Recipe Box: Get Outside

Outdoor play leaves kids with more advanced motor skills than their “indoor” peers, including coordination, balance and agility. Kids who play outside are more likely to move in ways that challenge their muscles, bones and physical endurance. Children burn more calories outdoors, helping to prevent obesity and strengthen bones and muscles.

Here is a fun activity to do with the kids for a Crafternoon. Make your own Sidewalk Chalk! The making of the chalk will be one fun activity. The using of it will be another. The chalk needs at least a day to dry, so this is a good lesson in patience for the little ones. If you choose to use a deeper mold it will take longer. Once the chalk is ready to play with hopscotch, tic tac toe, and drawing messages to neighbors will be more fun knowing they made it themselves.

Blowing bubbles is a fantastic game for young children. They love to play with bubbles and can often go through a whole tube in one game, which can get a little costly. But, there's no reason for you to pay for what is essentially soapy water. With this easy recipe, you can make your own bubble mixture whenever you want. You can even give the kids a bit of a science lesson by teaching them how to weigh out the solutions themselves. Making the bubble solution is also a great activity for young budding scientists. You can introduce concepts about surface tension (what shape is a bubble? Can a bubble be a cube or a pyramid?), matter (are bubbles solids, liquids, or gas? Answer: They are actually a thin layer of liquids filled with the gas O2), and wind direction (can you tell which way the wind is blowing from how the bubbles float?) to kids in an engaging hands-on way.

Use this recipe to keep yourself, your family, and friends enjoying bubbles all year long. If young children are using the bubble solution, make sure they keep it away from their eyes, as soap can irritate them. Once the mixture is combined, test it out! If you find that the bubbles aren't forming well, you may need to add a little more dish soap or glycerin. While this craft comes together in minutes, kids will enjoy hours of fun forming bubbles outside on a beautiful day. Make a small collection of these jars to keep with your outdoor toys and your kiddos will be entertained all season long.

Pack a lunch, your homemade chalk and bubbles, and get outside.

Contact Ashley at ashley@tippgazette.com

Sidewalk Chalk

Ingredients:

Plaster of Paris

Warm water

Tempera paint

Tools:

Silicone mold tray

Popsicle sticks

Mixing cups

Measuring cups

Directions:

Step 1

Combine 1 ½ cup of warm water with 3 cups of Plaster of Paris in a mixing cup. Mix the two together with the Popsicle stick until you get a thick, soupy mixture. There should be no clumps (Plaster of Paris will begin to harden within 20 to 30 minutes so you will need to work quickly).

Note: If you’re doing more than one color you’ll need to mix them in separate mixing cups.  If you’re afraid of plaster drying – do small batches ¼ cup water to ½ cup Plaster of Paris.

Step 2

Mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons of tempera paint. The more paint you use the brighter your color will be. Be sure that there are no streaks or swirls in your mixture. You want the color even.

Step 3

Transfer the mixture into your mold once the mixture begins to thicken. Be sure to wipe any spills and leaks with a damp paper towel before the chalk dries.

Step 4

Let the chalk dry. This will take a day. Keep in mind if using other molds, the depth of the mold will determine how long it will take to dry.

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Bubble Blowing Mixture

Equipment / Tools

Measuring spoons

Measuring cup

Stirring stick

Materials

1 jar

Bubble wands (can twist a loop with a pipe cleaner to make one)

1 cup water

1 tablespoon dish soap

1 tablespoon glycerin

Instructions

Measure and pour the water into the jar.

Using your measuring cup, measure out 1 cup of water. Pour the water into the jar.

Measure and Add Dish Soap to the Jar

Add 1 tablespoon of dish soap to the water in the jar. Any brand of dish soap will work here.

Dish soap helps create the bubbles, but dish soap alone won't work well for your bubble blowing mixture. Proceed to the next step to learn about glycerin and how it ties the entire mixture together, and the science behind bubbles forming and popping.

Measure and Add Glycerin to the Jar

Measure out 1 tablespoon of glycerin and add to the water and dish soap mixture in the jar.

Glycerin is a sugary compound that mixes with the dish soap to form a thicker bubble. Bubbles "Pop!" when the water that's trapped within the soap bubble evaporates. A thicker bubble will keep the water from evaporating longer, and the bubble from popping so soon!

Stir the Bubble Mixture Together

Stir the bubble solution mixture together using a wooden popsicle stick, a spoon, or anything you have handy that works as a stirrer!