Louisiana Swamp Snack and Books

We are currently studying the state of Louisiana.  I put together a swampy snack for C and R.  The swamp is vanilla pudding with a few drops of green food coloring.  There are a few candy rocks in the swamp, as well as gummy worms and alligators. 

I made the alligators by covering Nabisco sugar wafers with melted green Wilton candy melts. 

For the eyes, I attached tiny pieces of green jelly beans while the green candy was still melted, and added white icing with a toothpick. 

I also used the toothpick to dot on a tiny bit of black gel icing for the pupils.  White icing also worked to make a few teeth on the alligators.

C loved the snack and ate every bite.  R declared it gross (it's a swamp, isn't it supposed to be gross?) and gave it to T.

We followed snack time with two swamp books.

Swamp Song by Helen Ketteman is a fun rhyming book that begins with Old Man Gator tapping his toes.  Soon all of the animals are moving and grooving to a swampy beat.

Catfish Kate and the Sweet Swamp Band by Sarah Weeks is another fun rhyming book.  Catfish Kate and her all-girl band liven up the bayou with their music, but the boys want quiet in the swamp so they can read.  Is the swamp big enough for the girls and the boys?  This is a fun book about compromise and conflict resolution.

Speaking of Louisiana and swamps, have you seen the show Swamp People on the History Channel?  I don't know why, but I am so intrigued by the show.  I can't even imagine spending my life catching alligators on the swamp.  You can watch full episodes about the people who depend on the Louisiana swamps to make a living by clicking on the link in the first sentence of this paragraph, or you can purchase the DVD through Amazon* using my link below. 

*I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a tiny commission if you purchase anything through my links.  This does not affect the cost of your purchases.