Classroom Recipes and crafts

Egg tempera paint    Silly slime   Sand clay   Sunprints   Raindrop painting Skeletonizing leaves    Bubble prints    Sand painting    Star spangled paint
Old fashioned volcano    Sunscreen    Fizzing potion   Bubble mixture Charcoal crystal garden    Extra bright tempera paint   Layering liquids
Ice Bubbles     Sidewalk Paint    Magic Crystals  Salt Paint Shiny Paint Tumeric Dip Sticks     Carbon Dioxide Balloon   Easy Paper Mache
Glitter Play Dough     Mudpies to Houses

CREATIONS for the classroom:

Borax Snowflake

Materials: string, wide mouth jar, white pipe cleaners, borax (May use sugar or salt but it will take longer for crystals to form), pencil, boiling water, scissors.

Twist 3 pipe cleaners together at centers to make 6 arms and trim evenly if needed. Tie string to one arm and tie other end to pencil. Fill jar with boiling water and add borax (3 tblsp/1 cup water) stirring till no more will dissolve. Put pipe cleaner in jar hanging from pencil and let stand overnight undisturbed. If you want you can add food coloring to borax water for color.

What happens:Hot water will hold more dissolved borax than cold. As water cools crystals stick to pipe cleaner and begin to grow. If the water cools quickly you get small crystals. If it cools slowly you get larger crystals.

Ojo de Dios - The Huichol Indians of Mexico and the Aymara Indians of Bolivia weave brightly colored yarn on a simple frame of crossed sticks to make a design called "Ojo de Dios"(O-ho-deh DEE-os) or "Eye of God". Children of the Huichol(WEE-chol) tribe in Mexico carry Ojo de Dios wands on a special holiday. Originally, "God's Eyes" were made to be placed on an altar so that the gods could watch over the praying people and protect them by reminding us that God looks with love on people everywhere. The Huichoi call their God's eyes Sikuli, which means " the power to see and understand things unknown." When a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father, then one eye is added for every year of the child's life until the child reaches the age of 5.
   Simple method for children: Glue small popsickle sticks together in a cross. Wrap yarn around the center and then each stick. Glue yarn to stick to wrap another color as you like. When finished, glue the end.
   It can be a simple or complex weaving made across 2 or more sticks. You may use 2 small sticks such as smooth tree branches or popsicle sticks or dowels, scissors and pencil and yarn or thread. Small Bells for decoration are optional. Cross the sticks at the center. Tie them together with the end of a piece of yarn, making an X, but don't cut the yarn off its skein. Tie the yarn IN BACK of the 2 crossed sticks. With the pencil, number the sticks at the ends. Bring the yarn to the front between sticks 3 and 4. Pull the yarn over stick 3 and the next one too (stick 2), and bring it to the back between sticks 2 and 1. Wrap it behind stick 2 and bring it to the front again between sticks 2 and 3. Pull it over stick 2 and the next one too (stick 1), and wrap it behind stick 1. Pull the yarn over stick 1 and the next one too (stick 4) and wrap it behind stick 4. Pull it over stick 4 and the next one too (stick 3) and wrap it behind stick 3. This is one complete round. Always lay the yarn next to, NOT on top of the yarn already in place. Keep on wrapping the yarn behind each stick, over that stick and the next, and around behind that one, then over that stick and the next and behind that oneAfter the first few rounds, you will see the woven pattern of the "eye" beginning to form. When you have an "eye" in one color of yarn, you can cut the yarn and tie on another color, and continue weaving. Make sure that the knot that you joined the 2 colors with, stays in the back. Keep weaving the "God's Eye" until you are near the ends of the sticks. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail. Tie the tail in a knot in back .If you have bells for decoration, attach one to each of the 4 ends. At Christmas you can hang them on your tree. They can also be made in miniature with the thread wound on toothpicks, but these are delicate and much harder to handle.

