Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mice

Here is a fun snack to make after reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood.

They can be made with young children, though the decorating may need a steadier hand.  There are variations on this activity.  I have seen the mouse ears made with leaves from the strawberry (though then they're not edible).  Licorice lace is a fun variation on the tail, however, it has been hard to find in the stores lately!  

Not our best attempt but fun to make!

Ingredients and materials:

Strawberries, dipping chocolate, raisins (or candy) for ears, icing tube for decorating, wax paper, baking sheet

1. To make the mice, you can leave the strawberry intact, or cut off the top with the greens.
2. Prepare any decoration/mouse part that needs to be affixed with the chocolate.  For instance, I use raisins for ears, so I cut them in half beforehand.  
3. Melt the chocolate (I cheat and use Dolce's Dipping Chocolate found in the produce section of our local grocery stores).
4. Dip the strawberries one at a time and lay them on a baking sheet (it helps to put down wax paper or parchment paper first).
5. Affix mouse parts to wet chocolate.
6. When the chocolate is dry, use icing to decorate the rest of it.  

Butterfly Snacks

I have seen this done in a variety of ways, with cheesy snacks, popcorn, veggies, or with different baggies or a clothespin caterpillar center.  I just did a quick and easy pan of popcorn on the stovetop, put it in a snack baggie and tied a pipe cleaner around the middle.  It is looped at the top to create antennas.  These can be as detailed or simple as you want.

Dirt Cake

I used to make this when my fourth graders read How to Eat Fried Worms.  Recently my son made it, it's so easy to make and fun to eat!  You can also tie it into studying plants, life cycles, measurement, etc.

Ingredients:  Instant chocolate pudding, milk, Oreos, gummy worms

(If you can find a flower pot that a bowl fits into, it's a fun way to serve it, as above).

1.)  Make the pudding according to directions and based on how many servings you want, in the corresponding serving container.  I have made this in individual portions in clear cups when doing it for the students at school and in a bowl for parties.  

2.)  Crush chocolate sandwich cookies and sprinkle them on top.  

3.)  Refrigerate.

4.)  Put gummy worms on and in mixture.  (you can do this before step 3, but they get a little hard in the fridge and are more chewy for little kids to eat).