Come Together Kids: ... in the Great Outdoors

Showing posts with label ... in the Great Outdoors. Show all posts

August 14, 2011

Easy Peach Cobbler

Fresh, local peaches are now in season here. It was a gorgeous day outside on Friday so we headed out to a local orchard for some peach picking. The kids had fun and we ended up with a half bushel of yummy peaches.

Picking a perfect peach

That's a lot of peaches!

As soon as we got the peaches home, the kids started begging me to make their peaches into a peach pie. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a baker and I know a homemade pie crust is way outside my skill set, so I set off to find an alternative that was more do-able for me. I found THIS recipe on the Food Network site for an Easy Peach Cobbler ~ what a hit!! It wasn't hard to make and we all thought it was delicious.

Right out of the oven

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups peeled, pitted and thinly sliced fresh peaches (5 to 6 medium peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Several dashes of ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pour the melted butter into a 13" x 9" baking dish

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Stir in the milk, mixing until just combined. Pour the batter over the butter but do not stir them together.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice, and remaining cup of sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour the peaches over the batter without stirring them together. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired ( I used a little bit of cinnamon).

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden-brown. Serve warm or cold. (We loved it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!!)

We have a ton of peaches left, so we'll probably make this recipe again soon and try out a few other peach dishes too.

Sharing the peachy goodness at:

C.R.A.F.T.
Running with Glitter
Under the Table and Dreaming
I heart Naptime
Craft-O-Maniac
Homemaker on a Dime
Making the World Cuter
Skip to My Lou
The Girl Creative
Sugar Bee Crafts
Sugar and Dots
Gluesticks
Somewhat Simple
Tatertots and Jello
Be Different, Act Normal

July 31, 2011

Wheaton Regional Park (Wheaton, MD)

Here's another fun outing for those local to Maryland or planning a trip to the Washington, DC region...

Wheaton Regional Park, located in the suburbs of Washington DC, has a few different areas. I already shared about the fun we had at seeing the Butterflies at Brookside Gardens, but wanted to also share the fun we had in the Shorefield area of the park. You can either walk from one area to the other (it's a fairly long walk, but pretty) or go back out the main roads and enter through another entrance.

I'd heard other people talk about the fun miniature train and carousel, but we didn't have a chance to see them on our other visits to Brookside Gardens. I'm so glad we ventured over to that area on our latest visit.

The kids LOVED the miniature train ride. Tickets were just $1.75 a piece and it was a fairly long ride through the woods. We were even lucky enough to see a few deer while on our ride. (NOTE: the train does not operate if the tracks are wet at all, so check their Facebook page before you go if there's been any rain recently)

Waiting to leave the station

Heading through the open field

Then going through the woods

The carousel was a hit too (and also $1.75 a ticket). It was built in 1915 and spent many years on the National Mall in DC.

There's also a stocked pond at the park. My son declared that he definitely wants to come back and go fishing after we saw lots of little fish swimming around.

We were really lucky to see this beautiful buck just off the path we were walking along.

They are replacing the older playground at the park with a brand new Adventure Playground. It was still under construction (slated to reopen this Fall 2011), but looks incredible so far. We'll definitely be making a trip down in a few months to test out those huge slides!!

Between our time at Brookside Gardens and then the Train and Carousel area of the park, we spent almost 5 hours enjoying a nice, Summer day!

Butterflies at Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)

For the past few years, the kids and I have made the short trek to Wheaton, MD (a suburb of Washington, DC) to visit Brookside Gardens. The outdoor gardens are beautiful (and FREE!) with paths, fountains, gazebos, ponds and tons of great spots to snap a few photos. There's a nature center, gift shop and cute children's garden with a little treehouse.

However, the main reason we go back each year is to see the Wings of Fancy exhibit. Hundreds (maybe even thousands) of butterflies fly freely inside an indoor conservatory. The large room is filled with several trees and bushes and lots of colorful flowers. There are many species of butterflies that will flutter all around you as they move from flower to flower. Volunteers are on hand to point out facts about the butterflies and answer any questions.

I probably took 50 photos ~ there were tons of pretty butterflies!

There is a small fee ($6 for adults, $4 for kids 3 and older), but we think it's totally worth it for the neat experience. Plus, you can reenter more than once on the same day. We often check out the butterflies, wander around the gardens, then go back to see the butterflies again. Strollers aren't allowed inside the exhibit, but it's not that big so it's easy to carry your little one or let them walk. Also, when the temperatures outside are too high, the exhibit will close early ( We found that out the hard way last summer). If you check their Facebook page, they will announce any changes.

