Welcome to the first edition of the Cleaver Kids At Home Activities newsletter.In keeping with the season, here’s a few eggciting Easter eggtivities!

How to dye Easter eggs with crepe paper What you need

• one or more colours crepe papers• saucepan• cold water• raw egg• slotted spoon• cooking oil• soft cloth

ActivityScrunch it up and place the crepe paper into a saucepan and cover with cold water.Add raw egg to the saucepan and bring to the boil.Boil for about 30 minutes, or until desired colour has been achieved.Remove with slotted spoon and allow to dry.Polish with small amount of cooking oil and soft cloth.______________________________________________________________________Naturally dyed eggsDyeing eggs naturally is as much a science experiment as it is an arts and crafts activity. By experimenting with different foods, you can create a rainbow of coloured dyes for your Easter eggs. Let us know if you come up with other dye recipes.What you need

• natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beetroot, coffee, etc.)• a big pot (3L [litre] or 3 quart capacity or larger)• white vinegar• strainer• small bowls• eggs• large metal spoon• paper towels• drying rack

Natural dye recipesSelect a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the amount listed below. Add 1L of water and 2 tablespoons (tbsp) white vinegar to the pot. If more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.

• Red-cabbage dye: 4 cups chopped cabbage• Turmeric dye: 3 tbsp turmeric• Onion-skin dye: 4 cups onion skins (skins of about 12 onions)• Beet dye: 4 cups chopped beets• Coffee dye: 1L strong black coffee (instead of water)

Cleaver Kids At Home Activities - fun & fascinating things to try at home with stuff you have

Edition 1 - April 1, 2020

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Directions for cold-dipping methodWith this method, the eggs and the ingredients for the dye are boiled separately. Using a metal spoon, lower cooled, hard boiled eggs into a bowl of cooled dye. Let them soak for as little as 5 seconds or as long as overnight, depending on the depth of colour you desire. Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels and let the eggs dry on a wire rack. The cold-dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades but can result in uneven colouring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye.Directions for boiling methodThis method involves boiling the eggs with the dye. The heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform colour. Set raw eggs in a pot of strained dye; bring to a boil for the amount of time specified in the colour glossary below. Remove and dry eggs as with the cold-dipping method.Natural dye colour chart

• Deep gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.• Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.• Dark, rich brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.• Pale yellow: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.• Orange: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.• Light brown: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.• Light pink: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.• Light blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.• Royal blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution overnight.• Lavender: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes; follow with room-

temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.___________________________________________________________________________

Floating egg experimentDo you have curious cleaver kids? Follow the simple steps for this floating egg experiment with them and it will teach the kids how the egg floats, then sinks. Science is amazing!What you need

• egg in its shell (it can be boiled or raw)• a large, almost full glass of water• 2 teaspoons salt

ActivityCarefully place the egg into the glass of water.Initially the egg will sink to the bottom.Pour in two teaspoons of salt and stir carefully around the egg.Continue to add the salt and stir until the egg rises.Eventually the egg will float as salt water is denser than fresh water and the egg will weigh less than the water. Fascinating! Of course, freshness of the egg may factor in as well. Do you know why?___________________________________________________________________________Alternate egg science experiment: Floating or sinking egg?Another way to create a fascinating science egg experiment for kids in your kitchen.What you need

• two eggs• two bowls• salt• tablespoon• warm tap water

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Activity (Alternate Egg Science Experiment: Floating or sinking egg?, continued)Fill both of the bowls with warm tap water.Add three tablespoons of salt to one of the bowls.Stir thoroughly until the salt is dissolved in the water.Place one egg in each bowl.One egg should float and one egg should sink.The egg in the salt water should float.Why?  The salt water makes the water denser so the egg floats. ___________________________________________________________________________

Egg Carton Flower WreathWhat you need• 2 - 3 egg cartons • scissors (kitchen shears work best) • paint brushes • cardboard for the wreath base • thick white glue Directions: Cut a wreath shape from the cardboard by tracing a small plate for the outside edge and a

plastic lid for the inside. A good sized wreath will have a diameter of about 8 inches.Paint the wreath green or brown and let it dry or just count on the cardboard from a brown

cardboard box to provide the colour.. Cut flower shapes from the egg carton cups, and leaves from the flat areas. The tall spacers between the egg cups make great tulip or iris like flower shapes.You can keep it simple or you can get fancy here by cutting different shaped petals into the egg

cups or spacers. You can cut some cups smaller and/or “fancier” and put them inside other larger ones.Think daffodils, for example.

