Fairy Pops

This project actually started out as strawberry limeade. We pureed about five cups of strawberries, juiced three limes, mixed in two cups of sugar, five or six cups of water, and a few sprigs of mint. We chilled it for a while, and then I served up small sample drinks to the children. I thought it was pretty good, a nice taste of summer. The children didn't care for the texture.

Not willing to give up on sharing something as summery sounding as strawberry lemonade (they didn't like the name limeade either, so I figured it was close enough to call it lemonade), I poured it through a strainer to get all the little bits of seeds, and pulp out. The remaining juice looked a little thick and syrupy to me, so I diluted it with a few more cups of water, and doled out another set of samples. The children liked it better, but still were not sold.

So, I washed up a few recycled communion glasses, that we keep around for building toys, and we set about making popsicles. We used the communion glasses, because I wanted to keep the samples small, so if the children didn't like them, the juice wouldn't be wasted (remember, I liked the stuff). After the first sampling recieved rave reviews, we made more.

And, why did we call them fairy pops? There was just something about their shape that begged for a viola collar, mint leave wings, and a strawberry head. Suddenly, we were in the middle of a craft project, short lived mind you. Tiny popsicles don't last long.

Maybe, when the children are older, we'll sit on the back deck, enjoying glasses of strawberry lemonade together. But, in the meantime, here are a few of our favorite strawberry fairy pops. It's a different kind of summer memory, but still a good one.

It's great to be a homeschooler.