Quick Breakfast Treat!

Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Bars

This hearty bar is easily handheld for breakfast on the go. We used berries in our version, but it's equally tasty with peeled and chopped peaches, nectarines, or plums.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Crust and Topping:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
2 1/2 cups quick-cook oats
2 tablespoons apple or orange juice

Filling:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
3 1/2 cups (18 ounces) fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan.

2. Add the flour, light brown sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice to combine, then add the butter and pulse five or six more times until coarse crumbs form. Add the oats and pulse two or three more times.

3. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set it aside. Add the juice to the remaining mixture and pulse three or four times until it's just moistened. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup.

4. For the filling, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Add the fruit and lemon juice and gently toss the mixture using a rubber spatula until the fruit is coated. Distribute the filling over the crust. 5. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the filling. Bake the dish until the top is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours, then cut the sheet into 16 bars. Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Recipe from familyfun.com

It's Playtime!

Summer may be coming to a close, but when you have young children at home, playtime is forever! Here are a few tips we found to help playtime become more than just passing the time.

Top 10 Tips for Playing with Toddlers and Preschoolers
Taken from Homelife Magazine, October 2009

1. Make it fun.
2. Know your child's prefrences, temperment, moods, and his or her favorite toys and activites.
3. Keep playtime short, about 10 minutes or less.
4. Create age-appropriate activities.
5. Make eye contact; use an animated voice while giving directions.
6. Repeat games many times, and gradually increase the challenge.
7. Be persitant and constistent in playing parent-child games.
8. Develop the total child by working on fine and gross motor skills as well as cooridination, balance, strength, and flexibility.
9. Be organized and well prepared for game play.
10. Leave your child asking for more!

Does your family have a before bed activity that you play with your child? Share it with the GLC family here on the blog! We love hearing new ideas from our student's families.