The cutting can be a bit of a chore so you might want to cut the flowers out ahead of time or get a bored teenager or adult to do it while they watch nothing on tv. 

Paint the flowers and leaves with acrylic or other paint and let dry. You can add dots, lines or squiggles in the middles to mimic pistils and stamens. 

NOTE: while the flowers are damp with paint, they are fairly pliable so you can give them a little shaping by bending gently.

Once they are dry they are very sturdy and may crack if you are too rough with them. Place the flowers and leaves in a pleasing way around the wreath and, when you're happy with your design, glue them on. Flowers can also go on stems made from pipe cleaners, sticks or straws.___________________________________________________________________________Egg Carton Caterpillars & Bugs & Other Critters You Can Dream Up! Think spring! Think metamorphosis! Enjoy this easy egg carton craft. Use your imagination to make all sorts of bugs and other critters from egg cartons. Get creative! You can go with simplicity, detail & realism, or funky & fancy too! More ideas found online.What you need • paints, crayons, pastels and/or markers • pipe, cleaner cut in two or a bunch more to make legs too• a pair of google eyes or markers or coloured construction paper to make eyes• glue• a 12-egg carton

As simple or as fancy as you like!

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(Egg Carton . . . .Critters continued)Directions for a caterpillar:Cut the lid off then cut lengthways down the middle leaving you with 6 egg cups. You can trim

right around the egg cups or leave the excess. Be as detailed as you wish Paint the egg cup at the front.Use glue to add google eyes or coloured paper eyes or use markers to draw them on..Add antennae made from pipe cleaners by poking pipe cleaners into carton. You can

also add pipe cleaner legs if you wish.Paint the remaining egg cups one or more colours and decorate them as desired!Or, paste on a picture of your smiling face or a picture of another face to personalize and surprise!___________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________Now, here are some recipes to help you stay healthy and have some fun in the kitchen, taken from Company’s Coming’s Kids’ Healthy Cooking cookbook. “Chapters are organized by nutritional needs (such as calcium for bones, protein for muscles)…” and, at the beginning of each chapter, there is great information about nutrition, good health and building better bodies.

Thank you to Company’s Coming for allowing reprinting here! Enjoy!FYI: To get your own copy of Kids’ Healthy Cooking, visit http://www.companyscoming.com/; call 1-800-661-9017 or email accounts@companyscoming.com. Currently, they are offering free shipping. This cookbook is fi lled with great recipes, awesome bits of information, lots of humour, good clean jokes (like, “What do you call a nervous cow? A milkshake!”) and, great photos of deliciousness!

Cooking is an invaluable lifeskill. Using recipes and cooking with kids can highlight all kinds of learning: communications, science, food security, healthy living, and more. Cleaver kids learn to value healthy eating, good foods and home cooking. Learn to follow recipes (read it through first!), plan ahead, practice safety in the kitchen, prepare foods for cooking, use proper measuring tools, techniques and timing, find acceptable substitutions, get creative, and more. Nutritional values are provided, too. Cooking provides so many great opportunities to learn, be creative, have fun, and enjoy good food too!__________________________________________________________________________________

Hoppy Easter

from

4-H Alberta

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- from Company’s Coming’s Kids’ Healthy Cooking cookbook. *Reprinted with permission.

Rabbit’s SoupA soup any bunny would love! Drizzle some ranch dressing in a fun pattern as garnish or add crackers for some crunch.

Get It Together: large saucepan, dry liquid measures, mixing spoon, ladle, blender.

1. Baby carrots 2 cups 500ml Prepared vegetable broth 2 cups 500 ml

2. Ice cubes 6 6 Chilled vegetable juice 1 cup 250 ml

1. Put the carrots and broth into the saucepan. Heat on medium-high until the broth is bubbling. Turn down the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until carrots are soft. Remove from the heat.

2. Add the ice cubes. Stir until melted. Add the juice Stir. Carefully ladle into the blender. Cover with the lid. Process until smooth. Return to the saucepan. Heat on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Serves 4.