Make Paper Plate Santas or cut out green tree triangles (or bell/ stocking) from poster board. Use hole punch to punch holes around outside and let kids lace with red yarn and tie loop to hang on tree. Cut out 3 different sizes of green hearts and create a heart tree glueing them together upside down.
We made a dragon one year to celebrate the chinese new year using painted boxes. We made a paper mache head. Every child was part of the parade dragon!

Sock Snowman: choose the size and color of the sock. I like to put birdseed inside for a gift but you can use sand or rice also. Put enough in toe of the sock to add weight to keep the snowman upright. You can fill it the rest of the way with fiberfill unless you choose birdseed. Use a rubber band around the top of the sock and fold the neck of the sock over the rubber band to form a hat. Using the rubber bands, section off a head and two "balls" for the body. Cut a small scarf strip from felt and tie around the neck of the snowman. Hot glue on felt eyes, a carrot nose, and a mouth. You could also use tiny buttons for the eyes as well.
New Years project: Give children black paper and let them make fireworks with colored chalk then spray lightly with hairspray to set chalk so it won't smear.
Salt Dough - Make snowflake or star ornaments! Mix 2 cups flour and 1-cup salt. Slowly add 1-cup water and mix well. Knead on floured surface for 5 minutes. You can add iridescent glitter if you like. Punch hole for ribbon to hang or insert an open paper clip. Seal the dry ornaments with a coat of clear varnish.

Salt Paint Frosting - Mix 2 teaspoons of salt with 1 teaspoon of liquid starch. The salt gives it a frosted appearance. Paint over picture to add snowy appearance. You can add color if you wish.

Shiny Paint - Mix 1 part liquid glue and 1 part tempera paint and paint! It will retain a wet look after it dries.

Easy Paper Mache – Mix equal parts of liquid starch and cold water. Dip newspaper and apply to stuffed paper bag, balloon, or chicken wire or newspaper form. Make a New Year paper bag piñata. Let children glue bits of colored tissue to outside of paper bag you have stuffed with paper and tied at one end. When tissue is dry, empty bag of paper and fill with treats! . . .A fun welcome to a new year!

Play Dough - This play dough does not need refrigeration and keeps several months in a covered container. It is not a good modeling compound, but most responsive to, rolling, poking and pounding!

2 cups flour                                  1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar          2 cups water(approx.)

¼ cup cooking oil                         food coloring optional

Measure flour, salt, cream of tartar into mixing bowl. Add the oil to one cup of the water and pour into the dry ingredients. You may add coloring to other cup water now and add to mixture. Mix till smooth and color even. Cook in a pan on low(250) for about 4 minutes stirring till texture becomes rubbery. Remove to floured surface and knead a few minutes. Ready to go!

Snow Dough – Make a batch of white play dough and add iridescent glitter!

Gingerbread Play Dough

¼ cup all purpose flour                      ½ cup salt

1 ½ teaspoons powdered alum           1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil

½ cup boiling water                            brown food coloring paste (Wilton Icing Colors)

1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

Combine flour, salt, and alum. Add the oil and boiling water and blend. Add spice and coloring and knead. Store in airtight container. You can add a couple of rolling pins and gingerbread people cutters for fun. If you want ornaments let them punch a hole at top with a straw and let dry overnight and turn over and let dry 2 more days. Add yarn and hang!

POPSICLE STICK REINDEER   Materials: 3 popsicle sticks, 2 google eyes,1 red pompom, Glue. Glue 2 Popsicle sticks together and make a 'V' shape. About 1/3 way from top, glue third popsicle stick horizontally across the others. Glue google eyes under the cross stick and the red pompom at the bottom of the V-shape.

String decorations Materials: Balloons, string, glue, glitter
Blow up balloons and tie. Dip strings in glue and wrap around balloon. Spinkle with glitter and let dry. Pop balloon!

