I wish I could tell you that since this week is National Turn Off Your TV week that I had fun non-TV activities planned for every night of the week. The bad news though (and the honest answer) is that I don’t. The good news is that boys are thinking of things to do on their own.
We are in the process of training our puppy, and are going through a lot of dog treats. So tonight we made homemade dog treats. The boys have wanted to do this for a while and there never seemed to be a good time. I like the idea of making something ourselves. For one thing it’s cheaper. But I also like them to know that you can make just about anything with the right recipe. These are very easy recipes, even toddlers could help. I like these projects because it feels like as a family we are taking care of our family pet.
Tiny Treats
2 and 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup oil
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup grated cheddar or Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup powered milk
Mix it all in a big bowl. Let the kids use their fingers to mush it all together. Spread it onto a greased cookie sheet. Teach the kids how to use a pastry wheel and cut the treats into squares or triangles. Or you can use a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave them in for a few hours to harden.
Puppy Pops
4 cups of fruit juice (we used mixed berry)
1 banana
½ cup plain yogurt
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into small paper cups and freeze. When frozen, tear off the paper. These are great for dogs on hot days. You may want to make something similar for the kids.
While the treats were baking and freezing, my boys played hide and seek with the dog. They hide and call her, and she comes to find them.
If your kids haven’t read Arthur’s TV Trouble, it’s a great book to combine with making dog treats and with TV free week. In this book Arthur learns the hard lesson that things on TV aren’t always what they seem to be and that you shouldn’t always believe commercials.
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