Categories
Adulting Recipe

5 Delicious and Easy Cocktails to Make at Home

Who said you need to purchase your favorite cocktails when you can make them right in your kitchen? 

Whether you are a cocktail lover who wants to learn the art of making a refreshing mojito from the comfort of your home, or a newbie who is eager to have a go at homemade cocktail preparation, these special recipes are designed for you. 

With these tips, you can prepare the popular mojito, loved blueberry lavender, Tom Collins, Pina Colada, and Classic Negroni cocktail. The best part? We simplified the procedure for you! From how to make the correct Cocktail Garnish, to the ingredients you need, we have everything for you to make your favorite tipple from the comfort of your home.

Let’s begin with the first! 

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Easy Cocktails

5 Delicious and Easy Cocktails to Make at Home

1.     Mojito 

Are you eager to excite your taste buds with an exceptional cocktail? Try mojito! 

Mojito is the perfect cocktail for summertime. To make one, mix white rum, lime juice, mint, and club soda. 

Don’t have club soda? Tonic water is another alternative. However, the latter will make your mojito taste different and a little bitter. 

All in all, making mojito is pretty easy. You can enjoy your self-made mojito with fresh and chunky salsa, homemade tacos, shrimp ceviche, or carnitas. 

2.     Blueberry Lavender Cocktail 

Looking for one of the best Lavender cocktails? The blueberry lavender cocktail is exactly what you need! 

First, you’ll need to make the syrup. To do that, mix a cup of water, sugar, and two tablespoons of dried lavender in a saucepan and boil before reducing the heat to a low simmer. Stir the mixture until the sugar is not obvious and the syrup has thickened. Remove from heat, cool, and strain. 

To make the cocktail, muddle frozen blueberries in a cocktail shaker to get their juices. Next, include vodka, the syrup you made, and elderflower liqueur and muddle the mixture. Later, throw ice into the mix and shake. Your cocktail is ready! 

3.     Tom Collins Easy Cocktails

Did you know that simple recipes make the best cocktails? 

Tom Collins, the idea—store cupboard cocktails—is a perfect example, and making one is easy. First, you’ll need to fill a Collins glass with one and a half cups of ice and store it in a freezer. Next, mix gin, lemon juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker. 

Add one cup of ice, close, and jiggle until the contents have mixed properly. Finally, pour the content into the chilled Collins glass, then add club soda and a lemon wedge to add a little zing to the combination. 

4.     Pina Colada 

Ever tried a coconut and pineapple combination? 

If so, how was it? 

Delicious, right? 

That is exactly what the Pina Colada cocktail is made of. To make this delicious drink, get a cocktail shaker with ice. Add rum, cream of coconut and pineapple, and lime juices to the shaker and shake for some time (40-sec max). 

Sieve the content into a chilled glass over ice, removing any ingredient residue. For the best taste, add a pineapple wedge and pineapple lea. You can enjoy your classic cocktail while enjoying the soft evening breeze on your patio or basking in the beautiful sun rays in your yard. 

5.     Classic Negroni 

Classic negroni is the perfect example of a bittersweet cocktail. 

The best part? 

It can be made with three simple ingredients. But that’s not all! The process of making this beautifully classic negroni is as easy as pie. 

To start, you need gin, vermouth, and Campari. With these ingredients ready, mix the vermouth, Campari, and gin in a mixing glass or juice. Add ice and stir vigorously for some time. Next, filter the content into a tumbler and add ice to chill it. You can then garnish with an orange slice for better taste. 

Final Thoughts: Delicious and Easy Cocktails

Buying a cocktail from the grocery store is good. It’s the easiest way to enjoy your favorite cocktail. However, making your cocktails allow you to try out new things, and you can have fun doing it with friends. With your cocktail skills, you can even set up a business making what you love!  

Categories
Holiday How To Recipe

Easy, Delicious and Fun St Patrick’s Day Trail Mix Your Kids Will Love

St Patrick’s Day is coming, and it is one of our favorite holidays to celebrate. It is so much fun, and there are so many exciting things you can do. This St Patrick’s Day trail mix is the perfect snack to munch on while you do St Patrick’s day crafts and activities.

This trail mix is easy to make, delicious, and your kids will have fun eating it. Let them enjoy it as they play in a St Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin or while they make Leprechaun Finders. Whatever activities you have planned, this St Patrick’s day snack mix will go along perfectly.

