First things first, you may have noticed that the scones in this picture look a little... well... pancake-like and flat... something went a bit wrong with the measuring of the buttermilk and the dough was super sticky! So we added lots of extra flour but probably should have added more baking powder too. But hey, that's how baking with kids goes sometimes! And they still tasted AMAZING. Who knows, maybe their amazingness was down to the extra buttermilk that kept them super soft and moist. The original recipe for these scones is one for cheese, chive and buttermilk scones from Sainsbury's magazine online (click here to see it)- I've just adapted it to use what we had in the cupboards. INGREDIENTS
*Substitutions:
Method Preheat the oven to 200c, fan 180c, gas 6 and pop in a large baking tray to heat up.
Enjoy your delicious scones! We have ours with a little butter while they're still warm. If you have enough left to save for another day, when you want to eat them, just pop them back in the oven for 5 minutes to refresh them beforehand.
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This is one of those activities that some of you may well already do with the kids, but I thought it would be worth writing a quick post about it anyway in case you need a little inspiration for something to do when the weather is as crazy as it is right now! (Snow in April?! REALLY?!) Laundry day. The day of the week where I long to be a kid again, back when using the washing machine wasn't one of my concerns. It does have it's upsides though- I do heaps and heaps of washing which means I don't have to worry about it (mostly) for another whole week. This also means that a LOT of socks need pairing, and it's something the kids can help with that can actually be quite (dare I say it...) fun! Sophia hasn't got the hang of bundling the pairs up just yet, so I help with that part after she's found the two matching socks. Miles is good at bundling so does his own. He is also pretty competitive so it usually turns into a race to see who can make the most pairs. Of course he's always the winner but Sophia is usually pretty chuffed with her pile and isn't too fussed. With younger children you can talk about the different colours and patterns, maybe ask them to find a sock of a specific colour etc. Hopefully by the end of it you'll have a big heap of paired socks and the kids will have been entertained while unknowingly helping with the housework! Hoorah!
I hope you're all enjoying the Easter holidays so far, we've spent lots of time outside as the weather's just been so gorgeous! It's been much colder today though and looks like it won't warm up again until after the weekend, so now's the perfect time to get your craft on! All you need to make these gorgeous egg decorations is the leftover coloured card and cotton thread from your Easter card craft pack, along with the scissors and glue stick. 1. First things first, I used a small egg shape to make a template out of some card from a cereal box. This is optional but it definitely helps to make the next part quicker! Now draw out some egg shapes onto the coloured card. I used six egg shapes for most of my decorations, but four works too, especially if you let the kids draw some designs on them before you start sticking them together. I also made one decoration with 8 egg shapes which looks really nice. 2. Fold the eggs in half lenthways. Put some glue on one side of the first piece, then stick another egg shape onto the glued surface. (Make sure it's the right way up!) Keep going until you've used all your egg shapes. Before you glue the last two sides together to complete the decoration, use a good amount of glue to stick a loop of the cotton thread into the centre, where all the folds join. I used some bakers twine for mine, but you could use string if you have some, or ribbon would make them even more colourful! Once you've done that, glue the last two sides together and you're all done. Don't they look lovely?! I LOVE crafts like this- super simple but super effective. You can mix the colours up- I did one with a mix of lilac and green, and another with one of every colour arranged in 'rainbow order' which looks really cute! I also used some card as a backing for the paper eggs that the kids coloured in.
Hope you enjoy this one and that you all have a very Happy Easter. I don't know about you but I just love this time of year. Spring is just beginning and with it, comes a sense of renewed hope and looking forward. Easter is just around the corner and so I thought that for our first Safehaven Activity Pack, it would be really fun to celebrate by making some Easter cards! In your pack you will receive everything you need to make some gorgeous cards- I've tried to keep things relatively 'clean' so there's not too much clearing up to do afterwards, and everything you will need is in the pack, ready and waiting. At the end, you may well have some leftover coloured card and other bits and bobs. In the next blog post I'll show you how to use them to make some cute little Easter tree decorations. I hope you have a great time getting creative! If you take any photos, why not tag us in them- because, very excitingly, we now have an instagram account- @safehavencafeloughborough. I can't wait to see what you all make! Sophia and I had a lovely time the other day making these examples to show you- some have a faith theme while some are more based on the Easter bunny! Whatever style you go for, I hope that they give you some inspiration and ideas for the cards that you make.
