Gifts in a Jar Projects to do with the Kids!

Here is a fun little project you can do with the kids. These projects are a fun learning experience for the kiddos too. You can incorporate math and reading with the recipes and art and fine motor skills with the decorating of the jars. The kids will be having so much fun they won't even know they are learning :-) They make a fun party favour or gift too!

I took these recipes from the book, Gifts in a Jar for Kids. The book has recipes and then little gift tags you can use for the gift jars. Not only is it fun to fill the jars with goodies, but you can also have a lot of fun decorating the jars too! If you have some extra fabric laying about, just cut 9" diameter circles and then use ribbon, raffia, yarn, or whatnot to hold it in place.

The recipes from the book are good for up to 6 months, but they never last that long in our house. You could take advantage of the "extra" time you and the kids have during the summer and make a few gifts ahead of time for the holidays!!

The first recipe I would like to share is for Play Dough Mix. This is an awesome one to use as a party favour or gift for a child's birthday.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
2 T cream of tartar
2 pkgs of Kool-aid (leave in packaging)

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in the order given into a 1 Quart wide-mouth canning jar. Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient. Attach a gift tag with the mixing directions.

Mixing Directions:

1 jar Play dough Mix
2 Cups water
2 T. baby oil
p
Remove Kool-Aid packages from jar. Mix water, baby oil and Kool-Aid together in a large microwave safe container. Add Play dough Mix and stir until its well blended. Microwave on high for a total of approximately 4 -5 minutes, stopping every 30 to 45 seconds to stir. Continue to microwave and stir until a ball forms. After the play dough is cool enough to touch, you are ready to play!

Another fun recipe for the summer is their Sand Art Cookie Mix. You can have a lot of fun decorating this jar with some raffia and shells you gathered from any beach trips you took over the summer :-)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 Cup M & M's
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Cup crisp rice cereal
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in the order given into a wide-mouth 1 quart canning jar. Pack each layer in place before adding the next ingredient. Attach a gift tag with the mixing and baking directions.

Mixing and Baking Directions:
(makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen)

1 jar Sand Art cookie Mix
1/2 Cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and egg. Add the Sand Art Cookie Mix. Stir until the mixture is well blended. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

You can find this book, Gifts in a Jar For Kids, at Amazon for just $9.00.

Have fun :-)

Keep up with the freebies, coupons and deals by subscribing to My NCTriangle Mommy today! You can also follow me on facebook and twitter. Thanks for visiting.