Kitchen Experiments for Kids

Make the most of your holidays with easily available ingredients from the kitchen. Slip on your aprons, take out your kitchen instruments, and get ready to experiment with regular kitchen ingredients for some incredible outcomes!

Science!! by Jinx!

DELICIOUS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM -

Making ice cream is one of those science experiments for kids that they will conduct with utmost sincerity because it’s difficult to find a kid who doesn’t love ice cream. You will need 2 sandwich bags, 2 gallon-sized bags, 1/2 cup half-&-half, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, ice, 1/2 cup of rock salt, and winter gloves for the fun science experiment. Pour half a cup of half-&-half into a sandwich bag.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag.  Place your bag into another sandwich bag and seal. Put the double-bags inside a gallon-sized bag and add ice and 1/2 cup of rock salt. Seal and place this bag inside another gallon-sized bag. Put on winter gloves and start shaking. Take turns with other family member to shake the bags for 15-20 minutes. When done, you will have nice, fluffy vanilla ice cream inside the sandwich bag to savor!

How does the ice cream form?

Salt is considerably known to bring down ice’s melting temperature. Instead of melting at 0 degrees Celsius, the rock salt causes the ice to melt at a temperature much lower, depending on the amount of salt.  This helps you freeze the ice cream mixture below the normal 32 degrees.

SQUISH, SQUEEZE GUMMY BEARS -

Gummy bears are our favorites! We love to eat them as much as we love to squish and squeeze them. Try putting gummy bears into shot glasses with different liquids and note how they react! You can experiment with the following liquids - water, salt water, vinegar, and a mixture of baking soda and water. Soak the gummy bears into these solutions overnight. Don’t forget to measure the height and mass of the bears before and after the science experiment. If the experiment was conducted right, then you will have the following results –

• Gummy bear in water will bloat up, but without any change in color.
• Gummy bear in salt water will shrink.
• Gummy bear in vinegar will grow the most and turn fragile.
• Gummy bear in vinegar will grow slightly and lose color.

Why do the gummy bears change shape and color?

All of the gummy bears grew or contracted due to osmosis. The gummy bear in vinegar dissolved its entire gelatin which made them fall apart! You can repeat the experiment with varied amounts of salt, a solution of diluted vinegar, or sugar solution and note your observations!

Science experiments for kids can be a wonderful learning experience as kids have always loved hands-on experiences. Try the simple science experiments at home with kids and help them learn with fun!

Reposted from https://funkidsgames.beep.com/index.htm

3 Activities for Father's Day

Father's Day is celebrated to honor fathers world over and the date might vary from country to country. In the US it's celebrated on the third Sunday of June from 1966 on, although it was officially recognized from 1972 by Presidential order. Generally mothers help out kids with buying a nice gift for their father unless they decide on a made-at-home-gift. Some kids give the gift a lot of thought and find just the right one for their father.

By Marines from Arlington, VA, United States (Father's Day) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Maybe this year could be all about bonding and spending time together. The kid(s) and the father could pick one from this list of 3 activities:

1. Enjoy an activity: Find a fun Father's Day Craft activity that the kids could get together with their father and make. At the end of it the kids could gift it to the father. The gift is taken care off, but most importantly the father can enjoy some quality time with the kid(s). Many fathers do spend a lot of time with their kids, but if they are the busy types, then this is time they will definitely put aside for their little ones.

2. Enjoy the outdoors: When the kids are younger it's an excellent idea to spend time with them outside the house just walking or cycling. These are simple pleasures which get the kids out into the open. A good dose of Vitamin N can do wonders for young kids. It builds hunger, gets them wonderful exercise, enriches their sensory system and helps kids build a bank of wonderful warm memories. This is what they fall back upon when they go through tough times after they are all grown up.

3. Have a cartoon or movie night: This can be fun especially if there is access to online content. The kids can pick some cartoons from their father's childhood with help from their mother or any other grownup. Help the kids set it up. Keep some popcorn and juice all ready. Once the father is ready to settle down, get comfy in front of the couch and start it rolling. Imagine his surprise when cartoons from his childhood start playing. Enjoy the evening.

Whatever the kids decide, do remember that as a mother you'll have to put in some effort to organize things. In the melee don't forget that the grownups need to wish their fathers!

Easter Worksheets and Easter Eggs

With Easter around the corner, families are getting busy for the celebration. Chocolate eggs are flying off the shelf in stores and families are planning meals and shopping for them. Although a religious celebration, many join in for its cultural aspect, especially if there are kids at home. The once homely celebration is now quite the commercial hullabaloo.

