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Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #6: Bubbles

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

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If you are looking for creative ways to use cookie cutters, here is a great one you’ve probably never thought of–Bubbles! Today I will show you how to use a cookie cutter as a bubble blower. This activity is perfect for young children and will bring delight to their eyes.

Buy some bubble solution (or make your own) and pour it into a shallow bowl, wide enough to fit the cookie cutter. Now dip your cookie cutter into the bubble solution. Lift it up into the air, and then blow gently on the inside of the cookie cutter. You should see a bubble form and float away from the cookie cutter.

You can also use a natural breeze to blow the bubbles, as long as the wind isn’t too strong.

This fun activity works best on a humid day, maybe right after a rain. If you make your own bubble solution with glycerin, you have a higher chance of creating larger and stronger bubbles. You can find my favorite recipe for bubbles and more fun bubble activities in my free Bubbles Unit Study.

Stay tuned for “Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #7.” Hint: This time we will be using cloth.

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Posted in Fun Spring Activities | 6 Comments »

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #5: Pancakes

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

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“What are other creative ways to use cookie cutters?” I asked my sons one afternoon.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” answered my oldest son. “Haven’t you done enough with a cookie cutter?”

“Nope. Think of something else we can do.”

“Pancakes!” shouted my youngest son.

creative-ways-to-use-cookie-cutters-9“Brilliant!” I shouted back. I thought I would be able to pour the pancake batter into the cookie cutter sitting directly on an oiled frying pan. But no. Don’t even try it. It sticks to the cookie cutter.

On my second attempt, I oiled the cookie cutter, and the pancake came out, only to spill the upper contents onto the pan, looking like the melting witch in The Wizard of Oz. Not a very pleasing shape.

My third attempt was to make the pancake thinner, and it was barely okay. I thought, “I’m writing this blog post series for tired moms to impress their children. They are not going to want to work this hard for a tiny, thin pancake.”

So I scratched my head in thought. I made a regular pancake and threw it on a plate. “Eureka!” I shouted to myself as I used the cookie cutter AFTER making the pancake. That was SUPER easy for a haggard mom to make. Slam dunk.

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The flower shape came out without much of a problem. The gingerbread man shape needed help with a table knife to pull the scraps away from the cookie cutter. It only took a few seconds and was not frustrating like the previous procedure with the cookie cutter inside the pan.

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Decorate the pancakes however you want. I used chocolate chips for the eyes and buttons of the pancake man, and chocolate syrup for the mouth and background. For the flowers, I put a cherry in the middle of each flower and drizzled maple syrup over them. The children munched on them happily.

Stay tuned for “Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #6.” Hint: Something fun to do outside on a spring day after a rain.

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Posted in Fun Spring Activities | 2 Comments »

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #4: Tissue Paper Art

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

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Have you thought of other creative ways to use cookie cutters? Today we will look at how to make tissue paper art using cookie cutters. A flower cookie cutter lends itself well to being shaped into a flower. I just cut out a stack of 4 hot pink flower shapes, stabbed a pipe cleaner through it, and fluffed the petals. That’s it. The daffodil was formed out of two pieces of yellow tissue paper, one flat and the other one pointing outwards. I got a lid of a coke bottle and put it into the middle of the daffodil, folding the tissue paper into a cup. Super easy.

If you have other shapes of cookie cutters, you can make a tissue paper stained glass window. Start with a light color of tissue paper, like light pink, peach, or yellow. Cut the large sheet of tissue paper into a vertical rectangle with a pointed top, like a cathedral window. Tape the tissue paper to the window. Then use your cookie cutter as a stencil to make colorful shapes to glue onto the larger piece of tissue paper. This is especially beautiful with a maple leaf cookie cutter with orange, red, and brown tissue paper leaves against a yellow background. Enjoy your stained glass window.

Next up in our blog series: Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #5. Hint: This was my son’s idea. We tried it one way, failed, then modified the wonderful breakfast idea until it worked!

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Posted in Fun Spring Activities | 4 Comments »

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #3: Sandwiches

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

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Next up in our blog series, “Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters,” we will be making shape sandwiches, perfect for taking to your next tea party. Last time I attended a women’s tea party, someone brought some delicious circle sandwiches. I thought to myself, “I bet someone used a round cookie cutter, or the lid of a mayonnaise jar. I wonder if I could make a different shape.” Sure enough, I could.

creative-ways-to-use-cookie-cutters-5The good thing about having circle sandwiches was that they had cream cheese and a large slice of tomato, with some chopped fresh basil and pepper on the top. Yum. That was so good, and the tomatoes were the exact right size for the sandwiches. They were open-faced sandwiches, and they looked colorful and fresh.

I preferred to use the cookie cutter on the bread, one slice at a time. Then I used the cookie cutter on the ham slices, and the cheese slice. Then I stacked them all on top of each other, after spreading mayonnaise and mustard on the fabulous ham sandwiches.

If you make the ham sandwich, or cream cheese and cucumber, or pastrami, or even peanut butter and jelly, keep in mind that if you mash the cookie cutter on top of the sandwich, you will squash the sandwich, flattening it and making it look ugly. On the other hand, if all you have on the sandwich is cream cheese (no tomato or cucumber), you could press the cookie cutter on top, sealing the cream cheese into the bread. In other words, the top bread squashes itself onto the bottom bread, making a “surprise sandwich” because you don’t know what’s inside. If you make surprise sandwiches, make sure you use flat ingredients.

If you put tuna into the shape sandwich, eat the sandwiches immediately. Just take my word for it…

Stay tuned for the next exciting instalment of “Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #4.” Hint: These were surprisingly beautiful and easy-to-make decorations.

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Posted in Fun Spring Activities | 6 Comments »

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