Bubble art and explosions

My dear husband brought home 20lb of dry ice... We spent the whole weekend doing every possible (yet safe) experiment.

Here's our favorite one - bubble art. 

You probably know that if you add dry ice to a bowl of soapy water, you'll get a lot of bubbles. Well, if you add food coloring to the soapy water - you'll get some colored bubbles. You've got an idea.

Here're more detailed instructions, just in case.

Put some dish soap in a cup, add warm water. Mix. Add a few drops of food coloring. Mix. Add some dry ice, stir a bit. Wait for the bubbles to form.

Take a piece of paper - press it onto the bubbles. Let dry, enjoy your "bubble" paper.

If your kids like explosions better than art, here are some safe ideas:

- film canister - the lid pops with a bang, it seldom flies off. (safe for home, just point away from people or breakable things)

- a plastic zipper bag - put it on the floor, watch it inflate and then pop. It's easier to handle than a balloon, but just as much fun.

- milk/juice tetra pak with a screw on cap (better to do outside as it may splash) - it makes a loud bang, the top seam breaks apart. No flying debris. 

Complete me.

The kiddo is going to have a "gift exchange" at school for the Valentine's day. Since, most of the parents shop for V-day goodies at the same big-box store, we try to come up with something a bit more original (and sugar free). And it has to be something you can make cheaply, fast, in large quantities (we have 30 kids in the class this year) and with a "help" of a 5 yo.

Small kids love bubbles almost as much as they love candy; so we decided to go with bubble wands again. They were a big hit last year. I got a pack of pink bubble tubes with heart tops at the wedding aisle at the craft store (who cares that it was intended to be a wedding day favor!? Stuff at THAT aisle is more tasteful than what's sold for the V-day).

Then we made tags. We cut out small hearts, and did two thumbprints on each. We drew faces on one print, leaving the other one unfinished. I hope that the kids will draw on it after they get the bubbles. [by the way, the Thumbprint drawing book was a huge hit with my daughter] 
I thought of writing "complete me", but 3-5yo aren't good at V-day humor. The back side of the tag has Kiddo's name.

We managed to squeeze in a small math lesson - skip counting by 5. We put finished tags in the piles, 5 hearts each. And then counted by 5. I was trying to make a point that skip counting allows you to count faster.

Attach the tags to the bottle tops with a piece of string.
We even decorated the box.
Ta-da!

The crazy party.

We were looking for a low-key in-house Birthday party idea for our 5yo daughter. We were to have a dozen of kids from 4 to 11yo, so we needed something that would work for all of them. My idea was to make a giant ball pit.

We took out all the furniture from the bedroom, and rented over 5 000 plastic balls. (I wanted to buy them and found a manufacture, but they were sold out)
First of all, it took a while to find a party rental place that had that many balls. Also, we spent about 12 man-hours washing them as they were way too dirty. Anyway...

It was a huge success, and that's what matters. The kids had a ball (pun intended). It was very loud at times, but there were no whining or bored kids! Now the kiddo wants the balls to come back every year. I'm not so sure about that.
[PS: that's only about 2K of balls on that picture.]

Another hit was the dining table covered with sheets of drawing paper. There were some crayons for the kids to doodle with (safer option for drawing on the table than pencils or markers). It was as practical as it was fun. At some point one side of the table got too dirty, so I just replaced that sheet of paper.

We also had a self-serve sprinkles for the cupcakes, and the kids loved that as well. Non-pareils are the glitter of the baking world, so expect the mess.

Magic

I think everybody needs to know how to perform a trick or two, especially parents. I'm not a big fan of tricks that use a fake deck of cards. Nor can I do any of the coin tricks.

So here are two simple ones that everyone can learn. They don't require any special equipment or skill. And they are really easy to master.

Balloon on a Skewer.
You will need:
-balloon
-wooden skewer
-a dab of dish soap.

Watch Steve Spangler demonstrating it here:



It really works! Beware that some kids might get upset when they see you popping the balloon. Make sure it's not the last balloon in the house.




Have a tougher audience? Try this Arm Twisting trick that David Copperfield and David Blaine often used in their shows. It IS easy to do. Just watch this video.



If you like illusions better, check out my post about thaumatrope.

Cookies and Shrinky DInks.

Imagine the kids disappointment when they've been promised a trip to the beach but woke up to a rain. But apparently, once they heard "Let's bake some cookies", they forgot all about the beach and the rain.

And so we've made some vegan allergen-free chocolate chip cookies (for a 4yo who's allergic to milk and eggs) and some walnut puffs (also vegan, btw) for everyone else. From scratch. We used up all the flour, butter, nuts, colored sugar that we had in the house.
Oooh, yum yum. These melt in your mouth. I don't even mind setting the smoke alarm off. Something is wrong with this wax paper, it starts to smoke very fast...

