Treat ideas for any occasion!

Check out these non-fishy sushi treats!!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups crisped rice cereal
20 to 25 gummy worms

OR Swedish fish for a different look!
1 to 2 boxes fruit leather

Directions

Grease a 12- by 17-inch baking sheet. Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until smooth.

Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the rice cereal until it's evenly coated. Turn the baking sheet so that the shorter ends are at the top and bottom. Then press the marshmallow mixture onto the sheet, distributing it evenly.

Starting at one side an inch up from the lower edge, place gummy worms atop the mixture end to end in a hortizontal line. Gently roll the lower edge of the marshmallow mixture over the gummy worms.

Then stop and cut the log away from the rest of the mixture. Use the same method to form 4 more logs. Slice each log into 1-inch-thick "sushi" rolls and wrap them individually with a strip of fruit leather.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Girl Scout, Brownie and VBS crafts

Here's an easy one to make and fun to use too! It's a Boo Boo Bunny, made out of a washcloth and a couple other things. Put your finger through the hole or an ice cub to soothe someone special's boo boo!


CRAFT MATERIALS:
Washcloth (a baby sized washcloth works great)
Rubber band and ribbon
Glue
Googly eyes
Small pom-pom
Large pom-pom

1. First, place the washcloth on a tabletop and evenly roll two diagonally opposite corners toward the middle. Fold the rolled washcloth in half so both sides are even.
2. Fold the cloth in half again and wrap the rubber band around the second fold to form the bunny's head. Gently pull apart the rolled ends that extend above the rubber band so that they resemble rabbit ears.
3. Next, decorate the face by gluing the googly eyes onto the face and the small pom-pom for a nose. Glue the large pom-pom onto the back of the original fold to serve as a cottony tail, and the bunny is finished. Just be careful that a baby doesn't get it and ingest the eyes or pompoms.

Another good one that my kids and I STILL do...

a bracelet or ankle bracelet made from fishing supplies.

You need a pair of need nosed pliers, some tiny seed beads, and fishing fasteners.

You can thread the beads on the fishing fasteners, then connect them all together in a circle. Very easy!!

For more ideas.... check out www.crayola.com

Games for older kids

Obviously, you want games to fit the ages of your class.

Here's a fun calculator game that will challenge those smart alec older kids!
You'll need a calculator.
The trick is, when the calculator is turned upside down, the numbers look like letters.

So on a normal calculator, the digit 0 becomes O, 1 becomes I, 2 becomes Z, 3 becomes E, 4 becomes h, 5 becomes S, 6 becomes g, 7 becomes L, 8 becomes B, and 9 becomes G.
Of course, turning the calculator upside down also reverses the digits, so 1234 would be hEZI, not IZEh. With a little effort, one can easily find numbers that correspond to words.
We spelled out my daughter's name Elise easily. Kids love to figure out their own!

For example, do you want your calculator to be more friendly?
Try this calculation :
enter 6.2
multiply this by itself
add 0.23
divide by 50
turn the calculator upside down, and you have a friendly greeting!

Or what about a nice breakfast? Try this :
multiply 17 by 2
multiply by 1000
divide by 6
throw away the part to the right of the decimal
subtract 3

These are more advanced, for more advanced calculators.
Now some questions for animal lovers :
Does the ( 19 + 19 - 1 ) x 19 + 2 x 3 x 5 have (47 x 47 + 10 x 10 ) x 5 x 5 - 3 x 3 or (47 x 10 + 47 x 10 + 47 x 10 + 47 x 10 - 1) x 3 ?
or lay 7 x (800 + 9)?

What about the 2 x 13 x 13 ? Or the 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 101 - 3000?
The (50 x 50 x 3 + 1) x 6 - (50 x 50 x 4)? (Of course, the plural of (50 x 50 x 3 + 1) x 6 - (50 x 50 x 4) is (8 - 1) x 8 x ( 8 x ( 8 x (8 + 1 + 1) - 1 ) - 1 ), isn't it.)

Let the kids experiment with their calculators, to come up with a formula for the words they're looking for, it will keep them occupied for long periods of time!

Graduation and End of School Year Treat Ideas

Cap off the school year with these cute cookies. I actually did make these cookies with my kids' help. They are so cute and easy! Your child can help you put these together.

Chocolate Mortarboard Cookies

Put a miniature peanut butter cup, upside down (narrower end up), on your work surface. Then with a drop of frosting or peanut butter, stick on a small rectangle shaped chocolate-covered cookie/graham cracker (right side up) on top of the peanut butter cup.
For a tassel, you can either use frosting in school colors to draw it on or use a tightly rolled up small square of fruit roll-up. Cut fringe on one end and attach the top end to the center of the graham cracker with more frosting or peanut butter. I personally think it's easier to use the frosting to draw on the tassel. Or leave it off altogether. People get the idea that they are mortarboards.

