Stamped Holiday Aprons as seen on Good Things Utah

Do you know anyone that loves to read cookbooks?  I do - my dear sister-in-law, Jan.  She loves reading all types of books but give her a good cookbook and you might not see her for several hours. 

Stamping a Holiday Apron is a great way to encourage chlidren to want to help in the kitchen. Reading a recipe or copying a recipe onto a recipe card is a fun way of encouraging reading and writing.

This is an easy project that doesn't take a lot of time and the finished product is usable.

Materials Needed: Children's apron (purchase an inexpensive children's apron at Roberts) craft paint in the colors of the season, sticky backed Fun Foam, scissors, paint brush, permanent markers or puff paints, paper plate and a wooden block.

1 – Using sticky backed Fun Foam draw a holiday shape on the paper side of the Fun Foam.

2 – Cut out the shape, remove paper, stick shape onto wooden block.
      (we used a square Kleenex box for our large pumpkin stamp - see picture)
3 – Using the paper plate and your craft paint pour a dime size drop onto the paper plate.
4 – Thin the paint with two or three drops of water.
5 – Using your paint brush, paint the surface of the Fun Foam shape
      (Note: you can use more than one color on the stamp at the same time)
6 – Place the stamp onto the apron and press down firmly – carefully lift stamp trying not to smear the paint.
7 -  Let the paint dry for 30 minutes. Embellish with puff paints or permanent marker.
8 – Allow to dry 24 hours.

Here are five great books to read with your children.

1) And Then Comes Halloween, Tom Brenner, author, Megan Lloyd, illustrator.

This is a fun book about getting ready for Hallowen from craving pumpkins and hanging spooky skeletons to making costumes and trick or treating.

2) Big Pumpkin, Erica Sliverman, author, S.P. Schindler, Illustrator.

A witch plants a pumpkin seed in anticipation of making a pumpkin but when the pumpkin is too big she seeks the help of some wandering characters; a ghost, a vampire, a mummy and finally a little bat that solves her problem.

3) Miss Smith and the Haunted Library, Michael Garland, author.

When Miss Smith takes her class to the library they meet Virgina Creepers, the librarian. They are in for the surprise of their lives when the librarian starts reading Miss Smith's book, The Incredible Storybook and the character from the book come to life.  A fun book for the entire family.

4) The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, Linda Williams,author Megan Lloyd, illustrator.

How does a little old lady solve the problem of a pair of lively shoes, pants,shirt and a pumpkin head chasing her all over the town?  Find out in The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.

5) Too Many Pumpkins, Linda White, author, Megan Lloyd, Illustrator

What if you were so poor that all you had to eat was pumpkins?  That's what Rebecca Estelle has to eat everyday of her life as a little girl.  When she grows up she makes sure she never has to eat or see another pumpkin until one day, an overloaded truck of pumpkins accidently drops a pumpkin in her yard - Splat -  it breaks into pieces.  Rebeccca quickly burries the pumpkin mess only to find that the following fall there's a bumper crop of pumpkins in her yard. Find out how the pumpkin patch ends up benefiting the entire community.