Zaccheaus Sunday school lesson and craft!

Lately, my daughters favorite song is "Zaccheaus was a wee little man..." With that, it's been on my mind allot (of course) so it's ended up being a Sunday school lesson recently which turned out quite well. 

For the lesson: Luke 19:1-10 kjv

Zaccheaus was a small stature man so he couldn't see the Lord. Like with kids, sometimes views are blocked. The goal is, don't let anything stop you from seeing the Lord, tho it may be easy to say I can't or I'm not ... Enough, we are to (like Zachaeus did) move ahead and do what we need to do for the Lord. 

Zaccheaus climbed up in a sycamore tree to be able to see. He was NOT a popular man, as a tax collector and a crooked one at that, people didn't like him. However, the Lord past that way and looked up in the tree an told zaccheaus to quickly come down. Jesus was going to go to his house. 

All the people were bothered and talked about Zachaeus was a sinner. Now, zaccheaus was saved tho and said he was going to return what he took from people unmerited, and return it fourfold. Below you can see the craft we did, cut outs, glue and writing captions next to the scenes it shows a brief storyline of the zaccheaus story. Enjoy and God bless. 

Mercy & Truth Sunday School Lesson *Proverbs 3:3-4*

Having the little 4-6 year old class is such fun, such a blessing. This is the latest lesson we did, I am still a few behind on sharing but I wanted to go ahead and share this one.

PROVERBS 3:3-4

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man."

Mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

Truth: the quality or state of being true.

When I did this lesson it was fun talking to the kids about what they view as the truth and what mercy is. Above, I show you the definitions of the words that are good to talk to the kids about. With my age group I like to use stories to incorporate something to their understanding, like telling the truth for example; Ask them if they have ever lied to mommy or daddy, talk to them about maybe an instance of breaking something and then saying they didn't or so on, then explain the correlation/opposites of truth compared to lies, untruth. 

Mercy is harder to bring to their level, but is very important as it is something that we are instructed to live by, with. Talk to them about how they sometimes have to choice to get revenge or be mean to someone because they were mean to them, and how they can and should choose the opposite, kindness, forgiveness. God's mercy for us is by far unexplainable and unimagineable, it is AMAZING, for us as humans it is much harder to have such mercy. 

CRAFT TIME:

The scripture talks about mercy and truth and that you are to "...bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart..." So, I thought it would be fun to make a necklace, simple and fun! 

What you need:

Card stock paper in any color (we used brown) 

Hole punch

Scissors

Markers

Yarn

Cut out a heart for each necklace (write on this or have the child if they are able "Mercy and Truth" and the scripture) and cut out 2 rectangles or ovals, something to tie to either side of the heart. Punch holes in each side of heart and on each side of the heart. Cut 2 small lengths of yarn to tie between heart and rectangle on each side and then one long length of yarn to tie the length that will make the necklace. Let them color or decorate rectangles and heart if they want. DONE!

Enjoy!

 

DIY Sea shell picture frame *craft*

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Well, we had a great family vacation to the beach recently and had plans to make a memoir craft for the grandparents/aunt & uncle but we were a but delayed. Finally, we were able to get this done and the kids had a blast. If you are looking for something fairly cheap and easy to do with sea shells you find on fun beach trips with the kids, this is it.

What you need:

Bare wood frames 

Craft paint of choice (we used brown)

Foam brush

Hot glue gun

Glue sticks

Picture prints for frame when finished

Shells (rinsed and dried) :)

Brush paint onto frame and let it dry and then select shells (this was the kids favorite part, I had to write on the back of frames with a marker whose was whose because my daughter had specific shells for specific people's frames) arrange on the frame how you want them and then glue around edges of the shells and put in place. So easy, so fun, so cute!

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..." Church craft and Sunday school lesson for children

Growing up I was raised in church and I am proud that my husband and I also have the priority of keeping our children in church. Going to church is not only an opportunity given to us, it is something that I believe is taught in the bible to be something that God wants of us. This is something that is about so much more tho than just going because we "should" it is about being surrounded by the people of God, about learning more from Sunday school teachers and the preacher and keeping studying and living or God at the front of our lives and not tucked away in the closet somewhere. Teaching our children this teaches them those things and also that things of God should always be first in our lives rather than the many things that can show up and take over our lives.