Cone Flower

Egg Tempera Paint

One egg for each child and Bowl for egg whites
Food coloring or tempera paint
Small mat boards and Paintbrushes
Have each child crack egg and separate yolk from white, placing yolk into small paint cup with tempera paint and mix. Ready – set – paint! If paint thickens, add a few drops of water. The kids can share colors. It makes bright shiny pictures.

Silly Slime You will need: 1 quart of water, 1/4 cup borax( in laundry detergent area), 2 large jars with lids, 1 cup elmer's glue, 1 cup of water, food coloring and paper cups. Put 1 quart of water and borax in one of the jars w/lid and dissolve. Put the glue, cup of water, and food coloring in the other jar and mix. To make slime put 2 tablespoons of borax solution in a cup(I use a snack bag and 1 to 3 tbl. mix). Add 6 Tbl. of glue solution( you can use a 1 tbl borax and 3 of glue if you use a snack bag. (They can keep it in the snack bag too) Mix in cup or knead in baggie. If you want to make more at one time use a 1/3 cup borax solution to 1 cup glue solution. This substance has the scientific property of an elasto-viscous material. The earth is somewhat like this material because it can be moved slowly as in glacial movement or continental drift it is like a liquid and when it moves quickly as in an earthquake it behaves like a solid and fractures. This slime stretches, slides, and fractures in an amazing way. It acts like silly putty in that you can press it on something and it will copy.

Sand Clay Prints are fun to do and if you add a little elmers glue they get very hard. After I make it up I roll it into small balls that can be pressed down with the palm into a fat little biscuits. Then press the seed or shell into the center. You can have toothpicks on hand to remove the object printed from the sand clay and the toothpick can be used to add a border around them. Poke their name on the back with a tooth pick and put a hole in the back to hang on nail or punch hole through to hang as ornament. We print seeds, sea shells, or footprints. I love this clay.

Sand Clay

2 cups fine sifted sand
1 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
Saucepan and spoon - Mix sand, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan. To add color - a few drops of food coloring or natural dyes. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture thickens, remove from heat. Carefully pour into a dish and let cool. Drape a wet towel over the clay to cool more quickly. Sculpt into what you choose or make interesting prints by pressing things into the clay. To make stronger clay, mix about 1/8 cup of Elmer’s glue to the mixture before cooking.

SUNPRINTS are fun to make. You can order the paper - PE1435 11X17 NATURE PRINT PPR PK2 ( $22.44 with shipping) from S&S worldwide(800) 288-9941. There are 20 large sheets and I cut each into 4 pieces which are large enough for a print. Album pages from photo albums that have the clear cover that peels back works great for holding the leaf designs on the paper and in place. Take them outside and expose to the sun for a few minutes and then bring them inside, dump the leaves and put into a tray of water for a minute to develop, then let dry.

Raindrop Painting is to do on a rainy day. Talk about water and the water cycle. It's a teachable moment! Have children paint a solid color all over the paper(darker color shows better drops) and when dry, go outside and let the raindrops make their picture! It only takes a second to collect a few raindrops!

Skeletonizing Leaves
Washing soda                        bleach
Leaves                                  wire
Steel pot                               floral tape
Dull knife                             glycerin
Add 1 tsp. of soda to quart of water and leaves. Boil for 30 minutes. Let stand and cool scrape and brush pulp off carefully. Add 2tbl of bleach to 1 quart of water, add leaves and soak one hour till white. Remove, rinse and put between paper towels in book for 24 hours   Leaves to use: magnolia, holly, ivy, Maple, beech, oak, avocado

BUBBLE PRINTS
½ cup bubble solution
Small plastic bowl
2 tablespoons tempera paint
Place the mixture in shallow tray. Use a straw to blow into the bubble solution and make a heap of bubbles. Lay a piece of paper gently over the bubbles to absorb the paint and make a print of your bubbles.

