This parent/child class is a sweet mixture of laid back preschool, a visit to grandma’s house and an outdoor adventure. This is a place for kids to explore and create with paint, glue, play dough and all sorts of art supplies, have fun with real cooking, listen to stories and play with friends. At camp parents (grownups) will have just as much fun as the kids and there’s no clean up when you’re finished playing. This will be primarily an outdoor experience. We’ll start each class with an informal circle time on the lawn including parachute play, a few songs and maybe a story and a little yoga. Then everyone is free to explore and do the projects which will be set up for the kids to do with their grown up at their own pace. Bring a lunch and we’ll all gather together on the lawn for a picnic and a closing story. Come join the fun!
Mark your calendars and reserve a spot. Camp this summer will be Tuesdays,
July 6th-27th, August 3rd-24th and Wednesdays, July 7th-28th, Aug 4th-25th.
Camp will be 10am-12noon,
$80 for a 4week session (drop-in $25)
sibling discount , babies no charge
Some of the things we’ll be doing this summer include making cute little gnomes from branches, BIG painting, back by popular demand-Goopy Soup!, stick picture frames, father’s day portraits, we’ll make a fairy door, there will be cooking and sewing and yoga and gardening….the fun never ends! As always I’ll have projects the grown- ups will enjoy too
It was hot today and everyone seemed to be happy hanging out under the oak trees crafting. We made a simple little kite (which really works) and a colorful windsock. Both crafts were very simple with lots of wiggle room. With both the kite and the windsock we started by decorating the paper we used to make our craft. I had stickers and stamps, felt pens and colored pencils. Some of the kids were finished in an instant, others sat down and meticulously placed stickers side by side in a planned pattern. We also had play dough out. The kids seemed to really enjoy working with the playdough too. Today was an example of how kids like to revisit the familiar. Paper, felt pens, stickers, stamps, playdough, rolling pins, water play, hanging laundry….these are all things all these kids are familiar with. This hot day was the perfect time to hang out in the shade and work with familiar materials in a comfortable way.
It was so hot that we didn’t eat our lunch out on the front lawn as we usually do. It seemed cooler in the craft area so I spread the blankets out on the gravel in the shade. As everyone ate lunch I read some poetry…..it was a very sweet moment.
Another fun parent/child activity at Smiling Tree Farm here in Santa Rosa. When parents sign up for this “cooking” class they know they are signing up for a sweet morning filled with sugar and more sugar. For some of the kids this is their one big sweet splurge. One of the moms said they elimate any conflict about too many sweets by not having any in their house at all. A dad said they reserve sweets for special occasions. So, today was that day. We had plates of sugar cookies in enticing shapes (hearts of all sizes, doves, teddy bears and little sweet men). Each child had their own dish of candy toppings including m&m’s, raisins, red hots and of course conversation hearts. After several cookie decorating workshops I’ve realized this is a way to have portion control and no worries about little fingers and possible “cross contamination”. Some of the kids piled their cookies high with frosting, sprinkles and candies. Some ate their candies first then decorated with icing only. The kids and parents were free to decorate and eat as many cookies as they wanted. My hope was that they would take home more than they ate but it was probably a toss up.
After everyone had their fill of decorating we moved into the living room and strung love bead braclets. It was such a beautiful day that the kids wanted to go outside to play so off everyone went to swing and explore. We came back inside for stories, songs and a cup of tea and hot chocolate and one more cookie and cupcake for the road. This was definetly a sweet day of sugar, quality time and memory making.
Special thanks to my friend Robin who helped me set up and keep things going…and clean up too….what a friend!!
Cookies, cupcakes and frosting were all made for scratch. Here are my recipes:
One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (from Martha Stewart)
makes 18-24 regular cupcakes …. 83 mini cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoons salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup warm water 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanila extract
1. preheat oven to 350. Line muffins with paper liners. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
2. Divide batter evenly among muffins cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched , about 20minutes for full sized, 10minutes for mini cakes.
Gail’s Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies — my girlfriend Carol named these, I think I found the recipe in a magazine and it’s the one that all my kids took to class and entered in the Sonoma County fair.
4 1/2 cups flour 1tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup soft butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tsp vanilla
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Beat butter, sugar and egg till light and fluffy. At low speed, beat in sour cream and vanilla till smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, beating till well combined. Wrap in waxed paper or foil: refrigerate several hours or overnight. Divide into 4 parts then roll out and cut.
Bake at 350 degrees aprox 8 minutes
Note: I still wrap sandwiches in waxed paper but find this telling of how old this recipe is that it reccomends waxed paper or foil…..I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze
Frosting…..one of the dads asked if it’s easy to make frosting…..YES!