1 serving: 60 Calories; 0.2 g Total Fat (0 g Mono, 0.1 g Poly, 0 g Sat); 0 mg Cholesterol; 14 g Carbohydrate; 3 g Fibre; 1 g Protein; 732 mg Sodium

RABBIT’S GARDEN SOUP: After blending, add 1 to 2 cups (250 to 500 mL) of frozen mixed vegetables to the soup in the saucepan. Heat on medium for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender and the soup is bubbling.___________________________________________________________________________

Rabbit’s Soup is featured in the “Pump it Up - Low-Fat Foods for Your Heart” chapter of Company’s Coming’s Kids’ Healthy Cooking cookbook. Here’s what it says about this topic.

Pump It Up Low-Fat Foods for Your Heart

Make a fist. That’s the size of your heart. Pretty small for a muscle that keeps your whole body pumped and ready to do whatever you need it to do, whether it’s running for the bus or holding a book.

Your heart sends blood circling around your body, delivering nutrients and oxygen from your lungs through your arteries, right down to your fingertips and toes. Then it pumps it back through your veins, and the whole cycle starts again.

Place your fingers on the wrist of your other hand below the thumb. Can you feel your heart pumping blood? Each beat is called a pulse. When you exercise, feel excited or your bratty brother’s jumped out from the closet at you, your pulse speeds up because your body needs more oxygen. In one day, your heart can beat more than 100,000 times!

Foods with lots of fat block up your arteries and make it hard for your heart to send out oxygen and nutrients. Help it stay healthy by choosing foods lower in fat. And exercise that muscle by doing something active; your heart will thank you from the bottom of its … heart!

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from Company’s Coming’s Kids’ Healthy Cooking cookbook. *Reprinted with permission.Broken-Hearted Egg Toast

All of you eggheads out there will get a kick out of designing this breakfast. Think fast! What other shapes can you make with the cookie cutters at your place?

Get It Together: measuring spoons, table knife, 3 inch (7.5 cm) heart shaped cookie cutter, medium frying pan, cooking spray, fork, pancake lifter, dinner plate

1. Softened butter 2 tsp. 10ml Whole wheat bread slice 1 1

2. Large egg 1 1

3. Salt, sprinkle Pepper, sprinkle

1. Spread the butter on both sides of the bread. Cut a heart shape from the centre of the bread with the cookie cutter.

2. Grease the frying pan with the cooking spray. Heat the pan on medium for 3 minutes. Put the bread slice and the cut-out in the pan beside each other. Carefully break the egg into the hole in the bread slice. Break the yolk by poking it with the fork.

3. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes until the egg is almost set and the bread is golden. Carefully turn over the bread slice and the cut-out with the lifter. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden and the egg is set. Remove to plate. Tear the cut-out in half to make a “broken heart.” Place both halves beside the egg toast on the plate.

Chef’s Note: The cut-out may cook faster than the egg toast. Keep an eye on it! Turn it over as soon as the first side is golden and put it on the plate as soon as both sides are done.

1 serving: 213 Calories; 1.4 g Total Fat (4.6 g Mono, 1.3 g Poly, 6.7 g Sat); 237 mg Cholesterol; 14 g Carbohydrate; 2 g Fibre; 9 g Protein; 292 mg Sodium ___________________________________________________________________________Broken-Hearted Egg Toast is featured in the “Fuel Your Think Tank - Breakfasts and Healthy Fats for Your Brain” chapter of Company’s Coming’s Kids’ Healthy Cooking cookbook. Here’s what it says about this topic.

Fuel Your Think Tank Breakfasts and Healthy Fats for Your Brain

If your heart is the pump that makes your body function, your brain is the control system. It keeps you breathing and takes care of your body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate. It also helps you sort out all the information coming at your senses while you’re awake.

On top of that, your brain uses your nerves to automatically tell your body parts how to move, so you can walk AND chew gum without even thinking about it. Positively mind-boggling!

Finally, your brain lets you think, imagine and feel emotions (hmmm … if I don’t clean up this messy kitchen before Mom gets home, she’ll ground me and I’ll be really upset. Where’s the dishcloth?)

One of the best ways to get your think tank fuelled up is to have a good breakfast. Math quiz tomorrow? Get some brain food into you before you leave the house!

Another way to nourish your brain is to eat foods rich in healthy fats. You’ll find these in fish nuts, seeds and peanut butter. Other “smart” choices include bananas, peas, eggs, broccoli and tofu, made with soybeans. Try our mind-bending recipes for brain-boosting nutrients.

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