I forgot how much my kids can eat until they were home from school…all summer! Instead of padlocking the pantry, I decided to come up with a new way to make snacktime a fun, creative activity for the whole family — and a treat!

Let’s call it the ROAR POUR after our family’s first attempt at making popsicles for Boone’s dragon-themed birthday. And because if the kids got too close to overfilling the popsicle bag, they were sure to hear mom roar!

Remember those plastic, sugary Fla-Vor-Ice pops from your childhood? Thinking back, I can sense the anticipation of the scissors clipping the top, the corners of the plastic hitting the roof of my mouth, the pleasure of slurping the final “juices.” Okay, it was totally sugar water. And it wasn’t summer without them!

How could I deny this sugary fun to my children?! Well, what if I told you there’s a fun, healthier option that even involves a little brain exercise? Snack-time can truly be guilt-free for the entire family! Join the Millers in THE ROAR POUR – a fun family activity to create your own popsicles… and please SHARE your creations in the comments!

THE ROAR POUR

1. Buy plastic tubes for pops online. Amazon sells them in packs of 100 (or more). I used the Evermate brand because it came with the funnel. It made for an easier pour if you don’t have one already.

2. Purchase your favorite juice. If you want a healthier version, you can dilute the juice with water. We used V8 juices to sneak in some veggies. Who knew sweet potatoes and carrots could make a yummy pop?! Our favorite was the peach-mango flavor, which we called “Peachy Summer.”

3. Have your Sharpie ready to dream up fun, creative names for your pops to write on the pop bags. We created everything from “Heat Wave” to “Frog Tongue.” You can get the kids to practice writing the names on the bags too!

4. Pour to the fill line and ROAR away as you try not to spill! You can measure ahead if you like less of a roar.

5. Store the pops in the freezer and enjoy at your family’s pleasure. These pops will truly lift everyone’s spirits in the heat of a summer’s day!