A Week of Birthday Posts - #3 - Colorful Party Favors for Kids

Our daughter turned 4 this year. I still can't believe it! She is growing up so fast and it is really amazing to see her change and grow. We had a fun time planning and creating for her birthday party. She was able to help with almost everything. We decided to make the party favors she gave her friends. We often make and give play dough as a homemade birthday gift and it is always well received by both parents and kids. For the favors we decided to make play dough, one ball each of six colors per kiddo, in a goody bag tied with metallic ribbon. Each child was also sent home with a lollipop.



I will re post the play dough recipe here so you can make some of your own...



Homemade Play Dough
By Tiffany Teske

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tablespoon Alum Powder (I buy it in bulk at a health food store)
2 cups boiling water
3 Tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable)
food coloring

Mix dry ingredients. Add water and oil. Mix well until it forms a dough. Divide into however many ball you need for the number of colors you want. Knead dough balls until they no longer sticky and add food coloring according to the colors you want to make.



Here are some colors to get you started...

Pink - 1-2 drops of red
Orange - equal parts red and yellow
Purple - equal parts red and blue
Black - 3 drops red, 3 drops blue, 2 drops green
Brown - 2 drops green, 2 drops red, 6 drops yellow
Turquoise - 1 drop green, 3 drops blue
Lime - 1 drop green, 9 drops yellow


As for the lollipops, I put a rolled up washcloth the bottom of a vintage flower pot, covered it with jelly beans, and stuck in the lollies, with a bit of metallic ribbon wrapped around each stick.

Why Do Dandelions Get Such a Bad Rep?

Just look at this beautiful vintage card of a dandelion that I picked up at a recent rummage sale. I am using it to illustrate my point, which I started thinking about the other day, when Quin, Emmanuelle, and I were walking back from Playground Pals, Quin's favorite summer activity. There were tons of dandelions that were ready to have their seed blown on the wind, and Quin was eagerly pulling them up and giving them a blast of air to send them on their way. I happen to love dandelions both when they are yellow and when they are white, although I probably like them best when they are white. They may be a weed but they are at least cheery. And you can make wine out of them. And tea. And the greens are good in salads. And you can weave them into dandelion crowns. Plus when I pick one up to blow on it, it reminds me of childhood. Just look at the images below, the first from two summers ago and one from this past spring. Have you picked and enjoyed a dandelion lately? It could be time that you did.

Renew Your Library Card

I have loved the library since I was a small child. I can't remember a time when I didn't know what the library was. My most clear childhood memories of the library

involve checking out the baby names books while the librarian looked at me sideways (I used to write name books and I still collect names), looking up the addresses to send away for my favorite stars autographs, shelving books (yes, I was a bit of a strange child), and just spending time with the books. Every Wednesday for awhile, I would take the bus after school to the public library across from the office where my mom worked one day a week. I had a bit over two hours to spend there and the time would fly by. I remember that place vividly, and I get giddy when I see it while in town on holiday. I also remember all the libraries in each school I went to. I can thank my Aunt Helen for my love of books. And I can thank taking a good look at my lifestyle and trying to make environmentally sounds choices for getting me back to the library. That and having a baby, whom I want to expose to the library on a regular basis. So far, so good. The Banff Public Library is a place we go at least once a week. We can walk there, hang out with the books, check some out, and go to the town park and sprawl in the grass with our new stories (well, not in the winter...). Our daughter already has a voracious appetite for books, both in French and English. And our library can keep her stocked in both. Recently, I even submitted my resume to the library. Nothing would make me happier than to be surrounded by books, to help people find and check out books, and to shelve books (yes, I continue to be a bit strange, I like to think it makes me unique...). Even my husband, who doesn't read for pleasure, sings the praises of the library. While moving into our new home he cursed my boxes upon boxes of books, but I think he realised that if it weren't for our return to the hallowed walls of the library, his back and my book collection would eventually becoming a growing concern.