Batter Up With Tasty Summer Treats

MISSION, KS--(Marketwired - Apr 25, 2013) - (Family Features) Nothing says summer more than baseball, America's favorite pastime, and refreshing frozen treats. During these warm months, find the kids something fun to do to fill their days of leisure.

Here are five super summer activities sure to be a grand slam for your family. Encourage your kids to think beyond the couch, and add a little excitement to their summer routine.

• Make it a triple play in your backyard by setting up the sprinkler, playing limbo with the water hose and laying out a tarp for a do-it-yourself water slide area.
  
  
• Gather up the team for a visit to your local library. This is a perfect way to get some of their summer reading completed.
  
  
• Hit a home run with ice necklaces and bracelets. Freeze flowers and other baubles in an ice tray with a ribbon dangling into each cube. As the jewelry melts, your kids will cool down in style.
  
  
• Cover your bases by always keeping cold treats stocked and ready in the freezer. Fun, fruity ice pops are always a favorite.
  
  
• Score big by making your own homemade lemonade or sun tea. Kids can get creative by adding fresh fruit or other favorite flavors.
  
  

Step up to the plate for fun
Your kids will love these summertime recipes, inspired by a partnership between Bomb Pop and Little League Baseball and Softball. You'll score big when you invite the kids into the kitchen to create edible bats, their favorite baseball players and a super sweet scoreboard.

Arrange the sugar candy letters GUEST and HOME across the treats, placing number next to each for the score. Place treats on dessert plate. Place a Bomb Pop on each side of "scoreboard" as posts. Serve immediately.

Place graham cracker crumbs on a large plate. Melt candy coating according to package directions; quickly spread on all sides of Bomb Pop. Roll immediately in graham cracker crumbs, pressing to stick to Bomb Pop. Press cut side of marshmallow onto narrow end of Bomb Pop to resemble baseball bat knob. Eat immediately or freeze until serving time.

Cut a thin slice off one long side of each strawberry. Hollow out center to fit on end of Bomb Pop. Place a dab of frosting where the strawberry begins to taper to a point, and attach sugar letter. Set aside. Working quickly, place 2 dabs of frosting for the eyes, and press a candy coated chocolate piece on each. Attach each graham cracker half with frosting for arms. Place a strawberry baseball helmet on top of each Bomb Pop. Serve immediately.

About Family Features Editorial Syndicate
This and other food and lifestyle content can be found at www.editors.familyfeatures.com. Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for use in print and online publications. Register with no obligation to access a variety of formatted and unformatted features, accompanying photos, and automatically updating Web content solutions.