Easter Eggs from Tracy Hunter

Keeping Kids Busy

Most parents get busy around the holidays. They use the extra holiday to catch up on long pending chores and cleaning up the house. It's also a time when parents and kids can bond over some play and food.

Here are a few things parents can do to keep the kids busy while they wrap up their chores:

1. Get the kids to work on a simple craft on their own.
2. Start a drawing activity and let them finish.
3. Parents who want their kids to use their time constructively could print out some science worksheets
4. Give the kids some simple chores to help with the big meal.
5. Ask the kids to lay the table
6. Get the kids to put together some table decoration.
7. If your guests have kids, get the kids to come over early if possible, so they can hang out together.
8. If they like online games, let them play it for a while.
9. If the kids would rather just read, let them enjoy their time.
10. Ask the kids to put together some active Easter games.

Make sure the kids and the adults don't consume too much chocolate with all its sugar. Do make sure you do not waste the chocolate for it's a water intensive product. If kids are kept engaged, there is a lower probability of their getting cranky. It's a holiday. Bond with the kids. These are precious moments which will never come back. Happy Easter to all of you!

3 Valentines Day Craft Ideas from Nature

Valentines Day is a good time to get the kids to make gifts. There's something special about hand made gifts. They may not look as classy as store bought gifts, but they are personal and each piece is unique. When kids make them, each gift will definitely look different!

From historic times people have made gifts using materials from nature such as flowers, leaves, twigs, bark, seeds, natural colors etc. It's a good time to get the child to leave behind online games and get excited about Nature. Here are 3 gifts you could get the kids to try and make using easily available material from the great outdoors: 

1. Twig Figurine

13254b Grand Canyon_Split-Twig Figurine by Grand Canyon National Park

The figurine in the image is part of the oldest record of human occupancy in the Grand Canyon. It's supposed to be over 4000 years old. Anthropologists think they were part of the rituals ancient people performed to get the blessings of the spirits of the animals. Making a craft like this one is a great way to get kids interested in both a spot of history and in the variety of things nature offers to make things. Kids can learn about seeing form in twigs, using the strength of grass to tie things down or weave and understanding the nature of materials. All that kids need is collecting twigs, grass or some bark strips. 

2. Dried Flower Cards

hydrangea for drying by dogeared

This craft involves many parts of learning for a child when they go out into the outdoors. They learn about the plant they are collecting, colors, pigments etc. Kids can collect and dry flowers, twigs and leaves. Then they can figure out ways to use them. One of the simplest gifts is to make a dried flower card. People who receive them will happily keep the card for a long time. 

3. Twig-o-mobile

Kids like to collect twigs and small branches with or without leaves. They like to drag it on the ground behind them or just run with them waving it in the air. Take one of these gently branching twigs and dry it out well. Ge the kids to clean it up. If you have varnish, use it to give it a nice coat. Get the kids to tie dried leaves, feathers and some empty eggshells (with faces) on the twig. The egg shell can be attached to the thread using glue. Kids might need help tying these things to the twig. 

When you wrap it for gifting, make sure the egg shells stay safe. Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity to gift something hand made - it'll be treasured. Happy Valentine's Day!

Talking With Kids

Kids enjoy the Zoo. Rarely do they realize that it's not the best way for the animals to live. Free and egalitarian living for all creatures under the Sun is not a difficult thing to understand, but it's hard thing to wrap one's head around if no one speaks about it. It's okay to talk about things which might not all be simple and cute.

Eva Pets baby Huey by Erik Przekop

Most kids can be remarkably good at understanding things we might think are much beyond their comprehension. Try this. When kids are playing with their pet or even if they are playing virtual pet games, talk about pets, animals kept in captivity, the animals in the sanctuaries and wilderness and other kind of situations. Such conversations help kids understand the world around them. As they grow, such conversations helps them form opinions, develop empathy, understand problems and it gives them the ability to solve them. 

Difficult topics to talk about

Talking about prejudices and biases is difficult. Biases are of all kinds. Kids can feel it when there is bias against them. Humans have the in built ability to 'feel the bias'. It's for us to teach kids to deal with it, when its happening to them and also when they see it happening around them. Then they can how they want to deal with it. One of the first steps is to start a conversation about such things. Kids can spot differences between themselves, but this does not naturally make them bigots or haters of all the people unlike themselves. 

Prejudice based on color, creed, financial strength, superior abilities, language, country of origin etc.; these are just to name a few. Kids who grow up with prejudices might be emotionally stunted. We have to help them develop a well rounded view of the world. Once parents too get used to talking about difficult subjects, they also send the child a message that they are open to discussions. If at a juncture in life a child is in a difficult position, it's not hard for them to approach the parent for some advice. 