SAND PAINTING Use white tag board and lay down one glue line then sift one color of sand over it and then empty board of sand and do next line or lines of a different color. I use small hand sifters or the can sprinkle it on with their hands. I like to use the natural colors of sand, but you may tint salt by adding a few drops of food coloring to a jar and shaking. Let pictures dry. You can frame them with tiny shells or pebbles.

Spangled Salt Paint This paint has a beautiful texture and adds sparkle. Great for an underwater fish scene!

1 tsp. liquid starch

1 tsp. water

½ tsp. liquid tempera paint

2 tsp. table salt

Mix the starch, water, and paint together in a saucer. Stir in the salt and get out the brushes!

Old Fashioned Volcano
Newspaper                      Plastic shopping bag
Empty baby bottle            Masking tape
1 cup white glue              1 cup water
Brown tissue paper cut in strips
Clear acrylic spray paint
1 tablespoon liquid dish detergent
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/3 cup vinegar
Disposable aluminum oven liner
    To form the volcano, crumple up some newspaper and put into plastic shopping bag. Nestle the baby bottle into the center of the newspaper and gather the opening of the bag around the neck. Tape the bag into place around the neck of the bottle. Shape the volcano around the bottle using masking tape and place the bag on the oven liner.
    Mix the glue and water together in a large bowl. Dip strips of newspaper in the glue mixture and cover the bag volcano shape allowing them to run onto the liner. For the last layer dip the brown tissue strips in the glue mixture and cover the volcano. Allow to dry for several days. When dry spray with clear acrylic. Now it’s ready to try!
    Place the liquid detergent, food coloring, and baking soda into the bottle. Pour the vinegar in last. The vinegar (an acid) reacts with the baking soda (a base) to produce carbon dioxide. The pressure of the expanding carbon dioxide pushes the foam from the bottle creating a lava effect! When finished, carefully tip the volcano upside down in a sink to empty out the rest of the lava.

Homemade Sunscreen
Zinc Oxide has long been used as an effective and inexpensive sunscreen. Slathered on thick and full strength, it offers excellent sun protection. This is an alternative to the harsh chemicals in store bought sunscreen. Keep in mind that you need to apply this sunscreen more often than commercial sunscreen.

1 teaspoon zinc oxide (available at the pharmacy)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Measure the zinc oxide and olive oil into a bowl and use a fork to mix the ingredients together completely.

Ice Bubbles Try this in the middle of winter. You will need bubble solution and a blower. Choose a day with no wind that is below 32 degrees and go outside and blow a bubble without releasing it. Soon you will be able to see ice crystals form and the bubble will freeze completely into a clear bubble of ice. The colder it is, the faster the bubble freezes.

Fizzing potion Fill a small container ½ full of vinegar and add food coloring

Sprinkle soda in container of vinegar

White vinegar

Food coloring

1tbl. Baking soda

Layering Liquids - This is fun to do in the classroom and will show how liquids behave differently. I use a tall skinny jar and add food coloring to the water or alcohol so you can see the layers better. I use water, vegetable oil and rubbibg alcohol. You can also use motor oil.

Carbon Dioxide Balloon - You will need a small plastic soda bottle, vinegar, baking soda, 2 balloons and a funnel. Put about 1/3 cup of vinegar into the soda bottle. Fill one of the balloons with about 2 tablespoons of baking soda using the funnel. Without letting the baking soda fall into the bottle cover the mouth of the bottle with the mouth of the balloon. Raise the balloon so the baking soda falls into the bottle. The reaction will forn CO2 that will blow up the balloon. Tie the balloon off. Fill the other balloon with air. Throw them up in the air and compare their weight. CO2 is heavier than ordinary air and will fall to the ground first. Sometimes I use this experiment when I do a program on grains. This show how the reaction occurs when making bread and the bread rises creating the holes in the bread.

Bubble Mixture

¼ cup dishwashing liquid

½ cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

Food coloring optional

Mix ingredients together.