St Patrick's Day Trail, St Patrick's Day Trail Mix

How to Make St Patrick’s Day Trail Mix

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 3 cups Golden Grahams (I considered using Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead)
  • 3 cups fruit loops

How to Make it:

To make this snack mix, all that you have to do is add three cups of each cereal and two cups of marshmallows to a large bowl and mix it all together. Then, you can distribute it to your kids in snack bags or in smaller bowls. That’s it – it’s super simple!

More Ideas

Sylas (my 6-year-old) added mini-chocolate chips to his trail mix, too. It went along perfectly and, while the colors weren’t St Patrick’s Day related, it was well worth it.

You can switch this up to fit your child’s taste. Other things you could put in it include Lucky Charms, green M&M’s, white chocolate chips, or anything else. The possibilities are endless, so you’re sure to love what you create!

If you’re a super-parent, you could even take your child to the store and let them choose what they want to add. Use this trail mix as a fun activity that can be eaten when it’s finished.

St Patrick's Day Trail, St Patrick's Day Trail Mix

St Patrick’s Day Trail Mix

This easy St Patrick’s Day trail mix is so easy to make. Plus, it isn’t messy and your kids will love it. What do you have planned for St Patrick’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Big Kid How To Meal Plan Our Family Parenting Recipe Teenager

6 Reasons Your Child Should Eat Tomatoes Every Day

Mmmmm tomatoes. One of my all time favorite foods. I can’t say the same for the rest of my family, however, but realistically, your child should eat tomatoes every day.

My little guy, Liam, is the only person in my house (other than myself) who likes tomatoes. And when I say he likes them, I mean he LIKES them. He eats them first every time I put them on his plate and then asks for more.

The rest of my kids (and even my husband) aren’t fans of tomatoes. They won’t touch them. It’s crazy to me because I eat them raw all the time.

I’ve been trying to push more tomatoes, though, because they are SO good for you. I’ll explain how I’ve been sneakily using more tomato later on in this post but first, I want to tell you WHY your child should eat tomatoes every day.

how to get your child to eat tomatoes

Why Your Child Should Eat Tomatoes Every Day

1. Helps prevent cancer

Tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been proven to prevent cancer and slow down the growth of potentially cancerous cells. Higher amounts of lycopene are found in cooked tomatoes, so adding tomatoes to your baked dishes is even better.

2. Helps bone health

Two nutrients that are vital for maintaining and strengthening your bones are calcium and Vitamin K, both of which are found in tomatoes. In order for your child’s bones to repair themselves from minor injuries, they should be consuming a decent amount of those nutrients.

The antioxidants found in tomatoes also help promote the amount of calcium found in your body. Long term, the benefits of tomatoes can prevent osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

3. Good for heart health

It’s never too early to think about your child’s heart heath, and tomatoes can help with that. To prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other heart problems, Vitamin B and potassium are necessary. By making this a regular part of your child’s diet, you are setting them up for long-term heart health.

Teaching them to love tomatoes will also make them more likely to continue eating tomatoes when they are adults, further protecting their bodies from heart disease. A bonus, you and your spouse will also benefit from the Vitamin B and potassium.

4. Improves vision

Vitamin A, found in high amounts in tomatoes, is great for your eyesight. Not only can it improve your vision, but it also can prevent night blindness.

5. Prevents and fights against diabetes

If diabetes runs in your family, you should take extra precautions for your children. Tomatoes play an important role in preventing diabetes because it can help restore biochemicals that are off.

Additionally, the fiber found in tomatoes can make the symptoms of diabetes less severe. It has been found that fiber leads to a balancing of blood sugars, lipids, and insulin levels.

6. Good for mental health

The antioxidants in tomatoes can promote positive mental health. They can help decrease emotional stress and prevent neurodegenerative disease. With depression on the rise for children and teenagers, you should be especially receptive of anything that will help.

reasons your child should eat tomatoes

How to Get Your Child to Eat Tomatoes

Like I said before, only one of my kids actually enjoys eating tomatoes. Liam (my youngest) will munch on them all day if I’d let him (although with his eczema I definitely wouldn’t let him).

The others claim they don’t like tomatoes, so I have to sneak them into their diet in other ways. This is easier than it sounds and doesn’t involve a ton of prep work.

