Even though they’ve been closed for a few months, Disney has done so much to bring their brand of magic home to us while we’re staying away from all the germs. They’re scheduled to reopen with restrictions this coming Saturday, but we won’t be heading to the parks any time soon, so we decided to bring the parks to us- and you- until we can grace their gates again! This week I’m adding in a few snack recipes too, because we all know Mickey Mouse shaped everything is one of the most fun things about going to Disney! Toodleoo!
-Mickey Pancakes: Nothing brings a little magic to an ordinary morning like Mickey pancakes! You simply make them by pouring three circles in your pan instead of one- a large one for the head and two smaller ones for the ears! Top with syrup- or whipped cream and sprinkles for an extra special treat! I added 1/4 cup of chia seeds and 1 1/2 cups of blueberries to the batter (it was a double batch) before cooking too to up the healthy factor a bit! I got the pancake recipe from my Disney Princess cookbook- which has been a family favorite for recipes since before we had kids- I highly recommend it! You can even have your little help pour and mix the ingredients, and with older preschoolers you can throw in a great lesson on fractions! Now that’s what I call yummy!
–DIY Mickey ears: A trip to the parks isn’t complete without a set of the iconic Mickey ears! You can easily make your own with a headband, some markers, Disney stickers and construction paper (or craft foam). Just fold the construction paper in half, place a small bowl on the fold and trace a circle with the bottom of the circle being part of the fold. Do this twice- one for each ear. Cut the circles out and have your little decorate them with markers or Disney stickers. Then attach them to the headband by taping or gluing them together around the headband.
–Pixie dust sensory play: throw a few cups of sugar and some sprinkles into a cake pan. Give your little scooping tools like measuring cups and spoons or play dishes and let them explore!
–Mickey color match: Since my toddler is edging his way closer to two, I decided to try some color sorting! I cut various colors of construction paper in half, folded one of the halves so I could cut out more than one Mickey at a time and traced my Mickey cookie cutter on it. I cut out the traced Mickey then grabbed my uncut construction paper half and the Mickeys (I used two colors at a time that were high contrast) and sat with him on the floor. I showed him how the red Mickey goes on the red paper and the blue Mickey goes on blue with my words and actions. Then I said, “Now you try!” and gave him one Mickey at a time. I was so surprised when he sorted all of them correctly! He kept asking for “more” so we did all of the colors, two at a time!
–Snow White’s “Poison” Apple: We love all the fizzy activities at our house, so when I saw this on Little Bins for Little Hands I knew we had to give it a try! You simply cut out the core of a nice red apple, mix a package of green jello with a cup of baking soda, fill the core with the powder mixture and let your little squirt vinegar into the apple! The jello cuts the vinegar smell pretty nicely (thank you Fun a Day for the jello tip!) and unlike Snow’s apple, this one is 100% taste safe! (My little even ate the apple after we were done playing with it- and after I washed it off of course!)
–Mickey and pals tong pick up: This is a great fine motor activity! I put some Mickey toys we had on hand on the floor and had my little pick them up with tongs and put them in a small bin. Our tongs are kind of hard to use so I had to help him pinch them shut, but he did it over and over for like ten minutes!
–Mickey cookies: We usually just do sugar cookies for Christmas, but since I had the cookie cutter for a bunch of other activities, we decided to make and decorate some Mickey cookies! This is a great activity to do when it’s just TOO hot to play outside because it takes awhile- by the time you mix, roll, cut, bake and frost it’s probably a few hours long activity! You can just use your favorite sugar cookie and frosting recipe! Mickey sprinkles add a super cute touch! You can get a Mickey cookie cutter and sprinkle set on Amazon for like $10!
–Minnie’s ribbon pull: This has been a favorite in our house for months so I wanted to share it here for those of you who’ve never tried it! You just take a large empty container (you can also do a mini version with a spice container), drill holes in the top, poke various colors and patterns of ribbons through the holes, knot each end and screw the lid back on the jar. Then let your little pull the ribbons out! When they’re done you can put the ribbons back in place by removing the lid and pulling them the other direction. My kids both pull this out at least once a week- we just leave it in the toy cupboard! I got the idea on Pinterest from Sophia Oikonomou!
–DIY Dole whips: These are seriously SO yummy- at the park and at home! Since discovering the recipe a few months ago I think we’ve made them 3 or 4 times! I got the recipe at Disney in Your Day and modified it by using a whole can of canned pineapple, 1 cup of canned coconut milk (so it’s more creamy), 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice. You blend it well to get any of the pineapple fibers smooth (at least 30 seconds if not 1 minute) then put the mixture in a Gallon Ziplock bag and pop it in the freezer for about an hour. When it’s frozen, put it in a cup and add a little whipped cream on top- such a yummy summer treat!
–Pixie dust sensory bag: I love everything that glitters, and this sensory bag is a fun way to play with glitter and not have a giant mess around your house! Just put some water and glitter in a quart sized Ziplock bag, throw it in another bag (if you’re worried about leaks) and let your little play and explore the squishy texture, the crinkly sound and the swirling sparkles!
–Shopping/supply list:
- glitter
- apple
- baking soda
- green jello
- vinegar
- headbands
- Disney stickers
- gallon Ziplock bag
- quart Ziplock bag
- pineapple
- coconut cream
- sugar
- lemon juice
- sprinkles (preferably Mickey)
- tongs
- small Disney toys
- small container or bin
- pancake ingredients/toppings
- sugar cookie ingredients/toppings
- Mickey cookie cutter
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