Upcycled containers for kids’ play

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Angeline

I mentioned that I changed the container for stuffing pompoms in my 3 slot-it-in activities for toddlers and I thought it’d be nice to upcycle it a little to make it look better and I just wanted to share it with you! Here’s how it looks like:

upcycled canisters

I removed the original packaging and stuck pretty paper on the can with PVA glue and covered the paper with contact paper to give it a glossy finish while protecting the paper from getting wet (you know how toddlers always seem to have gross saliva-smeared hands all day long, right?)

Here are the two upcycled containers I use for stuffing in pipe cleaners. Besides stuffing in pipe cleaners, you could of course cut the plastic cover to stuff in whatever you’d like, such as popsicle sticks, straws, anything long-ish to make full use of the tall container.

upcycled canisters I used washi tape to tape around the bottles and they look so much better with just a simple polka-dotty and stripey makeover 🙂 And it takes only a couple of minutes to do this! Children do love looking at pretty objects so a little upcycling with minimal effort is really worth it!

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Posted in Fine Motor Skills, Homeschooling, Sensory play | Leave a comment

Chinese Yam Soup (Huai Shan soup 淮山汤)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Angeline

I’m known to lurve soups, especially tummy-warming nutritious Chinese soups. I think my little boy inherited my love for soups as this Chinese Yam soup is my little boy’s new favourite soup and you cannot imagine how a tiny little boy like him can guzzle down a whole bowl of this soup at one go. Once he starts, he won’t stop to eat his rice and dishes till he finishes the bowl of soup! I’d forgotten to add wolfberries this time though but soup was lapped up by the whole family anyway 🙂


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Chinese Yam Soup (Huai Shan soup 淮山汤)
Author: 
Recipe type: Soups
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
A very nutritious Chinese soup for both young and old.
Ingredients
  • 1 stick of fresh Chinese yam (huai shan or wai san), peeled and cut into chunks - you can obtain this at both supermarkets and wet markets
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 packet of vacuum packed fresh lotus seeds
  • 5 dried scallops
  • 2-3 chicken carcasses
  • 8-10 seedless red dates, rinsed
  • 1 handful wolfberries, rinsed
  • 3L water
  • 250g pork ribs (optional)
  • fish balls (optional) - I added it as my little girl loves fish balls but traditionally, fish balls aren't added in this soup.
  • salt/ fish sauce to taste
Instructions
  1. Place the chicken carcasses in a pot of water (enough to cover the bones) and bring to a boil.
  2. Remove the chicken carcasses and place them in a soup bag together with the rinsed red dates.
  3. Place the soup bag in a soup pot of water and add the rinsed dried scallops. Bring this to a boil.
  4. Add the carrots and lotus seeds once the soup is boiling.
  5. Let it simmer for about 1.5 hours then add the chinese yam. Cook for another 30 minutes or so or till chinese yam is tender.
  6. Add wolfberries 5 minutes before serving.
  7. If adding fish balls, add it together with the wolfberries. Once the fishballs float up, they are cooked.
  8. Add salt/ fish sauce to taste.
Notes
1. When preparing Chinese yam, be sure to wear plastic gloves or handle it with a plastic bag as should your skin come into contact with the peeled chinese yam, it will itch.

2. Pork ribs may be added if desired.

 

Click the link to see the full list of soup recipes.

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Posted in Chinese Food, Food for kids, Recipes, Recipes for the family, Soups, Soups (suitable for tots), Stocks, Vegetables, Vegetables (suitable for tots) | 3 Comments