Some of the ways to get your child to eat tomatoes include:

  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Grilled cheese served with tomato soup for dipping
  • Raw tomatoes served with ranch
  • Add diced tomatoes to pasta dishes
  • Use tomato sauce as an ingredient in sauces or dips
  • Help your child grow a tomato plant. This is super easy, and they will be more likely to eat the tomatoes that they grew.
reasons your child should eat tomatoes

Final Thoughts On Reasons Your Child Should Eat Tomatoes

The reasons your child should eat tomatoes mainly revolve around health, but they are also an easy, quick, and healthy snack for when you are on the go, too. By teaching your child to love this food, you are protecting their health now and in the future. You’re also teaching them healthy eating habits and allowing them to take care of their own bodies as they get older.

What is your favorite way to incorporate tomatoes into your family’s diet? Do you ever have to sneak tomatoes into your child’s diet? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Big Kid Big kid fun Family Activities Holiday Home How To Our Family Parenting Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

10 Memorable Easter Ideas To Make This Year Special

In the past, Easter hasn’t been a very memorable holiday for my family. We celebrate with one side of the family the week before Easter, and then not at all with the other side of the family.

We would do Easter baskets in the morning, and then our big kids would head off to spend the day with their mom’s side of the family. The rest of us would just hang out at home and eat “normal day” foods for dinner. We always made it a fun day and spent lots of time playing with the littles, and we would make sure to do a small Easter egg hunt, but it was never an Easter worth remembering.

This year, I am looking forward to something completely different for Easter. I want this Easter to memorable and exciting, so I have spent the last few weeks searching for ideas and preparing for the big day, and I can’t wait until we get to celebrate!

10 Memorable Easter Ideas to Make This Year Special

1. Start the day with an Easter-themed breakfast

While the highlight of Easter morning is normally seeing what goodies the Easter bunny brought, breakfast could be a close second. I found the cutest Easter bunny pancakes while I was browsing Pinterest and immediately added them to my list of Easter festivities.

Since my little Liam is allergic to egg I will have to use my own recipe or substitute for the egg, but the idea will still be the same. I can’t wait to see my kids’ reaction when they see their Easter breakfast!!

memorable easter
Image from DIY Candy (click here for the link)

2. Decorate with fresh flowers

I am absolutely in love with having fresh flowers displayed around my home. Not only do they look beautiful, but they also add a fresh scent to the air that can’t be faked in any way. Love, love, love it.

For me, Easter is the day when I really start to feel like Spring is here (or near). I am hoping my family all feels that way on Easter, and having flowers decorating the house should help with that.

memorable easter
Image from One Good Thing (click for link)

3. Cook a traditional Easter dinner

I know many people cook on the grill on Easter but, for our family, that doesn’t seem very Easter-y. I mean, we cook on the grill so often during the spring and summer that I feel like it just makes Easter seem like any other day.

Having a traditional Easter dinner will make the day seem more festive and special, so my menu this year consists of ham, scalloped potatoes, Easter bunny shaped rolls, asparagus, carrots, and a variety of fruits.

memorable easter
Image from A Spicy Perspective (click for recipe)

4. Fill plastic Easter eggs with something other than candy

My kids get a ton of candy at our family Easter egg hunt so I hate buying them more candy for our own hunt. In the past, I have done it anyway and ended up with more candy than any family needs in a lifetime.

This year, I am going to fill the plastic Easter eggs with non-candy items instead. At first, I struggled to come up with a variety of items small enough for plastic Easter eggs so, in case you’re like me, I’m including my list of ideas for the Easter egg hunt.

Non-Candy Easter Egg Fillers

  • Tattoos
  • Plastic rings
  • A necklace
  • Pieces of papers with numbers that correspond with a specific larger item (kite, bubbles, chalk, activity book, etc.)
  • Un-inflated balloons
  • Tiny figurines (Dollar General has Paw Patrol characters that are small enough to fit)
  • Fingernail polish
  • “Coupons” (stay up 30 minutes past bedtime, have an extra 30 minutes of screen time, choose your favorite snack at the store, no chores for a day/week, etc.)
  • Coin money
  • Paper money
  • Hotwheels cars (I had to open the package to fit the car in the egg)
  • Goldfish crackers
  • Raisins
easter, make easter memorable, easy easter with kids, easter egg fillers that aren't candy, non-candy easter egg hunt, easter dinner, easter traditions

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5. Have an “Easter egg hunt” for adults (AKA: Beer hunt)

Easter isn’t just for the kids!! Get out there and have some fun. You deserve it after all the careful planning you did for Easter!

Have a non-drinking adult hide the beer around the yard, and then the rest of the adults all rush off to see how many they can find. You keep (and drink) whatever you find, of course!