Hebrews 10:25

²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

That one simple verse said it all for what we needed to talk about in class. 

Ask the kids why we come to church?

Here are some talking points, use these to encourage conversation of what each would mean in a "christian" aspect and how we should do these things.

 

-learn

-be together with other believers

-rejoice

-worship

-stay close to God

Also make sure to emphasize the  the "exhorting one another" part, exhorting has a definition of "strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something" this is important because one major part of being a good child of God is encouraging others, making them be better in their own lives by keeping your own faith and supporting theirs. This is such a blessing which comes from being in a close-knit church family, you can count on one another for encouragement in life trials, from medical problems and death or loss all the way to something as simple as having a bad day at work. Also, we can encourage one another to witness, pray, believe, worship, learn and so on. 

Now, craft time!

This turned into one of the classes favorite crafts, it was fun and something they could continue to play with after class too! This craft does take a little more time than the others I have shared for SS Class so plan accordingly.

What you need:

-2 sheets of brown card stock paper

-small piece of tissue paper (any color)

-contact paper cut into 2 even 1.5inch approx. rectangles

-markers

-yellow construction paper

Prep:

Since this would all take a while in the class and I have younger kids I decided to prep some ahead of time.

Fold the brown paper in half width ways and cut a slit in the fold on the bottom going up approx. 1 inch folding the piece that is now freed up on the front and the one on the inside as well (this will serve as the holder for the person). Now, cut the steeple by cutting in around an inch on both sides toward the top (about 2.5 inches down) and then cut to a point at top. Next you will need to cut the doors, this is a little tricky and can be omitted but I think it is a great touch to see the "people" thru the doors. In order to do them you will need to fold in half length ways and cut 2 even slits an inch or a little more apart, then cold width ways and cut the length of the doors between the 2 slits, ta-da! They should be able to open now. Now cut 6 even rectangles out of the brown card stock paper about an inch wide (to be the pews) and cut one small rectangle and a small square (to be the pulpit). Cut the contact paper into the 2 squares and tear off a piece of tissue paper. Now cut a person out of the yellow paper. Put all small pieces into a little snack ziplock to keep it together, do this for each child you plan to have in the class (always do an extra for visitors). 

In class:

Give each child the church template and the bag of small pieces. First, do the windows, tear tiny pieces of tissue to make the "stained glass" and place in the center of the contact paper leaving a little room on edges to stick then place evenly on each side of doors. Glue on the sides only of each flap on the bottom (one on the front and one on the inside too). Write (or let them if they can) "let us go" on the front and "into the house of the Lord" on the inside! Glue the pews into place and the pulpit. Color them black or a darker brown for contrast. Outline the doors and color door knobs, draw a cross on the top of the steeple. And show them the person (to represent themselves) outside the church by placing in the fold of the flap and then inside the church in that fold, opening doors so they can see thru the doors too!

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Shepherd lesson

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Psalm 23

This has always been one of my favorite chapters in the bible so this was fun to do with my little class. Along with this lesson we did a little craft because with little ones that helps so much with driving in the lesson and point, it is fun and it is important too!

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

 We started by talking about a shepherd and what a shepherd did, what a flock was and the relation of these two things to Christ (the shepherd) and the church (the flock). 
       -After talking and letting them participate to understand what you are trying to understand talk to the kids about how God can lead us. Prayer, bible study, going to church, giving us peace, blessings. 
       -"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:" Talk to them about how God, and goodness (blessings) will be with us always!

A short sentiment to talk to the children about listening to God in their own lives and learning to pray for his will and guidance in their trials and good times. 

Now for the craft, all you need is:
1 piece brown card stock (can use regular construction paper if needed)
1 piece green construction paper
1 piece blue construction paper
2 other colors construction paper
Markers


Cut out the staff, and little rectangles for each little part of the verse (we did not put the entire scripture on for the sake of saving space but we wanted to get the highlights) The green paper cut the top to look like grass and the blue cut to look like waves and make sure those get the corresponding parts of the scripture. 