Powdered sugar, some butter, a little bit of milk, sprinkle of vanilla, dash of salt…..beat ’til smooth and fluffy……………I’m pretty sure there’s a real recipe on the box of powdered sugar
I loved these pumpkin projects. I like to make a sample of the projects before camp and it’s always fun to see what the kids do with the materials provided. They always find a way of personalizing their work. I’ve seen paper bag pumpkins before. They look like paper sacks stuffed and painted….cute. Our paper bag pumpkins were little works of art!! This was a two day project. Each child started with a pallet of yellow, red, and a little dab of golden color . It was fun seeing the kids mix their colors and create orange!! We talked about how pretty the bright clear spots of red and yellow looked with the blended orange. The kids put the paper bag on one hand and painted with the other. I saw these beautiful (I think they’re beautiful) pumpkins on the website That Artist Woman . We found twigs and real leaves in the yard to complete our project on the second day. The fun thing the kids did was not limiting themselves to one stem or one green pipe cleaner to finish off their pumpkin. Some pumpkins had fist fulls of moss covered sticks attached and a whole range of green fuzzy spiraled tendrils….wonderful!!
More Pumpkins!
Our other pumpkin project was made of yarn….very simple. I found this project at Make and Takes. We changed the yarn from red to orange and changed a little red apple to a little orange pumpkin! The kids wrapped yarn around a piece of cardboard 80 times!!! It was an opportunity to have fun with counting and they ended up with a sweet little pumpkin.
We made Pumpkin Cookies a couple weeks ago and I promised to post the recipe. Here’s the 2 cookie recipe we used at camp made with whole wheat flour and honey and another recipe for pumpkin cookies I’ve used for years that make lots of cookies. As you can see by the condition of “The Great Pumpkin” recipe it has been well used. I’ve gone from using the full amount of white sugar to none to finally settling on “about” half the original amount. I don’t usually make these cookies as large as the recipe calls ….too big for little ones. When my kids were little I made these with the stem, no white sugar and outlined with orange buttercream frosting and two little buttercream leaves on top….plenty sweet
When my kids were young we made kick the can ice cream. It was so much fun. We put our ingredients in a coffee can, added a spoon as an agitator then taped it up with duct tape then put that can into another can with ice and salt then taped that can up then proceeded to kick or roll the can back and forth until we had ice cream. This is something my kids still talk about. Well, I found an easier way with zip lock bags. Here’s the You tube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLRDsW_p4LA
I didn’t get many pictures but the ice cream did turn out……..delicious! A couple things I’d add to the instructions is to be sure to use heavy duty freezer bags especially for the milk mixture. The bags are great because you can see how your ice cream is setting up. Be careful with the salt. We make our ice cream on our front lawn so I asked everyone to be careful when they opened the bag not to spill the salt water. Remove as much air from the inner (milk) bag this way the liquid gets the most surface to coldThis only make a small portion but enough to enjoy the magic of turning milk and sugar into ice cream in less than 10 minutes. Truth be told the parents probably were more intriqued with the process than the kids but everyone enjoyed the ice cream. This is something I’d do over and over. Make it a summer tradition the kids will want to repeat and will remember.
Stephenie my niece (great-niece) and helper often makes our samples. Here shes’ making a Smiling Tree Camp windsock…….thanks Steph
This is a fun project we did earlier in the summer and I’m just now posting it. This was a great project because the kids had fun making the windsock then took them out to the front lawn for a run and when they were tired we all enjoyed watching them blow in the breeze.
We started camp with a quick run around and a few songs then off to explore and create. Our project this week was our take on Tibetan Prayer flags. I’m sure you’ve seen these flags flying in different places around town or maybe seen pictures of them flying on mountain tops in Tibet…one of our moms has been to Tibet and has seen the flags there first hand. The colors of the flags represent different things: yellow-earth, blue-space (spirit), green-air (wind) etc. Each flag has a prayer or good wish for healing, happiness in the world. The idea is to hang the flags where the wind will catch them and blow the good wishes ’round the world……..wonderful! Our flags were made on unbleach muslin, decorated with permanent markers then dyed by dipping in a solution of koolaide, vinegar and salt. This “dye” is not permanent on cotton but was fun to work with and safe. The kids hung their flags on the clothesline to dry then we strung them together so they could take them home and find a place to hang them so the wind will catch them.
As you can see in the slide show a couple grown ups found a moment to themselves to create. I love when parents have a moment to themselves. When you have small children that is often hard to come by. Most parents don’t have a chance to create and play with art so when they can do it here at camp I think it’s a special treat. While I set the projects up for the kids and ask parents to let the kids do their own thing I love the bonding that occurs when parent and child work side by side; parent available to help if needed, child free to explore as they choose.
