I love handprint crafts for kids because they are fun to make (kids love putting their hands in paint) and they become keepsakes that I will cherish reminding me how little my children once were.  I still have a Christmas handprint craft my son made with his babysitter (I was teaching full time then) when he was 6 months old and I treasure it.  It reminds me of how tiny and precious he was. He is still precious, but at 8 years old he is keenly aware that Mommy is embarrassing and won't let me hug and kiss him in public anymore.  Well most of the time, I did get an arm around him in church on Sunday.  

Since my four year old and the little boy that I watch part time love to craft, I got out the paints and some poster board and helped them make handprint and footprint turkeys the other day.  They had a blast and painted for at least an hour while we let the handprints dry.  

I mixed some yellow and red tempura paint to make orange, then swirled some more yellow in to give their handprints a mottled mixed color effect.  

I then helped them position their handprints on the poster board.  We let these dry for about an hour, then made footprints.  

I very carefully dipped their little feet in paint then positioned them on the turkey to make the turkey body.  I had baby wipes near by and quickly wiped the boys' feet off before they could run around with a painted foot.  We let the paint dry during nap time so that it would be completely dry before moving on.  

Then I cut waddles out of red construction paper and beaks out of orange craft foam and the boys helped me glue them on.  For fun we added wiggly eyes.  I think they turned out really cute and the boys had such fun making them.  
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​Back when I taught Family and Consumer Science, I used to have my students make this recipe to expose them to zucchini and show them that it was actually delicious.  I know it's not the same as eating zucchini as a vegetable, but it was a start.  Many of them had never eaten zucchini and thought it was really strange, but when they tried the finished product they always liked it.  

Now my boys enjoy these for a healthy snack.  Well, healthy except that they do have a lot of sugar.  I have been experimenting with alternative sugars and made this batch with coconut sugar instead of using granulated white sugar.  Honestly, I think they taste just as good with coconut sugar as they do with granulated sugar. 

These really are delicious and stand alone without any added frosting.  They never last long around our house.  

Ingredients:
​1/2 cup real butter softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)
1 3/4 cups coconut sugar, sugar, or sucanat
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup ground flax (optional)
2 cups shredded zucchini 
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (regular size works too)

1.  In a mixing bowl cream butter, oil and sugar.
2.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla, mixing well.
3.  Combine flour, ground flax (optional), cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Then add to the creamed mixture.
4.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
5.  Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  
6.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.  

Home Economics Classroom Recipe
In a Home Economics classroom with 5 or more kitchens of students making this recipe, I used a 1/2 recipe for each kitchen.  Halving recipes insured that food was never wasted and that our food budget went further.  The kids gained more hands on experience because we could afford to cook more often. 

Here is a half recipe for use in the classroom.  

1/4 cup butter softened (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup shredded zucchini 
2 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.  In a mixing bowl cream butter, oil and sugar.
2.  Add eggs, milk and vanilla, mixing well.
3.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Then add to the creamed mixture.
4.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
5.  Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  
6.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Makes about 1 dozen cupcakes.