Create a Summer Reading Fort!

I like to try to keep things creative for Ariana especially during the summer when she's out of school. Recently we created a reading fort in the backyard! She absolutely loved it.

Read more about our fort here on The Shopping Mama, as well as get tips to beat the Summer Slide. It's good to keep kid's brains engaged and active during the summer.

Constellation Craft For Kids

During our Spring Break road trip to Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg this year, we were in the car for a total of about 20 hours. That's a long time for a 4 year old to just sit.

I had to come different activities to keep her entertained. Of course I brought the busy book I made last year with a few updated pages and new coloring print offs.

But, my favorite little activity I created was this constellation craft that she could create in the car.

Constellation Craft

Supplies you need:

black construction paper

star stickers

white crayon

outlines of constellations (optional for older children)

I cut my black paper into 4 pieces to make them smaller and to stretch our black paper supply stash. 

With some of the papers I drew dots and let her connect them to make a constellation and then let her decorate her paper with the star stickers and drawings to make it a night sky picture.

With the others I drew a constellation outline (google was great for this before our trip) and she had to copy the constellation onto the black paper using stars and then draw lines with her white crayon to connect the star stickers.

The resulting constellations were these. We used fairly simple constellations: Leo, Pegasus, Orion, and the big and little dipper. She also practiced her handwriting at the bottom writing their names on each one. Then, we talked a little bit about space and stars and constellations in general. 

She loved this activity especially since she's told us numerous times that she wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. She loves anything learning and space related.

This is her in her Nasa outfit that Daddy brought back from the Space and Air Museum from his recent trip to Washington DC.

This constellation craft could be used for a car trip, plane ride, add to a busy book, space camp, preschool, or make them into cards for family and friends. Make it your own! Have fun!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble {Recipe}

If you're looking for the perfect way to use that rhubarb in the backyard (like me) then this is the recipe to try! Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Besides all the chopping it's pretty easy to make.

Below are the pictures of the rhubarb that we have growing in our backyard. We have 2 huge plants of it. You can see with me standing beside it how big the leaves are. But, you don't use the leaves, they are poisonous to eat, only use the stalks.

If your plant is blooming flowering stalks, you should break off the flowering parts so that the plant can send it's energy to creating the leaves instead of flowers. Mine is growing huge and even with the flowering stalks still on there it seemed to be growing fine.

Pick your leaves (you can see how big they are with Ariana holding them up). I used 3 good sized stalks and got about 3 cups worth of usable rhubarb out of it.

Chop up your rhubarb and strawberries and we'll get started with the actually recipe part!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Filling:

3 cups strawberries, roughly chopped

3 cups rhubarb, chopped

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Topping:

1/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, diced 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

2. In a large bowl mix together strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl mix together oats, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cardamom, salt and lemon zest. Using a pastry cutter or fork work butter into mixture until crumbly.

4. Pour filling into sprayed pie pan. Top with crumble topping. 

5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.