Write the portions on the papers or let the children if they are able and let them glue the pieces together.

Fathers day Sunday school lesson. Tool box card craft.

Sunday School Lesson:

Our heavenly father and our earthly father, Along with a great toolbox card for the kids to give dad as well!

Teaching children about their father can be really fun, same with their mom, they love talking about there parents in the young age groups. 

1 Corinthians 1:3

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

- God is our "heavenly" father. You can talk to the kids about what this means, He is our creator, he cares for us, protects us and loves us. 

Ephesians 6:4

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

-We aren't to pester others, but, to lend a hand to them. Our fathers help us, as they should. 

-FOR BOYS: Learn habits that will help you grow into a Godly father one day to your own kids.

-FOR GIRLS: Learn what are good things, qualities to look for in boys for one day when you look to find your husband.

How is your dad a christian father?

(Let the kids talk, take time to let each of them tell something lovable about their dad)

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it.

CRAFT TIME:

What you need per card- 1 sheet red card stock paper, 1 sheet yellow card stock paper, yellow or black pipe cleaner, marker or pen, scissors, hole punch.

Fold the red card stock in 3's needing one 1.5inch panel and 2 equal panels. (see below) hole punch he top of the card and put thru the pipe cleaner. With the yellow cut out a small piece for the latch area and then cut out a screw driver, wrench, hammer. On the tools I wrote the scriptures we used in the lesson, or you could write qualities they tell you of there dads. HAVE FUN!

Wedding Cake

Country-rustic wedding cake. Must start by saying my mom is beyond talented with cake decorating and I am so glad she is and has taught me so much. Also, my sister in law Kayla is enjoying learning more from her now too so together, the 3 of us (Momma, Kayla and myself) made my cousins wedding cake. Below are several pictures showing the detail and everything about the cake. If I must say so myself, I believe this one turned out pretty well and the bride was happy too!

Folding Car track. Quiet toy for toddler church bag.

Folding Car track for kids.Such an easy little toy to take along in the kids church bag or on a car ride. Great quiet toy and it takes up very little space meaning its good to add in for an extra toy. 

All you need is 1 or 2 sheets of card stock (depending on how big you want the track in one color and 1 in blue, a white crayon, glue and contact paper. 

In the extra color, if you are using 1 sheet cut in 4's (half and then half) and if using 2 sheets cut each in half. Then cut an oval out of the blue and cut the center out of that. Draw white lines down the center of the oval and line up on other paper and cut where page ends (see photo below) then glue each piece in place. Now, measuring the contact paper long enough for the entire track then place the pieces in the correct order on the sticky side with even cracks between pages (about a 1/4 inch or a little more) and then cover with another piece of contact paper. Cut evenly around all the edges and then fold within the spaces between the pages. It will fold very easily!

And, grab a small car, it is complete!

Dry erase re-usable tracing number book. Quiet toddler toy.

Teaching toddlers to write can (and is) tricky. Especially when you want to teach them specifics and they just want to draw. If your child is anything like mine, tracing is a great, FUN way to work with them but this also makes you go thru lots of paper so I made something so we could avoid that. 

So simple and yet it becomes a teaching tool and hours of fun for your child. All you need is card stock paper, contact paper, markers, hole punch, scissors and either pipe cleaners or the key rings you pull apart.

For the paper, either cut into 4's (half and then half again) or you can fold and then tear them (which is what I did because it is easier for me to get it straight). Write with the markers a title page (you can see mine below), and write the numbers, one per page, with lines for tracing. After all numbers are written down cut a large piece of contact paper and another the same size. Laying all of the papers down on sticky side and then covering with the other sheet of contact paper. Press down well to get out all air bubbles and then using the scissors cut around the edge of each card and hole punch two holes in center of top or one in top left corner and put ring or pipe cleaners thru. Add a dry erase marker and voila! The kid love it. We keep it in our daughters church bag and she gets so excited when she sees it, and at 2.5 she is doing great learning to trace her numbers. We also have an ABC one I am working on and will share with you soon.