What not to talk

Kids are always listening, even if they appear to be engrossed in other things. They may not react to what we talk, but you can be sure that it's being absorbed. This must make us careful about how we talk. We must be careful about our choice of words. If we speak without empathy for a fellow human or creature, kids learn that. When we hear our kids speak carelessly or see them do something with little or no care, we might be caught by surprise. We should always lead by example. A good example. 

Research has shown that kids are reacting to their environment right from when they are in their mother's womb, Good parenting is all about being around for your kids. As parents, we want our kids to grow up to be well rounded individuals, and the onus is upon us to talk about a variety of things to bring up well rounded and well informed kids. 

A Tree Which Gives and Gives

When kids play outdoors, they learn of things which they otherwise would not. A couple of months ago, the kids came across a pine tree which had something lumpy on it. It turned out to be some dried up sap. We broke it off and took it home. From various angles, it looked like different things. Occasionally a bird, then a bear and sometime later even a face!

Kulshan Creek Youth Program - Walking through Schriebers Meadow, Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest 

by 

Forest Service

At home we spoke of the various ways pine trees could be used - melting sap and mixing with charcoal gave a high quality glue, the oils from the pine needles could be used in aromatherapy, the branches as building material, roots could be used as cordage, nuts were a good source of food, the plant itself offered shelter to innumerable creatures and when dried up the pine needles and wood make good kindling. Every part of a pine tree is useful.

Kids learn to climb small pine trees using the branches as steps. They learn to test a branch before climbing. The climbing familiarizes them with the roughness of the bark and the texture of the needles. The climbing improves there sensory awareness. Try and play simple games to keep the kids moving.

Playing outside is the best way for kids to understand how we are a part of nature. It's sensory rich. and very rewarding. Understanding this will hopefully contribute to a safe future for our forests. Here's hoping the pine trees don't go down the road of the giving tree.

8 Fun Activities for This Summer

Summers inevitably bring back memories of long lazy days filled with laughter and play. As parents, we need to encourage our kids to go out and play to create such memories. In fact we should go out and play with them. This helps them put aside their dragon games or animes they are reading on their devices. Playing on devices is okay, but the summer vacation is meant for outdoor play and projects.

Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/p-1434698/?no_redirect

Here are 8 activities for you to pick from for this summer:

1. Water Games with a Bucket of Water
It's amazing what a bucket of water and some imagination can provide. Entertainment for a long time. Kids could be encouraged to lob stones into the bucket, from a distance. Alternatively, they could see how many stones can be put into the water, They could try this with various sizes of stones. Kids could also be encouraged to float things on water. Natural things like stones, leaves and flowers or actual store bought toys. Talk about things which float and those that don't.

2. Try some Gardening
Kids try these things at school, but the home environment is a great place to encourage growing plants or seedlings. After kids plant seeds get them keep track of the number of days seeds takes to sprout. If the seeds are good and the beds are not trampled on, then they might go on to harvest some produce.

3. Swing in the Open
If you have the space in the yard, tie the kids an outdoors swing at home. They can spend hours doing nothing but twirling around. You'll notice them using the rope in a variety of ways. This is because kids can get real inventive with a rope!

4. Climb trees
If you are lucky enough to have trees around, start them to do some tree climbing. They'll need your help, and adults need to be watchful when they negotiate tricky bits. Low branches can be useful in climbing.

5. Traditional Outdoor Games
These are inevitably old world games which have morphed over time, but have remained great favorites of kids. Some of these can be played indoors, but they are more memorable when played outside. Some of the games are are hopscotch, shadow tag, hide-and-seek etc.

6. Try some outdoor painting
Put up some paper on the side of the garage. Use a squirt gun or a big piece of cotton or anything that can absorb to start the artwork. Splash on color and paint up a storm.

7. Design simple play equipment
Got some rope, spare tires, energy and time? If the kids are still young, make some outdoor equipment for them. Use help that kids offer, appropriate to their age.

8. Try some Leaf Beating
This is a simple activity to set up outside and requires very little preparation. It can e tried out on both paper and cloth. All you need is a hammer, some leaves and flowers, and some paper or white cloth. Place the leaf on paper.cloth. Cover it with a piece of tissue and hammer the areas with a leaf underneath, Peel the tissue to see beautiful designs!

With kids around in the summer, parents need to get creative and innovate with things that are easily available. This can make for some exciting activities with wonderful bonding, all the while making memories which will last a child a lifetime!