Ice is Nice: Fun Ways to Keep Cool with Kids

Tasty Treats and Stick Crafts Too!

Get the kids involved in the kitchen making ice treats to enjoy—just freeze a mixture that will taste good. Pour the ingredients into ice cube trays, paper cups, or muffin tins. Place a plastic spoon or wooden stick into each ice pop and freeze until frozen. Here's a trick—to keep your craft stick handles centered in the pop, cover the cups with aluminum foil and insert the craft sticks through the covering.

Try these mixture ideas:

• Grape juice
• Pineapple juice
• Soda
• Apple juice
• Orange juice
• Apricot nectar
• Orange juice mixed with cranberry juice
• Thin pudding
• Crushed berries mixed with lemonade
• Think of some new creations!!

If you can't persuade your kids to eat their frozen snacks outdoors, cut a hole in a paper plate and poke the bottom of the stick through the hole. You still might have to wipe your little one's face, but this drip pan sure helps with the stains on clothes.

After enjoying these frosty treats, save the sticks for a craft idea. Glue wooden craft sticks into shapes such as squares and triangles. You can even create a star by laying one triangle on top of another. Trim a photograph to fit the inside of your frame and glue this to the back. Make several frames and hang pictures of your favorite people in your bedroom or use these as great gifts. This is an easy frame to hang; just attach yarn or ribbon to the top, knot it and use this loop as the hanger.