Note: they do make washable dry erase markers, I highly suggest these for the younger toddlers because even when they are good at writing on paper they forget and that way you can make clean up easier.

Crochet Backyardigans Pablo Hair bow

My Daughter LOVES The Backyardigans, so, this is my latest experiment for her. Learning to crochet is a continuous thing, always picking up something new or figuring out a new design. Wanted to make her each of the backyardigans as a hair clip for her since she loves to where all different hair bows and she is so proud of them. Though I haven't completed the other ones yet, this is the first of them, Pablo.

There is not a pattern to this but I made an oval (belly), a round (head), 2 lines or rows (arms), 2 small ovals (legs), 2 small balls of white (eyes), bowtie, and small yellow ball (nose). Weaving in all loose ends to one another creating the body and design, and working in yellow for the belly. Then I took a hair clip (which I keep on hand for these things) and hot glued it to it. When she woke up that morning she was so excited, and yes she still loves it!

Daniel and the Lions Den Sunday School craft and lesson

Daniel and the Lions Den Sunday School craft/lesson

At church I have the amazing blessing of having the 4&5 year old class. What a fun age right?

This age, while so incredibly fun, can be challenging on keeping attention so it has been my mission lately to find crafts and lessons to be fun for them. They always love to glue stuff right? and cut things too (With the help of an adult if need be)? Yep, they love it all, anything they can do and see themselves creating something. 

As I enjoy teaching my class I thought I might start sharing the things they find fun with you all. Excuse the lack of descriptive pictures that I usually share with my post but because this is a Sunday school craft/lesson I either am making the photos before c:lass with the example craft or I am taking them after class. Not able to take pictures during class and teach and that is first priority there.

 This lesson was on Daniel and the lions den. 

Daniel 6:6-23 KJV

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

² And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
³ Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
⁴ Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
⁵ Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
⁶ Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
⁷ All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
⁸ Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
⁹ Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
¹⁰ Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
¹¹ Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
¹² Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
¹³ Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
¹⁴ Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
¹⁵ Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
¹⁶ Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
¹⁷ And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
¹⁸ Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
¹⁹ Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
²⁰ And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
²¹ Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
²² My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
²³ Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

This story can be rather harsh to teach given that the lions were intended to eat and kill Daniel and for children that might be a bit scary. This is however, reality in the story so in my class, 4 & 5 year old it is a great opportunity to talk about how our amazing Lord and savior can protect us from anything. 

Point 1- The king favored Daniel of the others and they were envious of him. Talk about things the children may be jealous of in their lives (toys that cost too much, not going to kindergarten, less chores, more allowance etc) and let them relate to understand what these men being envious were feeling. And talk about how that is wrong and we shouldn't be like that.

Point 2- Because they were envious and they did seek revenge by convincing the king to put in place the law of no praying for 30 days. This is something we can also place in the child's minds by talking about how we aren't supposed to be mean or seek revenge with people around us in life just because they got something we wanted or made us mad. 

Point 3- Daniel was told not to pray. It was made a law like a rule a kid would relate to in daily life. Even when told not to pray, Daniel followed the law of the Lord instead and prayed, trusting the Lord. Daniel did not even try to hide, he was not ashamed of his faith.

Point 4- Daniel faced his punishment.  He trusted the Lord as he was thrown in the lions den. We may have to face punishment in this world but we need to ALWAYS follow Christ and his lead in our lives.

Point 5- Daniel was saved. As it says in the scripture an angel shut the lions mouth and after the entire night Daniel was still alive.  The Lord will always protect us even in extreme measures. Children may have a hard time relating to a lions den so we can use things they understand but still relating and bringing back the lesson and the story.

