One Red Sock

Dear Reader,

This Blog is designed for the parents, grandparents and caregivers of young children.  Each post will highlight a great book that all children should hear, with tips to enrich beginning reading skills.  You will also find fun recipes that go along with each story.  Enjoy reading and cooking with the children in your life.

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

One Red Sock            By:  Jennifer Sattler

Ages:  Toddler through Kindergarten

 

 

One Red Sock is a new book on the market and a must have for young children.  The purple hippo in this delightful story cannot find a match to her red sock.  She wants so much to be perfect and match, but it doesn’t work out for her.  In the end her socks didn’t match, but she was happy anyway.  The child can help the reader figure out what happened to the other red sock.  This wonderful book can help children with color identification.  One Red Sock is now one of our favorites!

 

 

Tips for Reading:

• While reading the story, discuss with the child new vocabulary such as fashionable, patience and tottered.
• After reading the story, review with younger children the colors of the socks.
• Ask the child to tell you why the hippo was happy at the end, even though she couldn’t find her other red sock.
• After reading, ask the child to tell you where the red sock was the entire time.

Additional Books:

• The Crayon Box That Talked            By:  Shane Derolf           Illustrated by:  Michael Letzig
• Lemons Are Not Red               By:  Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Mouse Paint            By:  Ellen Stoll Walsh
• The Day the Crayons Quit            By:  Drew Daywalt            Illustrated by:  Oliver Jeffers
• How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow            By:  Monica Sweeney           Illustrated by:  Feronia Parker Thomas

 

Cooking Time:

Fruit on a Stick with Mango Dip

Children will enjoy eating fruit that they have placed on a skewer themselves.  They can select their favorites and arrange them any way that they would like.  The mango dip is an extra bonus!  Children can help smash the mango and stir it into the yogurt.

10 (8 to 10 inch) skewers

Assorted fruit (melon, strawberries, pineapple, grapes, etc.)

1 (15 ounce) can of diced mangos

2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt

• Cut all of the fruit into chunks that will fit on the skewer.
• Drain the mangos and put them in a bowl.
• Using a fork, smash the mangos.
• Add the yogurt to the smashed mangos and mix.
• Put chunks of fruit onto each skewer.
• Arrange the fruit skewers on a plate and serve with the mango dip.

Makes 10 servings.

 

Cupcake Cones with Sprinkles

These beautiful cupcake cones are perfect for a party and fun to make.  Instead of baking the cake in the cone, you actually put the baked cupcake into each cone and then add the icing.  Children can help by cracking the eggs, adding the ingredients for the cupcakes, putting on the icing and adding the sprinkles.  Make sure to include them in kitchen clean-up.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place 16 to 18 paper baking cups into a regular size muffin tin.  Place 16 to 18 mini baking cups into a mini muffin tin.

1 yellow cupcake mix  (Can choose your favorite flavor.)

16 to 18 flat bottom ice cream cones

• Prepare the cake mix following the package instructions.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 12 to 15 minutes for the regular cupcakes and 8 to 10 minutes for the mini cupcakes.  (Do not over bake.)
• Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
• When cooled, remove the papers.
• Prepare the icing.  This will need to be done by an adult.

Fluffy Frosting

4 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

4 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla

• Let the egg whites sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• While the egg whites are mixing, put the sugar, corn syrup and water into a saucepan.
• Mix completely, cover the pan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil on medium to medium high heat.
• Uncover the pan, and continue boiling for 4 to 8 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 245 degrees.
• While beating the egg whites at medium speed, carefully pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a thin stream.
• Add the vanilla and return to high speed.
• Beat the icing on high speed another 8 to 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Assembling the Cupcake Cones

• Prepare a holder for your cupcake cones by covering the opening of a baking pan very tightly with heavy duty foil.
• Using a knife, cut small stars into the foil, 3 inches apart.
• Put icing on the top of a regular cupcake and place it upside down in the ice cream cone.
• Put icing on the bottom of the cupcake in the cone.
• Place a mini cupcake, upside down on top of the frosted cupcake in the cone.
• Put icing over the entire cupcake in the cone.
• Add sprinkles.
• Continue with the rest of the cupcake cones.
• Push finished cones through the openings in your prepared pan to keep them upright.

Makes 16 to 18 servings.