stART - The Magpie's Nest

 

Each Thursday A Mommy's Adventures does a great blog carnival. Read a story to your child; then accompany it by art.

This week, we're doing a unit on birds from Hubbard's Cupboard. Watch for our tot school post later in the week.

Our story for the week was The Magpie's Nest, a fable about why bird's nests all look different.

  The illustrations were pretty and the story was fun. I did have a conversation about God making the birds and teaching them how to make nests after we read it, but the story was still very enjoyable.

We then made Edible Bird's Nests

{Ingredients}

• Chow mein noodles
• chocolate chips or brick chocolate
• Jelly beans or some egg shaped candy
• marshmallow chicks
• peanut butter
• wax paper
• paper plates (colored plates optional)

{Directions}

Place squares of wax paper onto to individual plates. Put chow mien noodles in a large bowl. If using brick chocolate, break into pieces. Melt chocolate chips or pieces in the microwave, or over low heat on stove, just until melted. Pour melted chocolate over chow mien noodles, mix together to coat. Place mounds of chocolate/chow mien mixture onto several plates (on top of waxed paper). Have children form the mixtures into nests. Be sure the chocolate has cooled, but don't wait too long or it will harden!

Using peanut butter as an adhesive, "glue" down the jelly beans and candy coated chocolate eggs inside the nest cavity. "Glue" marshmallow chick on the edge of or inside of the nest.

 The finished product.

My daughter cracks me up. She was really excited about this snack and couldn't wait until it was cool enough to eat. We didn't wait for it to harden before eating it. However, she took just a few bites (the peep and one of the eggs) before she asked if we could save it for later. After we were done with school, she asked me if she could have a different snack that wasn't so messy ;) She has a thing about getting her hands dirty and always has, silly girl! I think she'll really like the "nest" now that it's hardened from being in the fridge overnight.

~S