Comments (27)

By Mom Unplugged, October 13, 2008 2:30 am

This week’s Unplugged Project theme was smooth, and I confess that the choice was premeditated. We are away this weekend for fall break, so I knew a project would be hard to fit in. Instead I chose to write about one that we did in August when we were doing a babysitting coop with some friends.

This particular day about 10 kids were at the house. A friend who was moving brought over some liquid laundry starch that she couldn’t pack (the movers wouldn’t take it).

At her suggestion, we combined it with some white glue and made this wonderful, smooth, shiny, slimy, icky, bizarre goop!

All you need is liquid starch and white (Elmer’s type) glue. Mix glue and starch in a cup or bowl (disposable is best…sorry environment!) in about a 2-1 proportion (in other words: 1/2 cup glue to 1/4 cup starch, vary amounts proportionally as necessary to get the amount you need). Don’t worry too much about accuracy, I just eyeballed it and it was fine. You can add food coloring as we did, or keep it “natural:”

We started mixing in a civilized manner with spoons:

But the children quickly abandoned the spoons for the pleasure of feeling this stuff with their hands:

I wish you could see the expressions on the children’s faces as they mixed and ultimately experimented with the finished goop! Even I found the strange texture fascinating!

They all had a blast, and are still talking about it.

My 2 year-old especially loved this. She sat at the table all alone with her goop for about a half an hour after the other kids had run off to play on the swing set. The sensorial experience for her was totally absorbing:

TIPS:

• The goop is pretty sticky (yet smooth!) in an almost dough-like way once it is mixed. We found that running the finished ball of goop under the tap helped alleviate some of the initial stickyness. It will be very wet and runny at first, but once it dries out you’ll have a nice workable ball.
• Try to keep goop away from carpets, clothes etc. Although it doesn’t really stick to skin, tables, counters, etc., it sticks if left to rest on any fabric surface. It does wash out of clothes well though, as I found out with my 2 year-old’s shirt (after all, it is only washable glue and laundry starch), but carpets would be more of a problem.
• We kept ours in baggies and containers for a few days until I started finding it left out around the house. Then I got sick of it and the baggies began gradually “disappearing.”

EDITED TO ADD: Thanks so much to science teacher Stephanie who left a comment on this post with her alternate recipe that avoids the stickiness:

…make a solution of 50% water and 50% glue in one container and in another take one cup of water and 1 tablespoon of Borax (found in the laundry aisle). Then mix in equal parts of each solution (1/2 cup borax + 1/2 cup glue/water). If you make it in a plastic baggie the stickiness at the beginning in contained. Too sticky add a little more borax.

Thanks Stephanie! Next time we’ll try your version!

AND YET ANOTHER ADDITION: Marta left a comment with some useful information about a fun trick with this, and a cleanup tip:

Just a clean-up note, in regards to Stephanie’s post. Our daycare kids call this mixture flubber. They like to lay it flat on the table and put a straw under one edge. Inflate! Makes great big bubbles. Vinegar seems to work well to get this mess out of clothes, hair, carpets etc…

Thanks very much for the tips Marta. Very useful information!

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If you joined us for this week’s smooth Unplugged Project, then please post a link to your project in Mr. Linky. If you did not do a smooth project, then please do not link, but feel free to browse everyone else’s projects. To find out more about how to participate, please read more here. We’d love to have you!

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I feel like I should make a list of all the themes we have done so far since I am beginning to forget. The wonderful thing about the Unplugged Project is that one theme can generate so many different ideas, so I guess it doesn’t really matter if we repeat.

Next week’s Unplugged Project theme (and I don’t think that we have done it yet) is:

Wax

Have fun with it, and remember any connection to the theme, no matter how slim (the slimmer the better in my mind), “counts!”

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Comments (19)

By Mom Unplugged, October 5, 2008 8:32 pm

The theme for this week’s Unplugged Project was white. This was a really hard one for me!

I spent the whole week thinking: “I pick the themes, so why on Earth did I pick white??” All my kids could think of was white paint or marshmallows, but unfortunately we had neither in the house today when it got down to the wire for doing the project or giving up.

I figured there was bound to be a way to make homemade white paint so I googled “homemade paint.” I came upon this neat web page: Homemade Art Tips - How to Make Paint for Craft Projects.

As I read through the paint recipes, I came across an intriguing one for Crystal Paint that required only hot water and Epsom salt (isn’t salt white?), both of which I had. Further googling for “epsom salt paint” also led to this teacher discussion board post about salt paint.

This Salt Crystal Paint is simply a salt water solution that you brush on paper. After the water dries, the salt crystals remain and produce a glittery effect.

My kids and I were excited to try it and we decided to really experiment. We got out the Epsom salt, construction paper, crayons, scissors and hole punches.

We began by making construction paper “snowflakes” to use as stencils. The idea of glittery snowflakes was quite appealing on this almost wintry day.

We used the shaped hole punches on our stencils too.

We also colored some pictures on the dark construction paper using crayons.

