Healthier Homemade Cheez-its and More

I miss Cheez-its.
And Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.
But I don't miss additives and eating something that can sit on the shelf until the end of time.
And then I found a super simple recipe for homemade cheese crackers.

So here's my slightly tweaked healthier version of that recipe:
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (it's so worth it to grate your own-tastes better than the bagged stuff)
4 Tbsp. water

Directions:
1. Add flour, salt and butter to your food processor and pulse until it looks grainy/sandy.
2. Add cheese a cup at a time and continue pulsing until it resumes a grainy/sandy texture.
3. Add 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms into a ball.
4. Wrap in plastic, and chill for a few hours. It helps the butter to set up.
5. Roll the dough out to 1/8 in between sheets of parchment.
6. I used a pizza cutter to cut 1 inch squares. Use a fork to press around the edges and poke in the middle to give them the "Cheez-it look".
7. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. If they get too warm and sticky put them back in the fridge to set up a little bit before baking.
8. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
***post update! After making these I've decided that next time I would roll them slightly thinner and bake closer to 20 minutes to get a crisper effect***

But wait! There's more...
Because Monday was President's Day, we took the day off...and yesterday too... but here's what we are learning the next two weeks:
Theme: Horses
Number: 13
Letter: M
Color: White
Shape: Rectangle
Vocabulary Word: Colt
Scripture: "Love one another."
1 John 3:23

Over the Moon for the Moon

The past two weeks have been a love affair with the moon at our house.
Reading about the moon, singing about the moon, making moon food...

Here's a review of what we've been learning the past two weeks:

Theme: Phases of the Moon (We just learned full, half and cresent.)
Number: 11
Letter: K
Color: Black
Shape: Cresent
Vocabulary Word: Full

And here are some of the moon activities we have enjoyed:

Comparing a full moon to a cresent moon on the learning board:


Reading and rereading this beautiful book: Moon Dreams by Ruth Martin


And making moon food: Phases of the Moon Mini Pizzas!

It's super easy!

What you need:

English muffins

Pizza sauce

Shredded mozzerella
Pepperoni slices

Kitchen scissors

What you do:

1. Split one English muffin.

2. Cut one side in half. Use the one half as a half moon then cut the other to form a cresent moon.

3. Top with sauce and toppings. We cut our pepperonis into smaller bits for "craters".

4. Stick under the broiler until bubbly and serve with white grapes, corn, etc. for "stars".

Number of the week and a Helicopter

Our number of the week next week is 11. I made it out of foam, googly eyes and stuck some Velcro on the back. (If you are wondering why there's more eyes on one than the other, it's to demonstrate place value. I know, I know, he's only 22 months old but the teacher in me couldn't help it. Plus, when he is old enough to learn place value I'll have a set of numbers ready to go!)

Googly eyes are just more fun to count than dots! And it gives a number much more personality.
It almost looks like a little critter.

And here is 11 on my fancy smancy learning board. I'll post our letter of the week tomorrow.

Okay, and this is just random: This little helicopter was 97 cents at Walmart and it made an awesome project for Art Time. A fun way to teach parts of a helicopter and practice fine motor skills with the paint brush.

Learning Board

This is one of those projects where I've seen something on the Internet and thought, "I could totally do that...and maybe even better!" And so I've made this pretty fantastic Learning Board.

What is a Learning Board?
It's a display board you can use during Learning Time to post items you plan on learning for the week. For example, a weekly letter, number, shape, color and vocabulary focus are what will we be putting on the learning board.

What does Learning Time Look like?For my 22 month old Learning Time is a specific time of the day (usually before lunch) where I set aside a few minutes (about 10) to focus on some specific things I want my son to learn through the week. Its where I introduce the concept and we extend learning throughout the day.

What you will need:
A display board (like you use for the Science Fair)
Felt, foam, construction paper or whatever you choose to cover the board with
Glue or adhesive spray

I made mine using felt. And I'll post more later on the items that will go on the board using Velcro.