Our neighbor horses came for a visit at the fence and all the kids who wanted to fed them watermelon. I usually instruct the parents on how to help their child feed the horses but today I helped the kids. I learned this from a “horsey mom”….hold the food by the end with plenty sticking out for the horse to get…carrots, long pieces of watermelon etc. The child holds the food and the grownup covers the child’s entire hand with their own (protecting the child’s fingers). I’m not comfortable with the method of holding the food on my out stretched palm….too many little fingers to get in the way!
After feeding the horses we buried the rest of the watermelon rinds in the compost pile. This was another object of fascination. The kids love looking at all the wiggly worms. We’ll be making a worm farm in the next couple weeks…..the kids will love that!
We used markers, stickers and rubber stamps to decorate cardstock (1/4 page) and make postcards. The kids and parents made their postcards then addressed them to Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa. I made arrangements for our mail man to drive back and pick up our handmade postcards. The kids where thrilled to have the mail truck drive up and hand their cards to the mail man. It was fun and funny to see how excited the kids were…..who’d a known!
Inspired by an article in Mothering Magazine we gathered herbs and flowers from the garden; lavender, roses, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint, and some unidentified bits of green the kids found. We made a tea with the fragrant herbs and flowers and while the tea steeped we wrapped more herbs and flowers in a square of fabric with a cotton ball to absorb a few drops of grapefruit essential oil. The fabric sachet was to take to enjoy a foot bath at home then the hot herb tea was added to a small tub of cool water for the kids and moms to take a foot soak…..so sweet! I hope everyone will find time sit with their kids and soak their feet and share a special moment. I imagine a cool soak on a hot afternoon while sipping iced tea or a warm soak on a cold day with a story and maybe a cup of hot cocoa.
We usually have our picnic lunch at around 11:30am. I ring the bell, we wash our hands then gather on quilts and blankets on the front lawn. It works out great; I usually have something to share and before the meal is over everyone has a chance to get a little something from someone else’s lunch (other people’s lunch seems to much more interesting than our own). This day the kids were hungry well before lunch time. I got out the apple peeler and a couple apples and we were ready for a snack and a fun activity. Everyone likes to try turning the apple peeler/corer so we took turns and shared the apple…..yummm!
We love run and chase games. Today we stuck a scarf in our back pocket or waist band and chased around trying to grab each others scarf. I love when the kids and parents all join in.
I really had a blast teaching tyoga to the kindergarten through 3rd graders through the Rincon Valley School District afterschool program. Here are some photos from our last day. I’m sorry not everyone was there so I could have their pictures. I hope to offer yoga to the 4th-6th graders next fall and maybe even have an afterschool class for teachers…..we’ll see
We’ve been “working” in the garden. This day we moved buckets of compost down to our new kids’ strawberry patch. Everyone was intrigued by the worms. Katie used her hat to hold her temporary collection of worms.
We (I) had so much fun at yoga class at Beth Ami Nursery School. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve taught there and I had forgotten how much fun and how tiring working with preschoolers can be. The kids were so bright and anxious to move their bodies and willing to do funny breathing and silly balancing. During class I talk a lot about healthy choices, balance, movement, calmness and relaxation. By the end of our class the kids were ready to lie down and relax…..so sweet!
There were several parents who are interested in a weekly yoga class for their kids at Beth Ami. I’ve also had parents from Maddie Washburn in Windsor and Proctor Terrace School in Santa Rosa ask about yoga at their schools. My after school class at Spring Creek Elementary School in Santa Rosa is open for registration right now, the class will start in early February. I would love to teach yoga everyday! With my monthly trip to Sacramento for my advanced yoga studies class and my weekly yoga class and my home practice ( I get up at 5am most mornings) I’m a little yoga crazy and loving it!!
I baked 100’s of cookies for the families who came to the cookie decorating workshop. Two different sugar cookies and a gingerbread cookie. I’ll post the recipes soon.
We had so much fun at our cookie decorating workshop. I realized I should have called it a PARTY! not workshop. There were cookies and sprinkles and candies forever; moms and dads, kids….brothers, sisters and cousins. The kids started by choosing a plate full of cookies to decorate then just kept getting more until they were done then some of the kids went outside to play and some moved into the living room to string popcorn. Everybody decorated cookies grown ups and kids alike. After we finished decorating we had a cup of tea or hot chocolate and a few miniature cookies….it WAS a party!!!
Fun day baking at Smiling Tree…..oh yes we had some issues….some of the buttery pastry on the pumpkin pies broke off and caused smoking and of course the smoke alarm kept screaming at us!! Pastry leaves on our pumpkin pies made up for the droopy crust and the apple galettes were beautiful (no pictures).
At the end of the day I realized I couldn’t have spent my day before Thanksgiving in any better way. By baking with my wonderful, sweet kids I get to be part of their Thanksgiving day too; a real treat for me.
