(We all scream for) Ice Cream!

What better summer/letter I treat than ice cream??? Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures, but we made lime sherbert in our ice cream maker with a basic recipe from the booklet that came with the ice cream maker. Though if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can try this recipe. I think we're going to try it sometime just for fun.

Ice Cube Painting

For our I project, we "painted" with ice cubes. All you need is a box or pan, paper, ice cubes, and a colored powder. The original directions we found called for powdered tempera paint (which I didn't have and didn't want to buy), but you can also subsitute Kool-Aid or Jell-O. We used red Kool-Aid. Simply put the paper in a cardbord box or pan (we used a 13x9" cake pan), sprinkle some powder on the paper, and place an ice cube in the pan. While the ice melts, rotate or swirl the box to create a pattern on the paper.

This was easy and fun. We will probably do it again for a fun, low-mess summer activity.

Igloo

For our I craft project, we made an igloo. The original inspiration for the project came from here, but we modified ours a bit. Okay, a lot. I was a bit lazy and didn't want to craft with sugar cubes, so we worked with paper. It turned out okay. I outlined our paper "bricks" in black after we were done so you could tell what it was, but if I were to do this again I think I would draw the outline *first* and then "build" the igloo inside it. Emma had fun with the glue, though.

H Books

But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton. Yes, it's some more love for Sandra Boynton. Who can resist her quirky sense of humor or distinctive illustrations?

Hush! A Thai Lullaby, by Mingfong Ho. This is a sweet bedtime story that also made a great H book. We loved it so much we have added it to our bedtime repertoire.

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. This book is a classic, and each time I read it I fondly remember why. Who doesn't want their own purple crayon? As a bonus, this book had just the right amount of text for picking out Hs, and the font was large and easy-to-read for toddler eyes.

The Little Red Hen by Lucinda McQueen. Another classic folktale that also makes an excellent H book. Emma has especially loved this one, and though we actually completed H a couple of weeks ago, she keeps requesting it, so we keep reading it. How could I not encourage a story where those that don't help in the household chores don't reap the reward?

Honey Florentines

I don't have a picture to prove it, but we did make these H-for-honey cookies. The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cookie book.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of course salt

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Melt butter, brown sugar, and honey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to a bowl. Whisk in flour and salt until smooth.
2. Working quickly, drop 1/2 teaspoons of batter onto large baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing at least 3 inches apart. Bake cookies until they spread and turn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Carefully remove cookies from sheets with your fingers. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

These made thin, lacy cookies with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Emma dumped the ingredients (measured by me) into the pan, and I even let her stir the batter in the saucepan since it was on low heat.

Hula Hoop

What better activity for H than to hula hoop? It also made for a nice excuse to get a fun (and cheap) summer toy. Emma wasn't quite coordinated enough to spin it around her waist, but we made up our own games with it, such as placing the hoop on the ground and jumping in and out of it.