CRAFT TIME:

We made a lion out of a few simple craft supplies.
Supplies per 1 Lion head
-Scissors
-Glue stick or hot glue
-Orange Foam Circle
-Yellow Foam Circle
-2 plastic wiggle eyes
-2 orange pipe cleaners
-3 small white puffy balls

Depending on the age and child you may be able to let them cut the orange circle with instruction but cut little bits that can be uneven but similar in depth around the edges of the orange foam circle. Cut the yellow circle down in size to fit in the center of the orange one and glue into place. Draw the mouth onto the yellow circle and then glue the white balls on with 1 above the other 2 and glue the eyes on too. Cut the pipe cleaners to about 2 inch pieces and glue them on as whiskers. Gluing the fuzzy things can be difficult so either use hot glue or use a LOT of glue stick rubbed on the fuzzy part and on the foam piece. Write select verses on the back as a reminder for the kids of the lesson. The verses I chose were ones at the end when the king saw that Daniel was still alive.

 

 

May 12th, 2013 (Mothers Day & Wedding Anniversary)

May 12th, 2013

As I sit here writing this today I cannot help but think how blessed I am. Today (well in 5 minutes or so) is not only my 6th wedding anniversary with my husband but it is also Mothers Day. Having so much to say on both topics I figure I might need to write it tonight as tomorrow will be quite busy!

 

First, lets start with mothers day (since she is a main reason I have anything at all to talk about)... My mother has always been there for me, thru the hard and the good. See, we moved allot and our family was very close knit because of that, my mom and I became best friends growing up. Now I wont say we didn't have differences ever but we have and still do have an amazing relationship. She and my dad raised us in church, she prayed with and for us and always stands by us. She is an amazing woman and I am blessed to know her and to have her as MY momma. That being said, she also taught me how to be a mother, and being a mother is the most amazing experience and blessing in this world. Motherhood is a true miracle and I pray for those I know who are struggling with a desire to begin this journey and for whatever reason cannot. Around about 3 years ago I experienced the most unbelievable pain, we lost our first child due to miscarriage. Never would I wish this pain on anyone, it hurts in a way I cannot describe. We were so excited to have a baby, and then we didn't, it broke our hearts in ways we still cannot completely repair, nor will we. And speaking of mothers day, that first one after losing a baby by miscarriage is painful, akward and more difficult than I could say. It is hard for those around you not knowing what to say and hard for you missing your child. Afterwards it took some time to heal (what parts could heal that is) and with Gods help we began trying again, after 3 months we found out we were expecting yet again. Our daughter, Annabelle, came that November bringing another heaping amount of emotion and love that is growing still today. She has the absolute sweetest personality and at 2.5 years old she will talk, ask you how you are, say "I miss you, love you" without being directed to and even today she sang Happy Birthday to "aunt Kayla" on the phone. Being her mother makes me so proud, she is my little helper I tell people all the time, she will try her best to help people with whatever they are doing, she cleans her room without being asked and loves to do any craft or project for anyone she can. She is our daughter and is absolutely amazing. Next came our son, only a little over 12 months after our daughter we were blessed yet again with a tiny miracle. And yes, I mean tiny... He was 4lb 13oz and 2months premature, after a long 12 weeks of bed rest and countless trips to l&d for premature labor and shots, magnesium, the whole 9 yards to stop it he finally showed up early anyways. With that I must add that I started premature labor at 19 weeks and he was only 2 months preemie when he was born so if that does it tell you what a miracle he is I don't know what would. After he was born I experienced something I never thought I would... I didn't WANT to leave the hospital, I knew when I did he wasn't coming home with me, at least for some time. Leaving your child hooked up to monitors everywhere you can see them and in the care of people (tho highly trained) you have never met before, that is a whole other kind of hard. After walking out of the hospital my husband went to get the truck, I sat on the bench just bawling, how could I leave? He needed me, after all, I am his mom! It took some getting used to and more tears than I know shed over leaving him there but he had to stay, to grow & strengthen, and that he did. Even through Christmas which is my favorite holiday and that made it even harder, we wanted our family together and my daughter was not allowed in the NICU and didn't even meet him until a few weeks old. After a month tho he was doing amazing and was released. The next day, I began life full throttle as a mom of 2 little ones, and I would never change a thing. Our son, Cayden, is a bright eyed little toddler now who is getting so big they he will probably pass his sister soon on size (and she is considered average) and he has more strength than we ever could have imagined and more personality than ever. Also a little helper and such a sweet spirited little boy. My children are miracles, and if you have one either on earth or in heaven, yours are too! Being a mother is and always will be an amazing blessing and responsibility that God has given me and I am forever grateful! No one promised motherhood (or the journey to it) would be easy at all times but it is most definitely the most blessed, meaningful, miracle of a road you will ever travel. Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's out there!

