Water Makes it Grow

So, late Friday afternoon, Zak strolls into the kitchen, gets down a plate, pours a little water in it and sets it down on the table.

"Can I show you something? It just takes a couple seconds."

"Sure, just a second." I finish the seam I was sewing and then scoot over to get a better view.

Zak goes into performance mode.

"I have in my hand plain ordinary folded paper." (He holds it out to show Grace and I, and turns it over to show the underside.)

"We all know that all living things need water to grow. Right?"

We nod.

"But what about plain ordinary paper? Water can't make paper grow...or can it?"

He sets the folded paper in the water, and his surprise blossoms before our eyes!

"See, water can make even paper grow!"

We cheer and marvel. And then I make him do it again so I can take pictures.

We marvel again.

Zak runs off to go back to his YouTube viewing. But Grace and I are enamored and are now determined to grow paper ourselves.

We drew, cut, and Grace colored hers. Then we carefully folded each petal into the center, one at a time.

When our papers were ready, so was my camera. But this time I took videos!

This is a super easy, fast, and completely free little project that will fascinate kids and adults! We are going to have to experiment with different types of paper, and shapes to see the effects!

Thanks Zak! (And awesome people who post cool things on YouTube.)

Le Petite Chef: Mud Pie

Here it is, as promised, Grace's Mud Pie recipe! She did all the work, I helped explain terms and measurements, stirred at the very end to make sure everything was evenly coated (at her request), and helped hold the pot. She let one of her friends spread the Nutella and add the "dirt" to one of the pies while she did the other. This is a very kid friendly recipe, I highly recommend it for ages 8 and up! The original recipe is in the book The Cooking Book, by Jane Bull. But we modified it just a bit. Here are our supplies: 3/4 c butter 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 c sugar 1 c graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c dried fruit 1 chocolate bar (we used Nutella spread instead) We added: Heath chocolate and toffee bits Black Sixletts (found in the party aisle) These are the original measurements, we doubled the recipe though. Step 1: Crush graham crackers. We used a gallon size zipper bag and a coffee mug (I don't own

Saying Goodbye

For the entire month of August, I just didn't let myself think about it beyond the facts. For the last two weeks, I just focused on anything else that took my mind off of it. Over the weekend I was busy getting things ready, so I was too busy to think about it. Tuesday came. Miss V came. It was a good visit, with laughing and smiling, and questions asked and answered, and Kit played with her, and smiled and made us laugh like usual. But it was different, and we felt it. I didn't let myself go there, because I didn't want to break down, not that it would have been the first time in front of her (nor the second, or third, or even fourth probably.) And then it was time for her to go, and we took some pictures, and all the kids hugged her, and I held Kit on my shoulder on the steps so she could wave goodbye until Miss V is out of sight like she has every week for at least five months. And then we closed the door, and Kit went on with business as usual, beca

Preschool at Home! Chalkboard Painting

Here is another treasure from the backfiles. This started as an act of desperation on my part, I just needed her to be occupied so I could finish something, but it quickly became one of her favorite activities. If you have a chalkboard (we made ours on a half wall with chalkboard paint), all you need is a paintbrush, sponge, or washcloth, and a cup of water. Dip the brush in the water and have at it! Kit LOVES how the water turns the board black. So often, she will be at this so long that by the time she gets across the board, the first area she painted will be dry and a fresh pallet once again. You can get creative with the things you use as paintbrushes, but she has been completely happy with our basic art brushes from Walmart. I love watching her do this.

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