While our pies baked we had time to play outside and make nature craft pine cone turkeys with leaves and acorns. It was a wonderful day topped off with a warm and cozy dinner with my family.
I made all the pastry for my pie baking workshop this morning and a couple “extras” for my family Thanksgiving celebration. The workshop is Wednesday and the kids get to choose between a pumpkin pie or apple galette (rustic single crust pie)
Nine pie crust = 2 1/4 pounds butter, that’s a lot of butter!
Here are the ingregients for the pastry:
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1cube of butter
1 egg yolk
5 tablespoons iced cold water
I use a food processor to mix my pastry and if you really want instructions on how to make a “perfect” pie crust let me know and I’ll give you detailed directions.
NOTE: keep everything cold…..I put the flour and butter in the freezer the night before to get it really cold
I’ve got some fun classes for “Big Kids” (5-9years) lined up for the holidays. Our cooking classes will give the kids a chance to bake quick breads from scratch make a pumpkin pie or Apple Gallette for Thanksgiving and bake and decorate cookies. I have a fun, chewy and delicious recipe for Gingerbread Bears that I’ll share with the kids too. With all my cooking classes I like to have a taste and sniff game so I’ll probably play with some of the spices of the season and maybe bring in a few veggies just for fun! Check out the class schedule to find out more about our classes planned for winter break.
I found the cutest book in the library and had to plan a project around it. The story is about a grandma cat that makes an apple pie and serves it to her family; there’s one piece left. A family of mice find the pie and enjoy it, leaving a few crumbs which a family of ants find. The illustrations are wonderful and in the end everyone pitches in to help make a pie to share. This week we read the book and everyone pitched in to help make apple pie! Yummmy, yumm, yum!!!
Miniature Scarecrow Workshop Saturday, September 27th 10am-11:30am…..deadline to register September 3rd
$35. *5-12 year olds
Includes all materials to make a miniature scarecrow to enter in the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and I’ll take care of all the paper work and deliver and pick up the entries too!….scarecrows and ribbons will be available to pick up from Smiling Tree after October 7th
This will be a fun project even if you don’t want to enter the fair…but its so exciting to see your work at the fair and receive a ribbon. I will make the appropriate frame work to meet the fair’s specification (under 24”) and fun supplies for the kids to use to build their masterpiece including fabric, straw, mini pumpkins, thread, needles, yarn, burlap and all the patience to help the kids create their own scarecrow. Plus I’ll have a second small project for the kids to take home.
*Children must be at least 5years old by September 5th in order to enter the fair.
Please register for this class no later than September 3rd if you’d like your child’s scarecrow entered in the fair. All children will receive a participation ribbon and the first 5 places will receive a cash award as well.
After talking to one of the moms I realize the cooking class I’m offering is much more than a cooking class for kids. Not just recipes and baked goods. No print outs to color while you wait. Yes, we measure and cut and are concerned with kitchen safety. We talk about healthy food choices. But, it’s really a sensory and social experience (through food) for kids.
For example, we will enjoy the wonderful aromas and flavors of food with taste and sniff tests. At our last class, we went out into the garden and tasted fresh basil, tarragon and chives. When we made our trail mix we sampled dried apricots, mango, an assortment of nuts, and compared fresh, dried and candied ginger. We even sampled a couple cheeses.
These tastings were done with no pressure. Some of the kids only wanted to sniff and I even gave them each a paper napkin to “spit” anything that they didn’t like. . I don’t know if it was because someone other than their parent was offering the new food or they were just curious kids with developed palates, but all the kids happily participated. I must admit I was surprised that the kids were so open to trying new things. Sharing the fun of discovering new things about food with a group of friends enhances the whole experience!
The next series of classes will begin the second week of September and will be limited to 6 children.
Food & Fun Pairing….more than a cooking class
5-8 year olds Tuesday 3pm to 5pm
2 weeks - $70, discount for signing up for 4 weeks (one month) $135.
September 9th & 16th
September 23rd & 30th
October 7th &14th
October 21st & 28th
Part of the fun of this class will be transforming “raw “products like fresh fruits and vegetables and flour and butter into delicious and new foods. Each class will follow the season so most classes will be different….with a few favorite repeats. Just a sample of some of the food experiences we’ll have:
Make fresh fruit jam from scratch, ice cream in a bag, corn bread, corn salad, “sneaky brainy” brownies (hmmm?), tomato/apple catsup, apple crisp, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ravioli, pesto, learn to safely peel a potato and cucumber, taste and compare fresh and frozen corn, sniff and taste fresh basil and cilantro…..any down time may include sewing, art or games…. The kids will bring home samples of their “work” from time to time.
All classes will be held in my home kitchen.
Cooking classes for 8-12 year olds will also be available, please contact me for details.