6. Do memorable Easter crafts

Easter crafts can be done anytime leading up to Easter, so you can get extra creative with this ideas. This is handy because you won’t have to squeeze all of the fun stuff into one single day. It also makes it possible for you to help your littles with their crafts, or you can take the time to talk about the meaning of Easter while working on crafts with them.

On the actual day of, you can plan a craft that the kids can do all on their own since you’re likely to be pretty busy that day.

A fun idea for a craft during the Easter day celebration is coloring pages. Kids will be able to do this at their leisure, and they won’t require adult assistance.

7. In the week leading up, do Easter-themed activities

This might be my most favorite part of any holiday. Easter is the most fun because of the plastic Easter egg idea, though. You can use plastic Easter eggs for so many activities, learning concepts, and sensory play.

Image from A Little Pinch of Perfect (click for link)
easter, make easter memorable, easy easter with kids, easter egg fillers that aren't candy, non-candy easter egg hunt, easter dinner, easter traditions
Image from The Educators’ Spin On It (Click for link)

Some of the other Easter activities I want to do with my kids this week include:

8. Make a special dessert (or 3)

Dessert is my favorite part of the meal, so I plan on making it extra special. Just like with the adult Easter hunt, adults cannot be forgotten at dessert time, either. I plan on making a few desserts; one that the adults will love, one that the kids will love, and one that everyone will love. This way, no one will be disappointed.

9. Have fun Easter treats throughout the day

You can help your kids get by until dinner with yummy Easter treats. I plan on bringing out one treat when we first start our celebration preparation, one while the food is cooking, and one later on while the adults are catching up. I want these treats to be Easter-themed, but also kind of interactive and fun.

10. Easter “Nailed It” challenge

I am so, so, so excited about this part. This idea came from the TV show on Netflix, and if you haven’t watched “Nailed It” on Nexflix, I highly recommend it. I already bought Easter cookie cutters and we are going to make sugar cookies in the shape of eggs, flowers, bunnies, and other Easter or spring inspired shapes.

Once the cookies are baked and cooled, we are going to choose a couple design ideas from Pinterest and have a challenge to see who can come closer to nailing the design.

easter, make easter memorable, easy easter with kids, easter egg fillers that aren't candy, non-candy easter egg hunt, easter dinner, easter traditions

Final Thoughts On Memorable Easter Ideas

Easter tends to be a “forgotten” holiday in our family. We don’t ignore the holiday or anything, but we have never gone all out before. This year, I plan on changing that. I want to make this Easter memorable for everyone in my family, adults included.

Tell me about your Easter plans!!! What traditions does your family follow? What new ideas do you want to implement?

Categories
Holiday Recipe

7+ 4th of July Barbeque Ideas For Your Family Friendly Festive Celebrations

How many of you will be barbequing for the 4th of July or at least attending a barbeque? If you’re a guest to a 4th of July barbeque, you can’t show up empty-handed and if you’re hosting a barbeque, you have to provide lots of yummy food.

If you’re like us, you’ll be doing both. On the actual 4th of July we’ll be having a barbeque at home, but the weekend after the 4th of July, my extended family has a HUGE party to celebrate. I’ve been compiling recipes and ideas to make it the best 4th of July yet.

Before you get cooking on any of these, however, make sure that you have everything you need to really host the perfect BBQ! That means getting your grill out nice and early to make sure it’s in good condition, calling the Ashland propane delivery service if you are out of gas, cleaning the BBQ so it’s ready for these delicious meals, and making sure you have enough yard furniture to host everyone. As long as you have all that in place, you can start prepping for these amazing meals!

4th of July barbecue 1. Hotdog Bar and Festive Printables

Jamielyn at I Heart Naptime went above and beyond with this one!! Not only did she give an AMAZING idea for the hot dog topping bar, but she also created some super cute, festive printables.

4th of July barbecue 2. BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Just looking at these BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites is making my mouth water. They seem pretty easy to prepare and cook, too. Kristyn at Lil Luna nailed it here! I’m sure if you brought these as a passing dish to a barbeque, you would be the favorite guest. 😉

3. Easy Festive Twizzlers

These were shared on Room to Inspire back in 2011 but they are still so cute!! Super simple to throw together, too. The kids at the barbeque will love them and I know quite a few adults who would enjoy them, too.

4. American Flag Fruit Tray

I love how cute this fruit platter is that was shared on Passion For Savings. It’s so simple, practical, and obviously delicious. I’ve seen other versions of this “flag” platter with white cheese instead of white chocolate covered pretzels and other red fruit (watermelon, raspberries, etc.) instead of strawberries. It’s another easy passing dish that people will love.