To make the salt solution, mix about 1/2 cup Epsom salt with 1/2 cup hot water. I made mine by stirring the salt in on the stove.

We made one batch this usual way.

We also tried another way by adding LOTS of salt until we could add no more thus making a solution that was supersaturated (I snuck a bit of science in here!).

We stuck our stencils down with tape, trying to keep them flat, but without using so much tape that they would be difficult to remove later.

The first batch of “paint” looked like plain water and I didn’t hold out much hope for success. But we painted it on our stencils and our pictures anyway, then let them dry.

Here we are peeling off the stencils:

The effect was really cool! It is quite difficult to show in a photo, but when you look at the pictures under a light or in the sun, they really sparkle like snow!

We did one picture with the supersaturated solution and it came out thickly crusted with salt. There wasn’t much sparkle, just a flat white effect. In fact the white almost completely hid the crayon:

We preferred the milder 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup water version, but the supersaturated one would be great to use as a paint on its own. You could achieve some interesting looking white textures with a bit of experimentation. The brush strokes really showed up well, as you can see in the photo above.

A fun variation that we’ll have to try another day, is to add food coloring to the solution. This will create colored crystals!

[NOTE: In case you are unfamiliar with it, Epsom salt is the common name for magnesium sulfate. It can be found in most pharmacies since it is often sold as a soak for feet or for adding to a bath. I have also seen it in the garden section of Walmart since it can be used as a fertilizer. Roses love it and that is how I use mine! It is usually in a milk carton-type container, but I have also bought it in a resealable plastic bag.]

I imagine that this project works better with Epsom salt than table salt since the crystals are much larger. I wonder if Kosher salt or sea salt would work too? That would probably cost a lot more though.

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Did you do a white Unplugged Project with us this week? If so, then please put a link to your white project in Mr. Linky below. Please remember, this week’s Mr. Linky is only for white projects.

If you didn’t do a white project but are interested in future Unplugged Projects, then please DO NOT link, but read how to join in here. We’d love to have you!

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The theme for next week’s Unplugged Project will be:

Smooth

Enjoy!

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Comments (14)

By Mom Unplugged, September 21, 2008 8:57 pm

Last week for our sand Unplugged Project, I had an idea for making permanent sand castles which I had seen as a proofreading exercise in my daughter’s spelling workbook! (Spelling Workout, Level D, Modern Curriculum Press, p. 12)

Hey, you never know where you might find inspiration, right? My kids vetoed me last week for this particular sand project, and chose to do something else instead, but I figured we’d get to try it for this week’s theme of hard. Plus, since it was recently my sister’s birthday and she loves Hawaii, we made sand sculptures for her.

We followed the instructions in the spelling book. We needed sand, cornstarch, and water. The recipe called for 2 cups sand, and 1 cup each of cornstarch and water. We doubled it.

Sand was easy. We went out to our big sand pile and scooped up 4 cups of sand and put it in a big cooking pot. We then poured in 2 cups of cornstarch:

And 2 cups of water:

And stirred over low heat.

We stirred for a while. It was very runny, but looked yummy, like melted chocolate ice cream.

After about 10 minutes we got bored and left it alone for another 5 minutes or so. When we rechecked it, it had transformed into a solid, stiff lump! I had to trade in my plastic spoon for a sturdy metal one or it would have snapped in two! It was so stiff that in this photo, the spoon is standing up on its own:

I had prepared the kitchen table with our craft tablecloth as well as a plastic garbage bag for easier clean-up. We dumped the mixture out on the garbage bag to cool.

It cooled quickly and soon we were all playing with the warm, squishy, sand playdough. It felt really nice.

Eventually, it started to dry and get a bit crumbly so I put out a bowl of water to sprinkle on it. A spray bottle of water turned out to be even better, and more entertaining.

We shaped it and poked it with sharp pencils, toothpicks, even a funnel.

Afterwards we put our creations on plates to dry. Here are the results:

The next day, we unfortunately discovered that my 2 year-old’s hand print and the starfish were breaking apart. The two sand castles however, were fine. I would recommend this project only for larger, 3-D sculptures, but the thinner, flat ones were disappointing. But…in case you were wondering, the pot cleaned up fine!

PS: In reviewing last week’s projects, I saw that Meg had made something similar as part of her sand project, but used sand and glue instead of cornstarch. She used molds to make starfish and they turned out really well! Consider experimenting with molds for extra fun if you try this. Karen B. also made “sand clay” similar to our recipe and added salt to hers to slow spoiling.

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Did you join in this week’s Unplugged Project themed hard? If so, then please add a link to your project in Mr. Linky below. If you didn’t join us this week, then feel free to browse the links below and read about how to join in for next week!

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Next week’s Unplugged Project theme will be:

Fruit

Enjoy!

Comments (17)

By Mom Unplugged, September 15, 2008 6:58 am

This week’s Unplugged Project theme of sand was inspired by the giant pile of sand that we have near our swing set. We had it brought it in to spread around the swing set area to soften the crash zone and also to control weeds.

