As I mentioned in my Golden Syrup post Wednesday, the children and I started back to school this week. It is always exciting to learn alongside young children. For they see the world in such a fresh and eager way.
When my oldest daughter started kindergarten, we thought our homeschool needed a name. We landed on Happy Hawks Homeschool. This name was created because we have many beautiful hawks in our neighborhood. The majestic strength, gracefulness, and perseverance of a hawk- made this seem like a fitting mascot for my school crew.
With each new school year, there are certain things we always do. (I will share these more throughout the year in future posts.) For example, we like to get into the kitchen to kick things off on a sweet note. Our favorite back to school kitchen activity is making wafer pencil cookies and apple biscuits (cookie if you are an American). (See my post on English biscuits versus American cookies here).
Come join us for a celebration of new learning, creativity, and fun! Afterall, the world is a child’s school room!
~The Excitement of a New School Year~
Before moving to England and becoming a mom to four little ones, I was a home economics teacher. I loved teaching, and I loved my high school students! As a matter of fact, I would say that my teaching style was very similar to how I write this blog. It has been so much fun to create this blog from scratch using only words and my imagination.
As each new school year begins, I feel the same excitement I did as a teacher. I try to relay that same eager excitement to my children, as I hope they always have a love for learning and creativity.
~Back to School Bakes~
This year marks my fourth year of homeschooling. To celebrate the new school year, my homeschool crew and I always make wafer pencil cookies. This is not my original idea (in fact, many of you may have seen it somewhere before). I cannot remember who or where I actually first saw this idea from, but I wanted to pass it on to you all- not as my idea- but as a good idea.
Pencil Wafer Cookies are a very simple, no baking required, crafty recipe. Perfect, for children of all ages to help with. I have found that each of my children look forward to this back-to-school activity. Inadvertently, it has formed a new back to school tradition.
I like to make these back-to-school pencil wafers as they remind me of my late grandmother- who was also a schoolteacher. When I was a young girl, she would often read stories to me, and sometimes as a special treat… she would give me wafer cookies (vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ones to be exact). This sweet memory seems fitting to remember when making these back-to-school treats.
~Pencil Wafer Cookies~
Pencil wafer cookies only require a few storebought ingredients. You will need vanilla wafers, white chocolate, pink food coloring, and mini chocolate chips. Alternately, you can use pink melting chocolate to remove one step from the process.
There is nothing to this recipe really. I like to take my stack of vanilla wafers and place them on a cutting board. Then, I use a sharp knife to cut two angled slices at the top of the wafer. This creates the pencil point.
After cutting each point, I melted my white chocolate in two separate microwave-safe bowls. One bowl of white chocolate stays white, and the other bowl of chocolate gets a drop of pink food coloring. The white chocolate is then painted on the tip- or point of the pencil. The pink chocolate is painted on the bottom of the pencil- to create the pencil eraser. All that is left to do is to add the mini chocolate chip to the pointed, angled end as this serves as the pencil lead.
Wa-la-an adorable, edible pencil!
The children all love making these and getting covered in chocolaty stickiness with me. Pencil wafer cookies would also make an adorable gift to put in a bag, with a ribbon tied around it, and a sweet note to a new schoolteacher. This activity is one that any age can participate in and enjoy.
~Apple Biscuits~
Apple biscuits are a twist on the classic rollout sugar cookie recipe. This recipe is ideal as I have one child who is a particularly picky eater. He does not eat many fruits, but he will eat applesauce. With this in mind, and with the apple being the iconic elementary school/teacher symbol, I thought it would be fitting to add a bit of apple to an otherwise, classic cookie recipe.
This recipe has apple two ways, in the form of applesauce and in the form of pulverized dehydrated apple slices. You know how we moms are- sneaky when it comes to getting our kids to eat fruits and vegetables. (And yes, I do realize it’s a bit of a stretch to look at apple biscuits as healthy, but…you know.)
In fact, apple is a fun fall ingredient to utilize in many different recipes. I enjoy using applesauce in my baking, as it often adds moisture and a subtle sweet flavor.
Moreover, using a food processor to powder or pulverize any dried fruit is a good trick to have up your sleeve (See my post on pulverizing dried strawberries). Dried fruits, when turned into the powdered version, are perfect for toppings or for sneakily adding fruits to batters and doughs.
Perhaps this is why I enjoy baking so much- you can experiment with different ingredients to suit your individual needs and tastes.
Once these biscuits have been refrigerated, they are ready to be rolled out and cut into shapes. I wanted to cut my apple biscuits into…you guessed it…apples… sadly, I was not able to locate any apple cookie cutters.
In the end, I let the children pick fun shapes to punch into the dough and decorate. Afterall, they are their back-to-school biscuits.
~Apple Biscuit Preparation~
Children love being in the kitchen. Whether they are eating or helping to prepare a meal or treat with you, they can learn so many skills simply by observing you.
Having children involved in the cooking process allows them to take ownership and sometimes encourages the pickiest of eaters to try new foods.
Of course, inviting a child into the kitchen allows for more mess and a bit less precision- but I don’t mind that. In fact, I smile when I feel a little tug on my pant leg. As I look down and see a sweet, little face silently asking me to let them sit on the countertop and be a part of the fun. A short time later, they will be cheekily asking to lick the spoon. Unless of course, I am preparing vegetables- in which case, they won’t ask to sample at all.
~Golden Syrup Glaze~
Now, if you have been following along with my writings, you may remember (from my Golden syrup post), that I said I would be featuring my homemade syrup in my upcoming recipe. This is that recipe.
Apple and caramel pair nicely together, so I thought it would be fun to use my Golden Syrup in place of caramel. I decided to make a delicious glaze to go on top of our apple biscuits.
By using a bit of heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and homemade golden syrup- we created a delicious light glaze to compliment the “hidden” apple in our recipe.
~School- Inspired Vintage Decorations~
So, now that we have covered wafers and biscuits, I wanted to pop in a few school-inspired vintage thrift and antique items that I have been collecting.
I love the thrill of the find -not knowing exactly what will capture my fancy or what treasure will be discovered.
It is obvious by now that I love vintage books. Naturally, that is an easy one to relate to a post about schooling. Equally, I like vintage pen sets, and glass paperweights. I may even have an old Chinese abacus to include.
These items are interesting tidbits that can be used in many interior spaces to add visual interest and intrigue. Think bookshelves, tabletops, and desktops.
All home spaces are an opportunity to add your own creative expression. If you visit a thrift store or antique store, be on the lookout for items that not only capture your eyes- but also your attention. If they beckon you to pick them up, inspect them, and appreciate their beauty, they are surely a worthwhile find. When an item “speaks” to you, it will often make a lovely, storied piece for your collection.
~Until Next Time...~
Again, I hope this post has given you fresh ideas and new perspectives. Treasures are often all round us- if we only take the time to open our eyes and appreciate them.
And remember, worthwhile treasures don’t have to cost a thing. Some of the biggest treasures are those you can hold in your arms and in your heart. So go ahead, bake with someone you love, share a treat with someone you appreciate, and take a moment to learn some new things from God’s world. For, it is filled with both treasures and opportunities.
To conclude, I will add a random picture of a plastic dinosaur in my mixing bowl. This little guy was a surprise “treasure” for me when I opened the bottom drawer.
If you are the mom of a little boy, I see you. If you know, you know. What a sweet little treasure to find.
See you all next Friday!
~Elizabeth~
Love it Lizzie!!
Thank you, we had fun creating. 🙂