If you're local, or planning a visit to the Washington DC area, I think it's definitely worth a visit! If you're not local, see if there might be something similar nearby ~ it really is a cool experience.

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip:

Getting up close!

You were allowed to touch the butterflies at the volunteer's stand.

A butterfly landed on her dress!

They had some magnifying glasses for a better look.

The Children's Garden

A Gnome's Home!

In the treehouse

On a butterfly bench

A few shots of my cute kids!

(I really want to learn how to use my new camera

so I can get the lighting and focus better)

And, finally, some more butterflies!

The one on the bottom right was one of my favorite shots.

Brookside Gardens is part of the larger Wheaton Regional Park. In the past, we just focused on the Butterfly Exhibit and surrounding gardens. This year, we explored more of the Regional Park and discovered an awesome train and carousel. Check out my post HERE for the fun we had there!

July 26, 2011

Change of Plans

Today our horrendous heat wave finally broke a little bit. Instead of temps in the 100's, it was only in the low 90's. (seemed so cool, by comparison!) Even though we had fun making the Hot Car Crayons the other day, we were definitely getting tired of having to stay indoors for most of our days because outside was so unbearable.

With the *slightly* more mild forecast today, I loaded the kids' bikes into the van for some bike riding fun. My older two just mastered riding without training wheels this summer and my youngest just got a "new to her" bike last week. They had fun riding the paths at our local regional park. (For all my local Maryland readers, Meadowood Regional Park is awesome for beginning bike riders)

Riding on the one-mile paved path.

Her first "real" time bike-riding

They rode around the path several times, then we planned to go home,

change into our swimsuits and go for a swim in the pool.

However, as we crossed the little bridge back to the parking lot,

we thought the little stream looked really inviting.

So, we changed our plans!

We thought we'd just walk down next to the stream, but before we knew it, we were all wading in the shallow water. No water shoes, no bathing suits, just their sneakers and regular clothes!

As the photographer, I was standing

in the middle of the stream too!

(at least I had on flip flops!)

Moments after this next photo was taken,

they started screaming about seeing a "river lobster"!

It was their first time seeing a crayfish

and they loved looking for more of them.

Watch out for the "river lobsters"!

They even found a large hanging vine

and took turns swinging on it!

Big sister!

Middle brother!

Little sister!

They ended up soaked, but it was

such a fun change of plans and we loved it.

July 7, 2011

Glow-in-the-Dark Firefly Jar

We're very fortunate to live in an area of the country where lightning bugs are a fun part of Summer evenings. I have so many childhood memories of running around in the backyard after dark collecting fireflies in a jar and I'm so glad that my kids get the chance to do the same thing now.

Unfortunately, we often have problems at the end of the evening when they have a jar full of fireflies and it's bedtime. They don't want to part with their glowing, flickering jars of light, but I don't really want a jar full of bugs in the house (especially when it'll be a jar full of dead bugs by morning). When I came across these cool, glowing jars on Pinterest, I had an a-ha moment that would solve our problems. I made a jar that would continue glowing even after we let the bugs free and came inside.

By using glow-in-the-dark paint, painted fireflies "glow" with the lights out!

Here's what I did:

1. Gather your supplies ~ glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint, a sharpie and a jar with holes in the lid ( I used a plastic jar so I didn't have to worry about it breaking and drilled small holes in the lid)

My jar was from a 40oz container of peanut butter

2. Paint small ovals on the INSIDE of your jar using the glow-in-the-dark paint. Add a second coat if it needs more coverage.

3. Using your Sharpie, add the lightning bugs' antennae and wings on the OUTSIDE of the jar.

4. That's it!! On the next nice evening, take your jar outside and fill it with flickering fireflies. When it's bedtime, let the real fireflies loose and bring your jar inside. We put ours near a bright light while we brush our teeth, then put it next to our beds to watch the glowing lights as we fall asleep.

It was so simple and has worked great for us!

Flickering over to:

Smilemonsters
Katie's Nesting Spot
Glue Sticks
Tatertots and Jello
Creative Jewish Mom
I heart Nap Time
C.R.A.F.T.
The Girl Creative
Craft-O-Maniac
Beneath the Rowan Tree
Homemaker on a Dime
Making the World Cuter
Skip to My Lou
Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom
Design Dazzle

June 10, 2011

Campfire Bananas

A friend in my mom's club shared this dessert idea in a post about good campfire recipes. We don't have a fire pit and we're not going camping any time soon, but we tried it on the grill last night and it was delicious!

Warm and gooey deliciousness!!

You'll need:

bananas

chocolate chips

peanut butter or mini marshmallows

aluminum foil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut off the top stem of your banana and slice the banana (in its peel) down the inside face.