 

And next, I cannot forget today as my anniversary. May 12th marks 6 years I have been married to the most amazing, christian, loving man! And on May 15th it will mark 9 years since we started dating. Today I not only get the honor of seeing him as MY husband but I also get to see him as a father to our 2 wonderful children. Seeing him laugh and play, pray and read and just be 'dad' to them makes me even more proud to be his wife. Loving him comes natural to me, and being his is an amazing blessing and honor. I Love You Charles 'Wally'!

How to make chocolate pudding out of Vanilla mix

Making vanilla pudding mix chocolate!

Ever want Chocolate pudding and only have vanilla mix?

Well, we did, and I had already promised my daughter she could help make a pudding pie which is just not as good with vanilla (in my opinion anyhow). So... We improvised with cocoa powder and powdered sugar. This was an experiment but hey, it was worth it and was a definite hit. The kids ate 2 pieces (sharing) after eating a big supper and for my kids who are not the biggest on sweets to begin with that was allot!

Here is what we did, simple and quick!

1 lg box vanilla instant pudding

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1tbsp powdered sugar

2 1/2c milk

Yep, that's all you need! Mix all the dry ingredients together really well and then mix as the directions on the box tell you too! Now, you may have a great scratch pudding recipe you like to use but for a quick "let the toddler help cook" I love instant pudding and jello it is quick and easy for them to do.

We poured into a chocolate graham cracker crust we made too, you can find the recipe HERE. 

If you prefer, I have also posted a recipe for an original graham cracker crust HERE.

Or, one of my favorites an Oreo/Graham crust, that recipe is HERE

Enjoy... I know a typical pudding pie has whipped cream on it but my daughter really wanted sprinkles!

Graham cracker crust

Graham cracker crust:

2 2/3c Crushed Graham crackers (into fine crumbs)

1/4c sugar

3/4 stick butter melted

Mix the graham crumbs and the sugar together in the pie pan. Melt the butter and pour into the crumb mixture in the pan pressing it all together to moisten all of the dry mix. Then, press to the sides of the pan about 1/4inch thick and the to the bottom making sure to press around the edges good. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes or if your pie recipe calls for a pre-baked crust you can go ahead and fill and then bake according to the recipe.

We also like to make a chocolate one too you can find that recipe HERE. And for another variation we do oreo/graham crust, who doesn't love that combo? You can find that recipe HERE.

Oreo & Graham cracker pie crust

Oreo and Graham crackers combined in an amazing pie crust?... Ummm, yes please!

2c crushed graham crackers (into fine crumbs)

3/4c crushed oreos (into fine crumbs)

1/4c sugar

3/4 stick butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients into pie pan, melt butter and then add to dry mixture. Press together to moisten all the dry ingredients. Press to the sides of the pan first and then to the bottom, being sure to press it well to avoid crumbling. Bake at 325 for 15minutes or fill and bake according to pie recipe.

HERE is an original graham cracker crust recipe (my grandmothers very best). 
 And HERE is a chocolate graham cracker variation too. Enjoy!

Chocolate graham cracker crust

Here is a variation of graham crust we enjoy especially with a chocolate pudding pie!

2 2/3c crushed graham crackers (into fine crumbs)

2tbsp cocoa powder

1/4c sugar

3/4 stick butter

Mix dry ingredients well in pie pan, then melt the butter and pour into dry mix. Pressing and mixing together to ensure the dry ingredients are all moistened. Press to the sides of the pan first then to the bottom being sure to press well to avoid crumbling. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes or fill and bake according to pie recipe. 

Also, I would like to share our original graham cracker crust HERE and our oreo/graham cracker crust HERE. Enjoy!