Children love chocolate, so why not turn it into the starting point for some delicious and fun craft activities for kids? Use chocolate as a tempting bait to lure children into craft activities, the results will surprise and delight you all.
Chocolate Spoons
These are a great idea for crafts that can be wrapped and presented as gifts for special people. For this project you need:
- A selection of plastic spoons (plain white is fine but coloured spoons are very effective)
- Chocolate- don’t skimp on the quality of chocolate, the results are much better if you buy good chocolate.
- Some pretty decorative materials e.g. chocolate sprinkles, hundreds and thousands or icing writing pens.
- Cellophane and florists ribbon for gift wrap.
Start by making sure that the spoons are all clean and dry. Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave but take great care to make sure you don’t overheat it as it will separate and become unusable.
When the chocolate is warm and creamy, fill the bowl of each spoon with a good drizzle of chocolate. Now support the ‘arm’ of the spoon onto a raised surface so the chocolate can dry into the bowl and stay level.
When the chocolate has set, it’s time to let the children go to town with the decorations. Use icing pens, to create swirls and dots of ‘glue’ before finishing these pretty gifts with sugar decorations.
Finally, wrap each spoon into a twist of cellophane and secure with florists ribbon. Add a small label to explain to the lucky recipient that with one dunk into a hot drink, the chocolaty gifts turn into a spoonful of heaven!
No Bake Cake
Baking with children can be fraught with the dangers of hot ovens and cake tins. Try a Chocolate No-Bake Cake, often called Tiffin. You’ll need to melt the chocolate but once that’s done- no danger involved, except perhaps eating a bit too much of the finished result!
- 100g butter or good margarine.
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 250g biscuits (shortbread or digestive are the best choices, although ginger nuts add an extra spiciness to the finished cake)
- 150 g mixed fruit- this could be raisins, sultanas, glace cherries or even dried apricots.
- 200g good quality milk chocolate.
Start by gently melting the butter and golden syrup together in a bowl.
Time for the kids to get physical with a rolling pin and the biscuits, wrapped in a large polythene bag. Don’t let them go too mad though, you’re not looking for crumbs just lots of crushed biscuit pieces to add texture to the cake.
Now mix the melted ingredients with the biscuit and the fruit, mix thoroughly and turn out into a shallow buttered cake tray or tin.
Finally, melt the milk chocolate and spread over the top of the cake.
Finish with extra chocolate sprinkles, decorations or sweets.
Finish the cake by placing it in the fridge to firm up for a few hours, clear all the chocolate off the kids then enjoy the results!
Fruity Chocolate
OK, so chocolate isn’t the healthiest snack in the world but you can try using it to make fruit more appealing to young children. If they have had a hand in preparing their snacks, they are more likely to try new tastes and flavours.
Cut the fruit into small portions or segments and dip into melted chocolate before placing on a tray and cooling in the fridge.
Some lovely fruit to try with chocolate include:
Chocolate and craft projects are a winning combination with children. Try out some new ideas and combine fun with cooking by picking out a really interesting craft project for them to try.
