Calavera sugar skull cookies for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

 Looking to scare up some spooky-good Halloween treats? Or maybe you're throwing Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) shindig and need calavera (skull) cookies. Now you could do the (kind of boring and overdone) sugar cookies shaped like skulls. There are some hilarious Pinterest Skeleton fail cookie images to illustrate how not to do it! And let that be a lesson, too, that complicated isn't always better. Sometimes, you can improvise, like I did and make something better. Here's my scary-easy, wickedly yummy skull cookies. Scary-easy calavera skull cookies for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

Ghoulishly Gross Halloween Party Foods and Spooky Snacks for Trick-or-Treat

Hosting a Halloween party? Want to scare up ghoulishly gruesome (but spooky-licious) snacks your little hob-goblins? These spooky snack recipes guaranteed will gross out the bravest guest. We'll organize them by Halloween creature. Play a blindfold touch and feel game. Have guests guess what foods are. Set out labels so guests know what creepy confections they ate.
Ghosts
--flesh: marshmallows
--guts: marshmallow fluff or vanilla frosting
--ghost guts cookies: pinwheel cookies
--blood: milk
--brains dipped in ghost blood: raw cauliflower dipped in ranch dressing
Vampires
--teeth: red apple wedges dipped in Hershey's Strawberry Syrup (blood)
--bloody fingers : hot dogs with ketchup
Haunted Jack-o-Lantern
--pumpkin blood: orange juice
Bats
--teeth: black and orange candy corn
--wings: grape fruit leather or prunes
Mummies
--brains: popcorn (being dried out, mummy brains are shrively and crumbled.
--people mummies brains: make popcorn balls with marshmallows and red M&Ms.
--cat mummy brains: popcorn and red M&Ms (Egyptians loved their cats and mummified them).
--zombie Barbie brains: whole walnuts
--wrappings: cotton candy
--guts: assorted dried fruit
--hearts and ears: pretzels
Skeletons
--fingers: mozzarella cheese sticks or pretzel rods
--faces: yogurt-covered pretzels
Witches
--brains: broccoli
--blood: milk and green food coloring, limeade
--guts: pistachio pudding or guacamole (serve with tortilla chips called dragon scales)
--eyes: green grapes or sliced kiwi
--Witches' brew: mulled spiced apple cider. Have children watch as you describe and prepare. Heat monster blood (apple cide) with eye of newt (whole cloves), dragon claws (cinnamon bark), Slenderman eyes (lemon slices), toad eyes (raisins), dash of skeleton paste (butter) and ground scorpion (nutmeg).
--Witch blood slushies: frozen honey dew melon or kiwi, blended with Greek yogurt and lemonade.
Miscellaneous
--Frankenstein --Nuts and Bolts: Chex Mix or Cheerios Trail Mix
--zombie sandwiches (as in for, not made of): Sliced lunchmeat (brain cross-section) sandwiches with guts and blood (mustard and ketchup).
--eye slices: sliced kiwi or cucumber
--werewolf gut and blood sandwiches: PBJ sandwiches
--toasted spider legs: chow mien noodles
Serve these monstrously healthy snacks before trick-or-treat, to prevent tummy crummies from candy 

Preschool Apple Themed Printables, Crafts, Lessons, Recipes

Apples are the perfect theme for fall lessons. And just in time for harvest and Halloween. Here's an interactive, cross-curricular apple unit with crafts, recipes, science, art, creative writing, math, social studies, practical life, field trips and community-builders. I've added free printable apple-themed lesson plans and worksheets for activity extenders.   Preschool Apple Unit, Cross-Curricular Hands-on Crafts, Activities, Recipes

Healthy Pumpkin Treats Kids Can Make

Boy, pumpkin sure is the theme--everything from IHOP pancakes to beer features it. And right in time for harvest and Halloween parties. So I thought, why not tap into that beta-carotene goodness for my Week-of-school-snacks and Five-day-school-lunch-menu series? Here are healthy recipes featuring pumpkin. Use fresh (use pumpkin, not a jack-o-lantern) or take my lazy way out and use canned--not pie filling. Involve toddlers and preschooler in preparations. Weekly Snack Menu, Healthy Pumpkin Themed Kids Treats

Free Printable Apple Activities for Fall, Halloween

Apples are a popular theme for fall lesson plans, especially for preschool lessons. Looking for apple activities for a harvest party, science lesson plans or maybe Halloween? Have I got a great sweet treat for you--a plethora of free printable apple-themed fun. This booklet includes apple math activities, science puzzles, social studies lessons and history extensions. There are printable creative writing prompts, word games and more.  Free Printable Apple Activities for Fall Preschool Lesson Plans 

Quick Cook Kid Pleasing Summer Harvest Vegetable Soup Recipes

In summer heat, our appetites and cooking styles naturally turn to cold or grilled foods. I don't know about you, but sometimes, even in the blistering heat, I get a hankering for a hot (not char-broiled) meal. When that craving hits, I tout out these tried-and-tasty summer stove-top soups. These recipes feature pared-down (pardon the pun) cooking time frames that won't over-tax the air-conditioning or overheat the house. Best of all, these yummy soups incorporate summer's vegetable bounty and are easy on the diet. Kids love them too.  Quick-Cook Kid-Pleasing Summer Vegetable Soup Recipes 

Free Printable Apple Activities, Lesson Plans

Free Printable Apple Activities Book Want to learn more the history and use of apples in Michigan? Parmenter's Northville Cider Mill (714 Baseline Rd.) has put together a free printable 8-page book about apples. It covers health, nutrition, recipes, history, science and some fun activities, too. Use this book as a follow up to a field trip, in your classroom, homeschool or just for fun at home. Read more...

Spooky Halloween Party Food and Buffet Treats--Free Printable Recipes

Spooky Halloween Party Buffet Foods and Treats Want to scare ghosts and goblins this Halloween? Try these spooky trick or treat party goodies. These treats will satisfy every vampire, witch, bat, zombie, ghost, mummy, ghoul, skeleton and monster on your Halloween party guest list. Read More

Easy Non Toxic Face Paint Recipes for Halloween

Safe, Non Toxic Face Paint Recipes for Halloween Face painting is a fun part of dressing up for Halloween. Many costumes require a mask or face paint of some kind. Here are easy, diy recipes to make your own face paint that is safe and non-toxic. These recipes should not cause skin irritation Read More

Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos Party Activities

Dia De Los Muertos - Day of the Dead Lesson Plans Party Activities  The Latino culture has shared many rich traditions. Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), celebrated on November 1 -All Saints Day in the Catholic church- honors deceased relatives. Here are activities and lessons to celebrate Day of the Dead. Read More