And lastly, you could simply give your little one free reign to do whatever they want! Sophia coloured in the large template and stuck a bunny on it too. To be honest I'm surprised we didn't end up with all the stickers in the pack crammed on there! And of course she wrote a message inside. I often make a note of what she's saying as she writes, and then write a little 'translation' on the other side of the card for whoever is going to open it. One last option if you have a child who loves to colour things in, is just to use some of the patterned 'colouring in' eggs from the activity pack and stick them on the front. They would make a really bright and cheerful card!
As a family we love having a pizza night! Miles and Sophia love helping to cook, and with this everything can be done at the table rather than in the kitchen which is ideal- there's much more space, especially for rolling the dough and nobody has to stand on chairs to reach the worktop. This is also learning at it's best- when the kids don't realise it's happening! They're actually recognising numbers, learning how to weigh accurately, developing their fine and gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination... the list goes on! Plus, getting creative with food and involving children in making it can encourage fussy eaters to try new things, along with a whole host of other benefits. I usually plan this for a weekend when we have a bit more time on our hands, so we don't need to rush and the kids can enjoy the making as well as the eating. The dough recipe itself is from BBC Good Food and is a simple mix of flour, natural yogurt, baking powder and salt. We make our own pizza sauce without the added sugar- I'll pop the recipe along with the dough recipe at the end of this post. When it comes to the toppings, the possibilities are endless! I normally put lots of options in the middle of the table and the kids just choose what they fancy. Today I put out Salami, chorizo, green olives, mushrooms and red onion along with the tomato sauce and grated mozzarella. You could try different cheeses, tomato, pepperoni, ham, chicken, anchovies, pepper, sweetcorn- anything you like the sound of. Pizza Sauce Recipe Ingredients: tsp oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 carton passatta heaped tsp oregano and heaped tsp basil or 2tsps mixed herbs Optional: 1/2 tsp celery salt 1/2 tsp onion salt pinch pepper Method:
Dough Recipe Equipment: rolling pin baking parchment Ingredients: 300g /10.5oz Self Raising Flour (plus a bit extra for dusting) 300g / 10.5oz Natural Yogurt 1tsp Baking powder 1/2tsp Salt Method: Put two baking trays in the oven and allow to preheat to 220C or 200C fan.
TOP TIP
I always double the quantities when I make the dough. Just freeze individual portions wrapped in cling film, and defrost them next time you want to make pizza. You'll be half way there before you've even lifted a finger. Link to BBC Good Food recipe: Recipe:www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/quick_cheats_pizza_88026 Something that Sophia loves to do is go for a walk to post a letter! We do it quite often these days. She will happily sit down with some paper and pencil crayons or felt tips, and draw a picture for someone we know- usually her grandparents or aunts/uncles etc. Now this doesn't exactly take very long- I'm not going to be able to do a sink full of washing up while she does it, but I might manage a small task or sit with a cuppa for five minutes and watch while she creates. To be honest, I normally go for the latter- there's really no contest. It is pure joy to see her in her own little imaginary world, talking to herself as she draws, or acting out the voices of the people who she's drawing. For a longer activity, but one that requires some supervision- you could get the paints or craft stuff out too. But I like that this is quite fast and feels achievable, and doesn't need lots of cleaning up afterwards. When she's completed her artwork, we pop it in an envelope, she 'writes' the address, and then I write the address too so it goes where it's supposed to! She LOVES sticking the stamp in the corner of the envelope, and eagerly grabs her coat so we can post it. She proudly carries it as we walk round to the post box, and is now tall enough to post it herself which she hugely enjoys being able to do. If you like, to make this totally free, you could pop it through the recipient's letterbox by hand if they live close-by, the excitement of posting it will be just the same! This is such a fun activity- although not one for a rainy day if your little one likes to carry the letter themselves, which they probably will! If it's more than a 30 second walk to the post box, their precious letter will probably get rather soggy. But it's a great opportunity for the kids to be creative, practice their mark making and drawing skills and burn off some energy. For us parents, it's practically free which is always good, gets us in the fresh air which is a big mood-booster, and gives us all the fuzzies, knowing what a lovely surprise it will be for the person who receives it!
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AuthorHi, I'm Laura. I'm part of Open Heaven Church in Loughborough and I run our Safehaven Cafe courses along with our amazing team of volunteers. Categories
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