Accelerated Reader Books about Easter for 3rd and 4th graders

These are from a couple of posts I did in years past that I wanted to share again!

50 3rd Grade AR Books

10 4th Grade AR Books

7 Handmade Easter Gift Ideas

Peep Finger Puppets



Easter Bunny Smores



Loom Knit Stuffed Bunny




DIY Peep Hair Ties



Jelly Bean Filled Easter Egg



Easter Applique T-Shirt


Upcycled Easter Bunny Ears Hat

Happy Easter from Save Green Being Green

DIY Peep Hair Ties

I can't wait to give these to my daughter to wear them. She has already seen them since I was working on them in front of her, but I am not letting her wear them until closer to Easter. It took me about an hour to make both of these and both of the Peep finger puppets (in the other post from today).

I hand drew using chalk, on the felt, the outline of the peep and cut out 2 pieces of each color. You could use just one piece, but if you stitch 2 pieces together they keep their shape better.

On the top piece, I used black DMC floss and stitched on the face of the peeps. Then on the back piece, I attached the coordinating hair tie. Finally I stitched the 2 pieces together by doing a quick whip stitch.

Handmade Peep Finger Puppets

I am making a concentrated effort to give my kids MUCH less candy this year for Easter, as well as provide them with items that will encourage active outdoor play or using their imagination, or just plain will get used.

My preschool son still loves to play with his puppets (my 3rd grade daughter has recently decided she was no longer interested in them and gave all hers to her brother, which he is excited about).

It took me about an hour from start to finish to make these AND the 2 Peep hair ties I made for my daughter. So, these are a pretty quick and easy project to make for your kids.

I hand drew out a Peep Shape on the felt with chalk and cut 2 pieces of each color. These ended up being about double the size of a regular Peep so that they were big enough to stick a finger in.

I stitched the face on to the front piece. Then I did a quick whip stitch around the edges, closing the sides and around the head. On the bottom I did a whip stitch on each side individually, but not together because you need a place to stick your finger in to.

Happy Easter!!

I am enjoying my Easter with family and hope that you have the opportunity to do the same things with some loved ones! Come back tomorrow for a new recipe for Make It Monday!

Try It Tuesday: Easter Bunny Smores

This Easter we are going to spend some time at our Rustic Cabin since it is also my husband's birthday. So, we'll be having campfires and a fun time and I thought it would be cute for the Easter Bunny to leave behind these treats (along with some other outdoor exploration items) for the kids to find in the morning. I can't wait to see how big these bunnies get!

Want some other S'mores ideas? Then check out my post called 12 Ways to Make S'mores or how about some S'mores Oatmeal?

Try It Tuesday: Easy Dollar Store Crafts for Preschoolers

Transform some Easter foam figures, foam stickers, some googly eyes, pompoms and markers in to some fun personalized Easter crafts that preschoolers can do themselves. All of these items were bought at the Dollar Tree. No need to spend a lot of money on craft supplies when you don't need to.

Remember to keep craft projects do-able and simple for preschoolers. They will really enjoy being able to do as much of the project all by themselves. In this case, my son did these both by himself entirely and he was very happy about that.

Make It Monday: 2 Easter Side Dishes - Garlicky Dill Carrots & Spinach Salad

Both of these dishes pack a lot of flavor and fiber but with out the calories and fat. You won't miss the butter or the salad dressing. Good tasting food doesn't have to mean spending a lot of time in the kitchen; they can be simple and quick to prepare like these two side dishes.

Garlicky Dill Carrots
2 C broth (I used chicken, but you could use vegetable)
1 lb baby carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dill

Directions: Boil the carrots and garlic in the broth until carrots reach desired level of doneness. Strain broth from carrots and garlic. Sprinkle dill on top and toss to coat evenly. Enjoy!

Spinach Salad
1 bag of spinach
1/2 lb strawberries, sliced
1/2 med. red onion, sliced
quality balsamic vinegar (a good quality balsamic will have a sweeter flavor to it)

Directions: Toss together spinach, strawberries and red onion. Drizzle on 1-2 T of good quality balsamic vinegar and toss to blend. Enjoy!

Review: EASTER CULINARY CREATIONS…SAVORY SIDES

I had the opportunity to review Mrs. Cubbison's Classic Seasoned Dressing and Caesar Salad Croutons and prepare an early Easter Dinner for my family. The  croutons, I served on a colorful salad of mixed greens, strawberries, red onion, and sliced almonds and our favorite salad dressings.

The dressing I prepare in a way to make it more colorful and festive by adding 3/4 C of pineapple chunks and 1/2 C dried cranberries (you could add dried cherries or strawberries instead). The recipe also called for 1/4 C bacon bits, but I chose to leave those out as I wanted more of the fruit flavor to come through. Add the above ingredients to one (of the two) packets enclosed in the box.

I served these savory sides along with some ham, asparagus and deviled eggs.

Both items are very flavorful and need minimal preparation and can help you have have Easter dinner on the table very quickly. By using a pre-cooked ham and boiling my eggs this morning while I made breakfast, I had our Easter dinner prepared, baked, and served within 45 minutes total. I plan to make this stuffing and this salad when we celebrate Easter with my extended family over Easter weekend.

For more tasty Easter menu ideas, visit www.mrscubbisons.com.

Another couple of ideas to make a fun, decorative savory side are:

EDIBLE EASTER STUFFING CENTERPIECE…Combine 1 box (2 bags) stuffing mix with ¾ cup chopped celery, ¾ cup chopped onion, 1 cup broth, juice or water, ½ cup canola or vegetable oil and 2 large eggs, lightly beaten. Press moistened stuffing firmly into a greased Bundt cake pan and bake in a preheated 375° oven for 30 minutes. Allow pan to cool before turning out onto a serving plate. Fill the center with shredded cabbage and add colored Easter eggs.

STUFFING EASTER EGGS! Using the same recipe above, shape the moistened stuffing into egg shapes and arrange on a cookie sheet with a light coating of cooking oil spray; bake stuffing “eggs” in a preheated 375° oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve stuffing eggs with shredded cabbage “grass” beneath them or in a colorful linen-lined Easter basket. 


You can also find Mrs. Cubbison's on Facebook!

Check out the video I made of me talking about the food I prepared for our (early) Easter Dinner.



I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Try-It Tuesday: Easter Egg Craft

Try Out This New Idea for an Jelly Bean Filled Easter Egg

My daughter & I did this project together. We made the 2 eggs pictured below to put in the (Easter) basket that her class was providing for the school carnival's silent auction. (I also made a couple other items that were included as well.)

I bought a small bag of jelly beans (50-cents), used leftover yarn and some pieces of craft foam and some clear plastic table sheeting (find at a fabric store where they sell table {oil cloth} fabric). I paid 24-cents for 1/4yd. and could probably make 10-12 eggs from it.

Cut out an egg shape from craft foam and clear sheeting. Holding them together, punch holes around the perimeter. Then "sew" the yarn through the holes (this is a great step for kids.)

Don't sew the last couple holes quite yet. Leave them open to put in the jelly beans (another good step for kids), then sew the last couple holes and tie the remain string in a bow at the top.

So, we made these two for the carnival basket, but my daughter has asked that I make these for her & her brother, so guess I will be making a couple more.