For better bubbles:

9 parts water

2 parts corn syrup, sugar, or glycerin

2 parts liquid dishwashing detergent

Pour ingredients together adding the detergent last. Don’t shake the container or mix your ingredients, but stir the ingredients slowly and mix well. If you give the ingredients time to dissolve and mix, the bubbles work better.

Bubbles: The walls of a bubble are constructed like a jelly sandwich. Two soap layers act as the bread and water acts as the jelly. In the bubble the middle layer is sealed inside. Water in a soap bubble slides toward the bottom, but since it’s sealed inside the layers of soap it can’t get out, so it gathers making the water layer thick and heavy at the bottom. The weight of the water stretches the outer layer of soap until the bubble burst. A bubble always breaks at the top where it is stretched do thin. To make bubbles last longer you need to keep the water from sliding down so fast. You make the water molecules sticky by adding sugar, corn syrup, or glycerin to the water. The water won’t feel sticky to you, but it will to the soap!

Charcoal Crystal Garden

6 or 7 charcoal briquettes

6 tablespoons warm water

6 tablespoons liquid bluing

4 tablespoons of table salt

1 tablespoon ammonia

Pile the briquettes in a shallow dish. In a separate dish mix the water and bluing together, then stir in the salt and the ammonia. Pour evenly over the charcoal.

Fluffy white crystals grow on the charcoal. As the water in the solution evaporates, the chemicals left behind on the charcoal form crystals. These crystals are porous and the solution continues to be wicked up through them resulting in layers of beautiful white crystals. For different crystal colors place a few drops of food coloring onto the coals after pouring on the solution. You can keep your garden growing by adding more solution every day.

Extra Bright Tempera Paint

2 cups dry tempera paint

1 cup liquid soap (clear or white works best)

1 cup liquid starch

Mix the paint and soap; then add starch and stir. If the mixture becomes too thick, add more soap. Store the paint in a coffee can with a plastic lid.

Sidewalk Paint - This paint is non-toxic and biodegradable. You will need: 1 cup water, 1 cup powdered nonfat milk, 1/4 teaspoon icing or regular food coloring, paint brushes and sponges. Mix ingredients and go to work painting. This can be washed away with a hose.

Magic Crystals You will need: 2 cups water, 2 cups Epsom salts and food coloring. Stir and bring water and epsom salts to a boil . You may color it or leave it clear. It will dry to make clear or colored crystals You can use it to make a picture glisten with snow.

Shiny Paint Mix 1 part liquid glue with 1 part liquid tempera paint. Paint will retain a wet look.

Tumeric Dip Sticks You will need 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/4 teaspoon of tumeric, Q-tips, and solution to test the dip sticks such as ammonia, lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda dissolved in a little water, Tumeric dipsticks are base indicators - a substance that turns another color in the presence of an acid or base. Pour the alcohol into a small jar and stir in the tumeric. Dip both ends of the Q-tips and let dry on a paper towel. If you open a bottle of ammonia and hold the sticks over the fumes and the bright yellow dipstick turns a brilliant red. Put it in vinegar and it turns yellow again. Try the other solutions and see what happens. This is a good example of a chemical reaction.

Easy Paper Mache You will need liquid starch, cold water, and newspaper cut into strips. Mix equal parts of starch and cold water and dip the newspaper strips and apply to form.

Glitter Play Dough You need 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups salt, 6 teaspoons cream of tartar,3 cups water, 3-4 tablespoons of oil, icing food coloring, glitter. Mix dry ingredients together (excepy glitter) in a big pan. Add water, oi; and food coloring and wisk till lumps out and color mixed. Place mixture over medium heatand stir until thickens and gathers into a big ball. When cooled knead in the glitter. Superior to store bought play dough and will keep for several weeks in plastic bag. No need to refrigerate.

Mudpies to Houses - Kids love making mud pies! Mix soil with water and straw, form into small bricks and let dry in the sun. Kids will learn about evaporation, construction and the creative use of natural resources!

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