Then the kids got another surprise treat - Shrinky Dinks. I collect the tops and bottoms from the take-out containers made from #6 plastic, and that's what we used. They got out Sharpies, drew some pictures, and, armed with a flashlight, set in front of the oven window watching their creations bubble and flatten again. They called it a "magic show" and were super impressed. And here's a little how-to, if you've never done shrinky dinks before.

Take a piece of #6 plastic (or a special shrinky dinks plastic sheet), cut it into a desired form. It should be 2:1 or 3:1 in size (meaning that the result will be 2 or 3 times smaller than the original). Don't worry about the colors being dull as they will get more vivid after "baking".

Bonus: If you have older kids, you can ask them to measure their shrinkies before and after and calculate how much they've shrunk. 

Decorate it using permanent markers. This is a picture of our cat as drawn by my 4yo daughter.

Put it on a sheet of aluminum foil and into a hot oven, 300-350F works fine.

Watch it carefully. The "baking" only takes a couple of minuted. Enjoy the "magic show".

Take it out as soon as it's flat. You have a few seconds to flatten it more before it cools down completely. You can use them as game tokens, or drill holes in them and make bag tags or necklaces.

Rocket Science

Preschoolers may be too young to understand the Third Law of Motion, but they still have a lot of fun watching Alka-Seltzer rockets soar. Forget about paper templates, to make a rocket easy enough for a small child to handle, all you need is:

- clear air-tight plastic canister (e.g. film canister) - rocket's body
- stickers, permanent markers, etc - to decorate your rocket (optional)
- Alka-Seltzer ORIGINAL pill, broken into 4 pieces - rocket fuel
- water
- flat surface in the open area (e.g. driveway, patio) - launch pad

1) Turn your can lid-side down. Decorate the rocket, making sure that you can put the lid on and off easily.
2) Go to your launch pad, make sure there is no breakable things within 6 ft (2 meters) off the launching area.
3) When ready to launch, put 2 tablespoons of water in the rocket, put 1/4 of Alka-Seltzer pill into the water, QUICKLY snap the lid on, turn the rocket right-side up and set it on the launch pad. DO NOT try to pick up your rocket up once you set it down for launch.
4) Step away! Count backwards from 10. And watch your rocket take off.

Once your rocket has launched, collect the rocket, cap and leftover fuel. Clean it up, and it's ready to go again.

Catching a ball

This came up in the conversation today...
Do you know how to tell a difference between 3.5 and 4.5 yo? Ask a kid to catch a ball. The eye-hand coordination is much better in 4 yo.

When my daughter was learning to catch a ball, we did not use a ball, we used a ... balloon! Yes, that's right, regular air filled ballon.

A ballon falls slower, giving a toddler a change to track it with his eyes and get his hands ready for catching. It also it lightweight and easy to hold. And it's won't break the chandelier should it be thrown too high.

Awesome radio show for small kids.

Sorry for being MIA. I'm being an on-call tour guide/translator for a group of teen-age ballerinas who came to NY from my hometown in Siberia.

I wanted to tell you about our favorite podcast. It's from the CBeebies - a BBC radio station for small kids. You can listen to them online or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Each of the 30 minute podcast includes a song, a rhyme, silly jokes, "count out loud" game, and an action game like "musical statues" or "follow-me". We've been really enjoying listening to the CBeebies in the car and dancing to the CBeebies beat.

Little N. learned the silly ending to the "row your boat" and she even wants to tell it to her friends and teachers at school (she does not like to be in the spotlight, so this IS a big deal). It goes like this:

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.

If you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream AAAAAAAAAAA!

I don't know, and could not find, any online or radio shows for small kids here in US that are fun, educational, simple and appropriate for preschoolers. So, if you're reading this and you live in UK, know that we envy you. Because you have some really good stuff.

"Magic" for kids

This is a very simple project to do with your kids.
It's called "Thaumatrope". You can explain to the kids that this is how animation works, or you can just call it a "magic trick". Spinning the thaumatrope is a good exercise for little hands. It helps to improve a eye-hand coordination.

Print out the template or make your own design and follow the directions below.
You will need:
-Paper
-Pencil
-Glue or scotch tape.

1. Print out the template.

2. Cut out the circles. If your child is old enough to work with scissors, let her do that herself.

3. Align the circles back-to-back. Put it on the window or against the light to check that the butterflies are above the flower.

4. Glue the circles together.

5. Insert a pencil.

6. Use a piece of scotch tape to secure the pencil.

7. Hold it between your palms. "Grind" your palms again each other. And watch the new [combined] image appear as the thaumatrope spins.

Have fun!



(images by Mamalya)

Making goo.

