Kid Food Craft--edible Spring Bird nests

Spring has come to some parts of the country, I assume!! In between the snow storms here in Utah I can hear a few birds outside, singing their lovely songs.  It was my turn to teach a preschool group this week and I decided this would be a fun and easy way to entertain 3 year olds while talking about spring!!

 Only a few ingredients are needed for this food craft, along with a LOT of wipes or towels for messy fingers!

Ingredients: 10 oz Chow Mein noodles (about 6 cups)

1 C. Chocolate Chips

1 C. Butterscotch Chips

"Bird eggs"  any kind of candy shaped like an egg

Wax paper

Place chips in microwave safe bowl.  Heat on high about 30 seconds, then stir. Heat in 20 second increments one or two more times if necessary, stirring in between.  Pour in noodles and mix thoroughly.  Using hands, create little nests on wax paper.  Place eggs on top and put in the refrigerator to harden.

Made about 8-10 good sized nests

*I used different measuring cups/bowls so all my *helpers* could have a turn to pour in something.  They all got a chance to stir and form their own nests.  It was a fun activity!*

Easter Spring Cupcakes

Easter weekend is practically here!! Think these guys will be a welcome addition to our family dinner!? I love to decorate with candy, and these do not disappoint.  They are easy to throw together using a few ingredients. 

Bunny cupcake:
White frosted cupcake
White coconut
1 large marshmallow cut in half (for ears)
1 small marshmallow cut in half (for the face fluff under the nose)
2 chocolate chips (for eyes)
pink Starburst or heart shaped runt (can I use that in the singular sense?)
I used a toothpick broken in half to attach each ear.  I used chocolate frosting in a baggie to pipe the whiskers.

Easter Chick cupcake:
White frosted cupcake
Coconut colored yellow
2 chocolate chips (eyes)
Orange Starburst molded like a beak
red m&m for top thingy
         (I know that baby chicks, which are normally associated with Easter don't have this comb yet, but I   
          wanted to add it anyway. *Shrug*)

 Lamb cupcake:

Chocolate covered cupcake

Mini marshmallow cut in half or thirds (my marshmallows happened to be stale, which may have made it easier to cut!! Less sticky anyway...)

1 large marshmallow cut in half, then that circle cut diagonally (clear as mud?) for ears

 **this is the cupcake I made three times and am still not sure I like!! It bears a resemblance to the cartoon character "Shawn the Sheep" more than a cute Easter lamb.  But using white frosting underneath was really light and white.  I'm not sure.  Let me know if you make anything that works! ***



Bluebird Cupcake: 

White frosted cupcake

Blue colored coconut

2 chocolate chips (eyes)

Starburst shaped into a beak (put in microwave for 10 seconds if it is too hard to shape)

Have a very Happy Easter!!

linking up here:

Spring Candy Jars

For many people, Easter = Candy.  Right? I just loved this idea for candy jars and immediately scoured the refrigerator for jars to use. 

I used a pickle jar and a Tostitos salsa jar for the tops and a candle holder and a votive flipped upside down for the bottom.  (These were purchased at Dollar Tree).  Wash out jars and remove the labels. (Wash them better than you think you need to.....my friend told me my candy still smelled like pickles!) Using spray or craft paint, paint the lids and candle holders.  I then used a strong glue to hook it all together and, Voila!  So cute!! I just may have to make some in different colors for every holiday.  Combined with my Egg picture and my Spring Blocks I am pretty excited about my new decorations! 

Happy Easter!

 And, if you wonder if the kids ever notice the crafts you make or decorations you put up....they do if candy is involved!! I swear they have some kind of radar!

Linking up to

Quick and easy Easter Decor

Pink. Yellow. Purple. Pastel colors in abundance.  It might get to be too much for some people. 

 Enter sleek, cool, sophisticated gray combined with said pastel colors and we have, well, this amazing idea. 

I'm a little late getting into the Easter swing of things--it is NEXT week!! But perusing around blogland I found some super cute decorations that come together very quickly.  Always a good thing, right?

I found this awesomely ugly frame at a thrift store for $1.00.  Not a great color, but I LOVE the corner design.  A quick coat of spray paint does the trick every time.

I ran to Dollar Tree to pick up these adorable glitter eggs.  Seriously, I saw this idea late at night, and I could hardly wait until Dollar Tree opened the next morning so I could get started.  Like, I almost couldn't sleep.  I know, I'm weird.

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Just pull out the little strings and hot glue them onto some cardstock sized to fit into the frame.  That was easy!

Since I had a few eggs left over, I grabbed some of the curly twigs floating around my house (my husband loves these) and made this happy little tree :)
                       Happy Decorating!!

Stay tuned next week for more decorating ideas, food and Easter treats!!

Thanks for stopping by!

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