I thought my children would have a lovely time spreading the sand nicely throughout the area. Wrong. My children have a lovely time playing on the pile of sand and don’t want it spread out! Oh well, for now we will leave it as is. It is providing hours of cheap entertainment.

I had all kinds of cool sand ideas, but my kids had their own idea so I just let them go with it: mixing. One of their favorite activities is standing at the kitchen sink while I cook and taking bits of the ingredients (flour, vinegar, spices, salt, whatever is out) and mixing it all in a bowl accompanied by plenty of “oohs”, “aahs”, and shouts of “gross!”

First we scooped some sand into containers and brought it in.

I wisely laid out my vinyl “craft” tablecloth that we use for messy projects. The children then gathered some dry ingredients: sugar, salt, flour, parsley flakes (that I never use and for some reason I have an ancient, industrial sized container of them), cumin (for the lovely smell), and celery salt (because again, I have too much of it!).

In the back of the pantry we also found some red lentils for color. The children wanted to grind them up with a mortar and pestle, but it turns out that lentils are VERY hard so they used them whole.

I passed out an assortment of spoons, small ladles, a honey stirrer, and a tuna can strainer for sifting. Of course hands were the most fun to use.

The kids sat quietly and mixed and played with it for at least an hour, maybe more. They had a ball, I relaxed, and the kitchen took on a lovely cumin scent!

Next my oldest daughter had the idea of making sand pictures with glue. The kids put Elmer’s glue on construction paper to make a design:

Then they sprinkled their sand mixture on the paper making sure to cover all the glue:

Next was the fun part - dumping the sand off the paper to see how the picture turned out (lots of oohs and aahs)!

The kids also experimented with tissue paper, lentils and sugar.

The finished art (Blue: 8 year-old, White: 6 year-old, and Yellow: 2 year-old):

TIPS:

1) This is a good outdoor project, or indoors with a tablecloth - but be prepared to vacuum after.

2) Since food ingredients are involved, make sure little ones don’t try to eat their creations.

4) If you do use spices: MONITOR HOW MUCH IS USED (or this project could get pricey). Also - avoid anything containing pepper unless you have a lot of Kleenex on hand.

5) If you allow the use of water, be sure it is only a small amount or be prepared for a big muddy mess!

6) If kids dump their sand outside when done, be sure you know where they do this. Ours went into one of my rose beds so I should have a nice crop of lentils sprouting very soon. :(

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Finally, here are some photos of the very favorite sand Unplugged Project around here, jumping off the swings and landing on the sand pile!

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Did you join us for a sand project this week? If you took part in the Unplugged Project this week, please link to your post. If you didn’t do a sand project, then please do not link, but read about how to join in next week!

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Since we recently did soft, the theme for next week’s Unplugged Project will be:

Hard

Have fun!

Comments (21)

By Mom Unplugged, August 31, 2008 9:08 pm

My stepmother, who always enjoys our projects, recently sent my children a subscription to Family Fun magazine because she thought they might find some fun ideas there. Well, we did find an idea that sounded pretty cool for this week’s insect Unplugged Project: Cricket Chirpers.

Supplies: 1/2″ wooden beads, wooden skewers, and glue (the article called for “tacky glue” but not being crafty enough to know what that was, I used carpenter’s wood glue):

First, as suggested by the magazine, I cut the pointy ends off the skewers to reduce the chance of injury.

Next, the children threaded 15 beads onto the skewers in any pattern they wished.

My 2 year-old had fun threading beads too. For her, I stuck a lump of playdough onto one end of the skewer so she wouldn’t get frustrated by beads falling off:

She eventually tired of threading and unthreading beads and branched out into sticking the beads onto the lump of playdough:

This turned into an all-out playdough session (one of her favorite things):

After each child had made two sticks, I glued the two end beads with the carpenter’s glue. It turned out to be a bit fiddly and messy, so I think it was a good thing that I decided to do this step myself.

We let the glue dry for several hours, and this was the result:

When rubbed together, the sticks are supposed to sound like crickets. Well, they didn’t sound much like crickets to me. My husband agreed. I thought maybe they sounded more like cicadas on a night full of general, random insect noises. I asked my husband…he closed his eyes, concentrated, and said…”No.”

They do however make cool instruments to add to any musical instrument collection. Sorry about the crickets though.

Why don’t you try it (very easy project) and let me know what you think!

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What did you do this week for the Unplugged Project theme of insect? If you did an insect project this week, then please put a link to your project in Mr. Linky.

A few linking pointers:

• It is best if you link to the actual project post, not just your blog in general, that way people will always be able to find your specific project easily.

• Also, if you did not do the project, please don’t link. Mr. Linky is for project participants only, not for general links to blogs or stores, etc.

• Finally, I have decided that I will leave a Mr. Linky open for only two weeks. After two weeks I will disable it so that no new links can be added, but all the existing links can still be followed. This will give everyone two weeks to add their link, but will guard against spam links being added to old Linkys that I no longer monitor.

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The theme for next week’s Unplugged Project will be:

Soft

Have fun!