New goo. Blue goo. Gooey. Gooey. Blue goo. New goo. Gluey. Gluey.
[from "Fox in Socks" by Dr. Seuss]

We made a goo. Blue, because it's N.'s favorite color. Actually, we've made it a few months ago, but it is still alive and we still play with it.
It's rather simple.

Ingredients:
1 tsp of Borax
4oz of Elmers glue (PVA glue)
water
food coloring -optional

In the mixing bowl, mix glue and water 1:1. Stir well.
You can add a food coloring if you'd like. Keep in mind that it will stain your hands.
In the small cup mix borax and 1 cup of water. Mix until dissolved.
The following is better done with two people. Keep stirring glue, add borax solution, few drops at the time. You'll see how the glue is polymerizing. It will be harder and harder to stir the slime, keep mixing for as long as you can. [you will have some left over borax, never mind it] Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes. Finish mixing by hand.

Have fun! Make balls, and feel the bounce; stretch it; make a snowman and see it "melt"...
Store the slime in a ziplock bag in the cool place. It's not toxic, but it's not edible.

PS: (if there's no Borax where you live, it's possible to make goo, using starch instead. The goo will have a slightly different feel. Use this recipe: 1/2 cup liquid starch
1/2 cup PVA glue. Mix starch and glue together until it feels like silly putty. Store in airtight container in the fridge. It should last a couple of weeks.)

(image: Mamalya)

Making sand cakes

Do your kids like to play in a sand box? Who am I kidding, I love sandboxes myself! We have a sand box outside filled with purple craft sand. But we can't use it when it's 37F and raining.

Once for a party we made enough InstaSnow to fill a large storage box. But it did not last and it was difficult to clean up. We tried Moon Sand, but it was very messy. We use play dough but I don't like the smell of it and I don't like the clean up part, especially if it gets on carpets. So we were on a lookout for something better...

Finally, at the Toy Fair, I found a perfect compound for an indoor sand box. It is called Bubber and it is made in Sweden by the same company that makes Moon Sand. Bubber is lightweight, non greasy, non sticky, non smelly and it never dries out. It's very easy to clean up from clothing and floors.

You can mold it; you can make bricks and build castles from them; you can take a cup and make sand cakes; you can compact it and then carve it. It's the perfect material for pint sized sculptors. (And it makes a good substitute for a stress ball.)

So, today we received a bag of neon green Bubber in the mail. The 24oz bag filled a 5 gallon Ikea Slugis box (21x13x6 in). We took some plastic knifes, scissors, molds and cups, and went on building things. We spent the whole evening by the sand box making green sand cakes.

(images: Mamalya)

Would you like a goo bath?

This is a really weird product from UK, it's called Gelli Baff. The add says that it "turns bath water into goo... and back again". Well, that is exactly what it does. And it comes in some pretty funky colors (there is even a color changing version). But it won't stain kids, towels or carpets. Chemically speaking it is a powder similar to one used in disposable diapers (sodium polyacrylate to be exact). It can hold 400 times its own weight in water.

So, in the box you get two packets. You fill the bath tub with warm water and add the packet #1. The water turns into brightly colored goop. Not slimy goo, though, something like gelatin. Your kid -if he is an adventurous type- jumps in and hopefully has a good time. When he's done, you add a packet #2, which is pure table salt. The goo turns back into liquid, that is safe for the septic system. You rinse the child and he is good to go.

Here's a TV commercial:


But the question is, would you buy it? Do you think your child would get in?

The official website is www.gellibaff.co.uk

Happy Valentine's Day

This is a fun rendition of our favorite love song.

funny song

this cute little song is destined to become any child's favorite. Warning: it WILL get stuck in your head forever!

Family game night for the smallest players (2 years+)

We like board games. Miss N. got her first set of games when she turned 2. She now has a rather large collection of good quality games.

Board games teach concentration, as well as taking turns and following rules. Here's the list of games we recommend for the youngest players in your family.

–Bingo (aka Loto) with simple pictures or just colors. Bingo also helps with vocabulary. On the photo is our little N. playing Mini-Bingo (by Haba).

–"go away monster" (by Gamewright). This simple game is a variation of Bingo. And it can also teach little kids how to deal with the under-bed monsters - just shout "GO AWAY!"

–memory. For the youngest kids, start with 9 different cards. Arrange them on the table face up. Give your child enough time to memorize them. Then turn the cards face down. Ask her to find the cat, dog, etc. If the child is just learning a concept of same-different, you can help her by playing another version of the game. Divide cards into 2 sets. Give one set to the child and hold another one in your hands. Each player deals one card at the time, compare cards to see if they are the same.

–UNO is another great matching game. Just make sure to leave the "special" cards out.

(image: Mamalya)