville.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Blast from the Past ~ 2007

Lego Thomas Memories From: A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine Train.

Giant Lego Thomas the Train.

The real life Thomas the Train, Tank Engine.

So happy to meet Thomas and take a ride.

So tired after a fun filled, long, hot day.

Ticket Info for Thomas near you

Recommended Reading:

Jake's Journey in Art Folk Art Paper Craft

Ideas for a Race Car Theme Birthday Party

LEGO Play Book: Ideas to Bring Your Bricks to Life

Pizza Jalapeno Popper Recipe: Easy Appetizer

Easy Jalapeno Popper Recipe: Pizza Poppers

Angie's Recipes: This Pizza Jalapeno Popper Recipe is an easy appetizer for any party or get together. They are perfect for Super Bowl events or Tail Gating Parties. Enjoy!

Easy Jalapeno Pizza Poppers Recipe.

                                         

Beginning for Jalapeno Popper's Pizzas.

Stuffing the pizza poppers.

Jalapeno Poppers out of the oven.

Jalapeno Popper Pizza's Recipe

1 pkg of refrigerated thin crust pizza dough

2 jalapeno peppers (I seeded mine to cut down on the heat factor)

1/2 of a bell pepper (I used red)

1/2 pkg of cream cheese (softened)
4 slices of bacon cooked until crispy

1 C cheddar cheese

1 C corn chips crushed

Preheat oven to 425.  Place dough on cutting board and using a sawing motion make 24 disks; place on large bar pan.  Press to flatten and seal seams; bake for 11-13 min or until golden brown. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack.

Meanwhile, slice bacon into 1/4 in pieces; cook til crispy; remove from pan to towel lined plate to drain; drain pan but reserve 1tsp of drippings in pan.  Chop jalapenos with food chopper; finely dice bell pepper.  Add peppers to pan and cook for 2-3 min over medium heat til peppers are tender.

Combine cream cheese, half of cheddar cheese, bacon and peppers in bowl and mix well.  Divide cream cheese mixture evenly over crusts.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and crushed corn chips. Bake 4-6 min until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove from oven to cooling rack and move to serving platter.


Recommended:

Appetizer Recipes for a Party

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Child Psychology: Alternatives to Traditional Discipline: Clare Cherry

Child Psychology and Development Alternatives

Are you frustrated with traditional discipline methods that aren't working for your child? There are many alternatives to traditional discipline. We're sharing some of our favorite Child Psychology advice from Clare Cherry.

Add caption"Please Don't Sit on the Kids" by Clare Cherry.

Clare Cherry is a well known educator located in San Bernardino, California.  The Clare Cherry School was established in 1954. Ms. Cherry came up with this wonderful list for alternatives to punitive discipline. For more info click on the link above to purchase her book from Amazon.com or ask your local library for a copy. All parents and child caregivers should become familiar with this Magic List of Alternatives to Traditional Discipline Methods. The list works well with autistic children too.

Child Psychology: Alternatives to traditional discipline.

The Magic List

1. Anticipate trouble.
2. Give gentle reminders.
3. Distract to a positive model.
4. Inject humor.
5. Offer choices.
6. Give praise and compliments.
7. Offer encouragement.
8. Clarify messages.
9. Overlook small annoyances.
10. Deliberately ignore provocation.
11. Reconsider the situation.
12. Point out natural or logical consequences.
13. Provide renewal time.
14. Give hugs and caring.
15. Arrange discussion among children.
16. Provide discussion with an adult.

I find all of these items very helpful. When working with other people's children, overlooking small annoyances and deliberately ignoring provocation do wonders for me psyche.  As for my own kids, injecting humor, distracting to positive activity, and hugs are my go to fixes.

How do you deal with discipline? Switching to a sensory activity is also helpful. We've outgrown time outs and are too young for grounding, so we need this list!

Recommended Reading:

Child Development Sensory Play Aids in Learning

Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorders

Creative Art for the Developing Child: A Guide for Early Childhood Education

Parents Please Don't Sit on Your Kids (Fearon early childhood library)