4th of July barbecue 5. American Flag Veggie Tray

Another platter of food created to look similar to the American flag. You can’t forget the veggies at a barbeque! Amy at Living Locurto created this one, and it is so cute! If you go to her post, she has included a recipe for the dill dip that she used. Sounds so good and I am DEFINITELY taking this as a passing dish this 4th of July.

6. Loaded Baked Potato Salad

How good does this potato salad look?! Denay at Confetti and Bliss shared the recipe for this Loaded Baked Potato Salad on her blog and I can’t wait to try it! I don’t think I have ever tried a BAKED potato salad, so I’m curious about the difference. I might not even wait until the 4th of July to make it. Yummmm.

7. Baked Beans

These baked beans from Taste of Home look sooo good! The recipe calls for ground beef and I can’t remember ever having baked beans with ground beef in it, but I’m willing to give it a shot! The reviews on this are good so I can’t wait!

Other 4th of July Barbeque Ideas

Some other yummy ideas for a 4th of July barbeque are hamburgers (you could even do a hamburger bar similar to the hotdog bar I shared above), corn on the cob, steaks, bell peppers and dip, grilled Brussel sprouts, bean dip and tortilla chips, or you could make a yummy alcoholic (or non-alcoholic but why?) drink to share.

The big party my extended family throws has hundreds of people attend so my brothers and my dad roast a pig … they have to start it the day before the party and cook it forever. I’m not sure how long, at least 24 hours I think. Then they make it into pulled pork. People LOVE it. They also grill hotdogs for the ones who don’t like pulled pork, and of course, there are TONS of sides.

I hope some of these ideas help with your planning! Which one is your favorite? Do you have a favorite barbeque dish that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

4th of July barbecue

Categories
Big kid fun Craft Family Activities Recipe

How to Make a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

My 10-year-old came rushing through the door after school a couple weeks ago excited to tell me about his newest school project. The kids in his class each had to choose an animal and create a 3-D figure of it. He already knew what animal he wanted to create and, after a little research on different materials he could use, he decided on a paper mache diamondback rattlesnake.

Peyton is amazed by snakes, especially diamondback rattlesnakes. He loves to watch YouTube vlogs about them and can list so many random snake facts, so I am not at all surprised he chose to create one.

When he decided to create the paper mache diamondback rattlesnake, I was beyond excited myself because I love paper mache and literally hadn’t done it since I was in middle school art class (using the balloon method, where I created a pig with fins and painted it sparkly purple and pink).

Honestly, I wasn’t very experienced in paper mache other than the few times I had done it before, and a paper mache diamondback rattlesnake was much bigger and more detailed than anything I had ever made.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

Materials Needed to Make a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Getting Started on the Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

We needed a base to start with, of course, so we used paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls to make the shape of a diamondback rattlesnake. I showed Peyton how to cut the tubes width-wise (but not all the way through) so that we could curve the tubes into the shape he wanted, being careful not to cut all the way through.

When we got a few cardboard tubes of each size cut, he began creating the shape he wanted for his diamondback rattlesnake. He used tape (generously) to hold the tubes together and to keep the curves he wanted, and then we stuffed the tubes with paper towels as we went along so that they wouldn’t collapse when we started adding the paper mache.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

Peyton wanted the head to be higher than the body, so we used a paper towel roll to create the area that ascended up to the head. This was the hardest part because we couldn’t figure out how to get it to stay up without propping it on books. We tried pipe cleaners, paper clips, and extra tape, but nothing worked and the head kept sagging. All of those items did help a little, but it still wasn’t staying where we wanted it. I’ll explain how we dealt with this a little later.

Making the Diamondback Rattlesnake Head, Tail, and Rattle

After getting the shape down the way he wanted, we started brainstorming how to make a diamondback rattlesnake head, tail, and rattle.

We decided to keep using the cardboard tubes, but this time we cut a slit lengthwise, only about 2 or 3 inches down, and only on one side so that we could overlap the cardboard tube, making the opening at one end more narrow. This is how we planned on making the tail and the rattle.

To make the head, he drew the head shape on cardboard and cut it out. Then, we folded up 3 paper towels and then cut those to the same shape as the head and taped them to the bottom of the cardboard head shape. This made the head nice and thick without cutting a bunch of cardboard.

Keep in mind: the paper towel doesn’t have to be cut perfectly, the paper mache will smooth out any uneven edges.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

Once all of this was in place, we started on the paper mache.

