Favorite Handpainted Gift Idea

This handpainted gift idea is sure to delight any lucky recipient! This picture lift-the-flap book is fun and simple to make. Below you will find step by step instructions for making an art lift-the-flap book of your own! It’s turning into my favorite season.  A season of coming awake, becoming alive again, and renewal of […]

Map Learning Activity for Kids

Teaching your children about map skills starts with knowing the basics.  So I start with the cardinal directions!  A simple game of Simon Says can turn into a wonderful treasure hunt with a bonus of always knowing which direction to point to find the North Star! This map learning activity is sure to teach your kids […]

Valentine’s Day Montessori Trays

Valentine’s day is a time of giving and a time of love.  Getting our kids into the spirit of the holiday is often hard without a moose-sized dose of sugar.    But we can easily turn the things they normally do into special holiday crafts that create adorable keepsakes (and even better memories) with a […]

A Groundhog’s Day Treat

Groundhog’s Day is not a holiday on everyone’s calendar.  But it has a special place in my heart and in the hearts of my children.  Come and have an every day celebration with your kids while cooking this special Groundhog’s Day treat! My mother was the queen of obscure holidays.  We even had a book […]

10 Kids’ Thanksgiving Stories to Enjoy

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to keep things cooking for Inner Child Food. These kids’ Thanksgiving stories are wonderful additions to the autumn book basket or story time around the holiday table! My kids love having a book basket of seasonal stories that they can read when I am busy.  A little bit […]

Fall Dessert Ideas: Quick & Easy Mini Handpies

Fall dessert ideas are on the brain as the chill fills the air. Handpies are always something I think of when I think of fall.  Pumpkin patches and apple turnovers just seem to go hand in hand.  These handpies are SO easy that you can have your whole family help (yes, even the 2 year […]

Yummy Fall Breakfast Muffins

In the gardener’s calendar year, September and October are the busiest by far!  My kids and I gather new foods from the yard every day.  Summer squash, zucchini, and tomatoes are still trickling in.  And by now the pears, apples, carrots, kale, and of course, pumpkins are pouring in by the bucketful!  It would seem […]

The Elements of a Perfect Book Nook

One of the best ways I encourage reading at my house is to make a cozy place where my kids can curl up with no screen in sight.  A kid sized spot, where books are always handy and the lighting is always good.  Book nooks are easy to create with things you have on hand.  […]

Apple Taste Test and Graph Activity

Using seasonal favorites is something I do a lot of in homeschooling.  Each year we do something with apples, then pumpkins, then turkeys, then snowflakes and so on.  It creates a rhythm of the year that the kids can rely on.  I love teaching my kids with food related themes, so right now, it’s all […]

Whole Wheat Mini Apple Pies

    Whole wheat, mini apple pies   Preheat oven to 400* Basic whole wheat pie crust (Great recipe here) 3 apples (we used our leftovers from the Apple Taste Test) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 Tbs cinnamon 1 tea ground cloves 3 Tbs cold butter 1/2 cup water   Cut […]

A Year-at-a-Glance Calendar for Your Homeschool Year

We all have great ideas for our kids school year as homeschoolers, but if we tried to start every great idea on day #1 of school our kids (and us!) would burn out very quickly.  For this reason, I started to use this year-at-a-glance calendar to plan the things I want to get to this […]

Honey orange couscous (Egypt)

Across Northern Africa couscous is served as a dinner item, but in Egypt couscous is often served as a sweet treat or side dish.  Pasta for desert!  Could you imagine? You have been through the USA, Japan, Italy, and now Egypt!  What a trip!  I hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have […]

The Pros and Cons of Becoming a Homeschooler

Homeschooling is becoming a popular choice.  It gives the children a flexible schedule and allows the curriculum to cater to the individual child.  Is homeschooling the right choice for you?  Well, that all depends.   I was brought up in the public school system.  K – 12 I went in and out of a school house […]

How to Make Simple Sushi (Japan)

Making sushi doesn’t have to be hard or complex.  Everything you need to make sushi can be found at an Asian market in your area.  However – because I know that all of our readers have little ones in tow, (So do I!), I am going to write this tutorial for the ‘I can only […]

Daigku Imo or Candied Sweet Potatoes (Japan)

Kids’ Culinary Passport – Cook and craft around the world! Japan is your next stop on your Kids’ Culinary Passport here at Inner Child Food! My children and I enjoy just about everything from Japan.  We love the food, the culture, and the crafts!  Most people know that rice is very popular in Japan.  In […]

How to Buy Organic on a Budget

When making food for our family, we want the best possible ingredients that we can get.  Sometimes, eating a healthy, organic diet while also staying within a budget can be a real challenge.  Here are some practical tips that have helped me master those grocery aisles for the healthiest foods I can feed my family […]

Exploring Nature with Books

 The best part about summer for me is getting outside with my children!  I love watching their eyes light up when they pop a wild berry into their mouths or find a snail along a forest trail.  We spend hours and hours outside each day, sometimes doing more formal learning such as species identification and […]

Quick Pan-Fried Potatoes with Thyme Recipe

Having super quick dinners under your belt is a great asset for any mom.  Let me give you one more 30 minute meal your kids will love! We’ve all been there.  5:30pm.  Standing at the fridge.  Staring at the stuff inside (that may or may not be green and growing) wondering what in the world […]