You can also try this idea for a cute treat, that looks like a diploma!

Mix up 8 oz, of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of seedless fruit jam. Lightly spread the cream cheese and jam mixture on a flour tortilla or Lavash bread, then roll up each sandwich diploma style and tie on a ribbon made of cut up Fruit Roll-ups. Adjust to fit your chosen size. Mixture makes 4 to 6 sandwiches. Easy and yummy!

"You're a Star" Watermelon Pops

Cut slices of seedless watermelon about an inch thick, then use a cookie cutter to cut star shapes. Insert a Popsicle stick into each star, then put the pops on a baking sheet covered in foil or in a tupperware container. Cover the star pops with another sheet of foil and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. You can also do this with cookies, by putting them on a stick before they bake.

MUD CUP TREATS In clear plastic tumbler-type cups, layer crushed Oreos first on the bottom, then chocolate pudding, more crushed Oreos, gummy worms, spiders, bugs, candy rocks, and a flower stuck in the middle so that it looks like a flower planted in dirt.

Other ideas include any kind of finger foods, some better for outside parties:

Smoothies
The "ever-popular" cupcakes, decorated in countless ways to fit your theme!
Cut up veggies and fruit
Deviled eggs
Fruit kabobs
Cheese and meat kabobs
Meatballs
Chicken Nuggets
Chicken Wings
Pigs in a Blanket
Pretzels dipped in chocolate and decorated
Banana Pops
Homemade or ready-made ice cream sandwiches

Book Trade Idea!!

Another newer popular party activity is a quick and Crazy Book Trade. Several weeks before one of your class parties or even as a fun side activity, the room parent should send home a note asking each child to bring in a new or gently used book wrapped (make sure to provide a few extras in case anyone forgets).
At the trade, the kids sit in a circle while the room parent reads a story, holding on to their wrapped books. Whenever you say the word "the" during the story, the kids get to pass their book to the right; whenever you say the word "a," they pass the books to the left. The kids will have a hilarious time! Then they get to keep the book they're holding at the end of the story!

Allocation of funds...

Each school and classroom has its own "policies" regarding how the classroom parties are financed. Basically, one of the following three procedures is typically used. Your teacher will be able to advise you, but remember to be flexible. In addition, don't feel you need to bear an unnecessary financial burden in order to make your party picture perfect…children are very easily pleased!

Some PTA/PTO organizations allocate portions of their budget to be distributed evenly among all the classes in the school for classroom parties. The money is distributed to the teacher at the beginning of the year. The teacher then decides if he/she will turn all of it over to the head room mother, or if she will determine how much will be spent on each event and give direction prior to each party.

At some schools, the head room mom or teacher sends a memo home at the beginning of the year, asking each student to contribute to a "classroom party fund". The amount of the contribution can range anywhere from $2.00 per student to $10.00 per student. Some parents may still supplement the parties with snacks or favors. Always work with the teacher to determine the amount, as she will be aware of any special financial needs. No child should ever be made to feel embarrassed.

Many classes do not ask for a one-time financial contribution, but rely on the participation of parents at each party. The room mom recruits parent volunteers to donate snacks, beverages, favors, decorations, or paper goods, etc. for the party. Sometimes teachers/room moms request that each parent plan to make 2-3 "donations" through the year. The busiest of parents will make time to send items to a party, even if they can't attend.

Thanks to everythingelementary.com for the info!!

Class party basics...

Know that every teacher has different expectations. Some teachers will give you a party plan, laying out all the details for you. Others will await the party as anxiously as the children to see what fun you have prepared for them! ALWAYS check with the teacher FIRST.

• Fill out a Room Party Checklist below for each party to get more organized.
  
• Plan to arrive half an hour before the party is supposed to start.
  
• Make arrangements with the teacher to have the classroom available for set-up 15 minutes before the party starts.
  
• Ask all party volunteers to get there 15 minutes before the start of the party to set up, and finalize plans.
  
• Don't assume that pre-school siblings will be welcome. Check with the teacher first. It's not fair to have someone else watching your child while you work with the students.
  
• Bring everything you will need for each game and craft.
  
• Bring along a large plastic trash bag, and some paper towels for cleanup.
• When planning parties for younger children (under 10), or if you are working with a limited amount of time, think about dividing the activities into "stations". Recruit enough parents/helpers to work at each station, and divide the children into small groups. Have the party guests spend no more than 10-15 minutes at a station, then rotate.
  
• Select a couple of games, a craft, and then read an age appropriate book to the group if you're stumped for time. Always plan two or three extra games or an extra craft just in case you finish faster than you expect.
  
• Always plan to have extra snacks available so that the teacher, school principal, and parent helpers can enjoy them also. Students love to deliver those, if possible!
  
• Don't forget the camera and video camera. It's great to print out pictures for the teacher, the class or parents.
  
• Above all else, be flexible, and have fun!

Thanks to everythingelementary.com for this info!!