Paper Mache Recipe – Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

There are a few different ways to make paper mache, but I used the flour, water, and cooking method. The measurements were 1/4 cup flour and 1 1/4 cup water. I also added a tablespoon of salt to keep bugs and mold away.

If you don’t want to make it, you can always buy it on Amazon. I’ve used this kind in the past (my first time making it from scratch was for this paper mache Diamondback Rattlesnake), and I absolutely loved it.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids

I brought the mixture to a slow boil on the stove and then set the timer for 3 minutes. It was a little chunky and I worried about that, but it went on super smooth and dried completely.

While the paper mache mixture was cooling, Peyton ripped pieces of newspaper into long strips. These strips were to dip in the mixture and stick to the snake base.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

How to Apply the Paper Mache

When the paper mache is ready and cool, dip pieces of newspaper in it until they are completely covered. Remove any access paper mache, and apply in a single layer on your project.

The first layer of paper mache took the longest time to dry, about 8 hours or so. We only did one layer and then let it dry completely. Layers 2 and 3 we did at the same time, and those took about 6 hours to dry. We did 4 layers total, give or take a little in areas that didn’t need as much or areas that needed just a little more.

How to Form and Hold the Paper Mache Shape

We used a cup to prop the head on while it was drying since we couldn’t get it to stay in place with anything else. I was hoping for the best here, and it actually worked. After the first layer dried, the head stayed up on its own! However, when it wasn’t supported we could see the cardboard tube bending in the wrong directions underneath the paper mache and newspaper, so I left the cup in place to avoid tearing and breaking. After the 3rd layer dried, the head stayed up on its own with no problem at all!!

I also used a cup to hold the rattle in an upward position while it dried. It kept wanting to lay down, but the cup did the trick there, too. It’s all about getting the paper mache animal to dry in the exact position you want it to permanently be in.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake
Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake
The crease (pictured) is where the snake was bending without support under its head. After a couple more layers and drying completely, the head had no trouble staying up.

I was worried about it not being strong enough, so I had Peyton add a 4th layer using white paper. This final layer only took about 4 hours to dry. The plain white paper was helpful when it was time to start painting because there wasn’t any print to cover up.

Making Eyes For a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

After Peyton finished the 4th layer, we made the eyes. Peyton had the idea to use a teal-ish colored playdoh mixed with a bit of black paint. Once it was completely mixed, he rolled the playdoh into eye shapes. We used the chunky part of the paper mache (the chunks were handy, after all!) to hold the eyes on. Then we ripped small squares of newspaper to cover part of the eyes and make them blend into the head.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

Painting a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

When the paper mache was completely dry, Peyton began the painting. I didn’t help him with this part except to get the underneath areas that would be visible.

He mixed colors to create the base color and painted the whole snake that brownish/tanish color. He used that same color, added more white, and did the lower part of the snake with the lighter color. This is because a Diamondback rattlesnake gets lighter in color near the bottom.

Next, he used black and white to make diamonds on the back and to put slits in the eyes.

Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake
Paper mache, school art projects, art projects, 3D art, creativity for kids, paper mache diamondback rattlesnake

Final Thoughts on Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake

He did such a good job!! I’m so proud of him for working so hard on this project. At school, he has to display it for the class and give a two-minute speech. The speech is about the diamondback rattlesnake habitat, what they eat, where and when they sleep, and a fun fact.

This could be a fun project at home for your big kids! Peyton plans on displaying his in his bedroom when he brings it back home. It’ll keep them learning and being creative, and will definitely fight boredom!

Which paper mache animal do you think your child would choose to make? Let me know in the comments!

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Recipe

Easy Oven Baked Green Beans

We have been working on our green bean recipe for almost 5 years now. We started buying only fresh green beans and have slowly adapted our recipe over the years. Well, a couple months ago we finally got it. They are perfect. So delicious, covered in butter (don’t judge), not too soft and not too crispy. I can never stop eating them.

Oh, and it’s SO EASY. I’m not kidding. Try it. 😉

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. green beans trimmed and washed
  • Water
  • Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Butter
  • Pepper
  • Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut the ends off of the green beans.
  3. Soak green beans in lightly salted water for 1 hour.
  4. Drain water and place green beans in an oven-safe glass dish. The one I use is 8 inches and about 4 inches high.
  5. Cut a stick of butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and then divide evenly over the top of the green beans.
  6. Generously sprinkle salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning over the top.
  7. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, remove the lid, and stir the green beans.

Let me know what you think!!