2. Fill the crevice with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and/or peanut butter.

3. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with a little bit of cooking spray and tightly wrap up the banana.

4. Put it on the grill or in the hot coals for 5-10 minutes. ( I did about 5 minutes on the grill, but could have gone a little bit longer )

5. Let cool briefly until you're able to unwrap the foil and enjoy with a spoon.

I did peanut butter and chocolate chips and it was delicious!! ( the kids did marshmallows and chocolate chips and liked it, but actually liked my peanut butter one better)

Sharing this yummy treat at:

Design Dazzle
Skip to my Lou
Clean & Scentsible
Someday Crafts
Tatertots and Jello
Under the Table and Dreaming
I {heart} Nap Time

June 7, 2011

Seashell Collecting Bag

Awhile back, I saw this shell collecting bag in a catalog and thought it was a really clever idea. My kids love collecting seashells, but I never liked how gross their shells got by the end of the vacation. Take some wet, sandy shells, leave them in plastic buckets in the hot summer sun for a few days and you'll end up with a stinky mess that you don't want to transport home. I decided I'd try my hand at making my own mesh seashell bags. I was really pleased with the way they turned out and they worked just as I'd hoped ~ the perfect bag for collecting and no stinky, sandy buckets of wet shells to lug back home.

The bags were actually quite simple to make (although I must admit, I'm kind of patting myself on the bag for figuring out how to put it together without any kind of pattern ;) ). My finished bag was about 9"x12" with a 30" shoulder strap.

Here's how I did it ...

(Don't be intimidated by all the steps, I just broke it down and tried to take tons of pictures!)

SUPPLIES:

mesh fabric ( I found a utility mesh at JoAnn's that worked perfectly)
cotton fabric (1/2 yard is plenty)
sew on velcro
about 20" of 1/4" ribbon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your fabric and mesh. From the cotton fabric, cut two 8x10" pieces and one 4x35" piece. From the mesh, cut one 10x20" piece.

2. On each of your 8x10" pieces, fold over about 1/2" on the longer sides and iron down.

3. Next, fold in half so the longer edges are touching and iron again, creating a crease in the center.

4. Now you're going to attach the cotton fabric to the mesh. Open up your fabric so the wrong side is facing up. Place the mesh over the folded edge and pin in place. Do the same thing on the other end of the mesh.

5. Next, let's get the shoulder strap ready. Take your long piece (4"x35") and fold it in half lengthwise. Iron to create a center crease.

6. Open it up, then bring in both edges to meet at that center crease you made and iron in place.

7. Finally, fold in half one more time and iron. You'll have a long strip 4 layers thick and one inch wide with the raw edges completely enclosed.

8. This is what you'll have so far ~ your folded and pressed shoulder strap and your 10x20" piece of mesh with the cotton fabric pinned on each short end. Now, you're ready to start sewing!

9. Using a zig zag stitch, sew the cotton fabric to the mesh. Do the same at the other end.

10. Now you'll want to fold over the cotton fabric, wrong sides together and pin in place. You'll see that the raw edges of the cotton fabric are now enclosed on the inside (thanks to those edges we'd folded over) and the mesh piece is secured in the middle.

11. I wanted to make sure that mesh was securely attached, so I sewed a zig zag stitch and then top-stitched right along the edge. Do this on both ends of your mesh piece.

12. Next, we're going to sew up the sides. Putting the right sides together, fold your bag in half, lining up the sides and top. (NOTE: There's not really a right side and a wrong side of the fabric showing, but one side will have two rows of zig zag stitching. I made this the wrong side so it would be on the inside of the finished bag.)

13. Because I wanted to make sure the mesh was securely sewn on the sides and I knew it would be tough with all those holes, I took two pieces of 1/4" ribbon scraps, cut them to the length of the mesh, and pinned it to the edges of the mesh.

14. With the ribbon in place, sew up the sides. I did a straight stitch first and then followed with a zig zag stitch on top of that.

15. Now onto that shoulder strap. Pin the open sides together ( the other side will be a fold)

16. Now top stitch close to the edge down both sides.

17. To attach the strap, pin the end of your strap across the seam on the inside of your bag. Sew straight across that short end to attach the strap.

18. Then flip your strap up and stitch in place. I did a rectangle and then an "X" to really make it sturdy. Do the same on the other side. ( NOTE: You'll want to pin it in place and test it out before you sew to make sure your strap is laying properly and isn't twisted!)

19. WooHoo, you're almost finished. Cut a piece of hook and loop velcro (approx 2 1/2") and pin into place near the top center of the front and back of your bag. Sew into place on both sides.