Homeschooler Savvy

Recipes for play dough and more - cheap art materials

In the unending search for cheap art materials variations in art media, I came across an amazing public list of recipes and here they are in full my dedicated readers!

Magic Crystal Paint

Bring two cups of water and two cups of Epsom salt to a boil. Stir. Let mixture cool. Add food coloring. Use paintbrush and paint on a white sheet of construction paper. When paint dries, colored crystals appear.

Jell-O Paint

For each desired color, mix 1/4 c. water, 3/4 c. glue, and a flavor of Jell-O. (Use enough Jell-O to achieve desired color) Paint a picture on construction paper. Allow paint 2 days to dry. Your picture will also have a wonderful scent and texture!

Shiny Paint

Mix 1 part white glue with 1 part tempera paint. Apply with a paintbrush. Picture will dry with a "wet" look.

Glitter Paint

Mix corn syrup, food coloring, and glitter. Paint on construction paper. Let dry for several days. Drawing will appear glittery and transparent.

Milk Paint

For a creamy "pastel" look, pour evaporated milk into containers. Add food coloring until desired color is reached. Use paintbrush to apply.

Egg Paint

This recipe is great to use on slick surfaces, like glass, aluminum foil, or freezer paper. Mix a little egg yolk, dry detergent, and food coloring. Paint will stick easily.

Salt Paint

For an "icy" touch to wintery pictures, mix 2 t. salt, 1 t. liquid starch, and a few drops tempera paint. Apply with paint brush.

Watercolor Cakes

Mix 1T. white vinegar and 1T. baking soda. Mixture will be fuzzy. When fizzing stops, add 1T. cornstarch and 1/2 t. corn syrup. Mixture will become thick and cakelike. Fill small plastic bottle lids adding some food coloring to each lid. Make colors as dark or

light as desired. You can use the watercolors right away, if desired. If they dry, simply wet the paintbrush thoroughly and swirl it in the lid.

Peanut Butter Dough

Mix 3 1/2 c. peanut butter, 4 c. powdered sugar, 3 1/2 c. corn syrup or honey, 4 c. powdered milk. (This dough is edible, so be sure hands are washed before mixing). Mold

and shape dough on waxed paper. Sculpt your creation and decorate with raisins or chocolate chips. Then eat them up! Dough can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Coffee Dough

Mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. salt, 1 c. used coffee grounds, and 1/2 c. cold coffee. Knead mixture on floured surface. After sculpting, allow creation to air dry. Store clay in a plastic bag.

Play Dough

Mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. salt, and 2 t. cream of tartar. Add 1 c. water, 1 t. vegetable oil, and food coloring. Cook in heavy skillet for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Knead dough until it becomes soft and smooth. Store dough in butter or icing tubs.

Salt & Flour Dough

Mix 2 parts salt and 1 part flour. Add water until mixture becomes doughy. Food coloring may be added to dough. This is a good recipe for beads. Shape the dough into a bead, making a hole through the center with a toothpick. Allow to air dry.

Putty

Mix 2 parts white Elmer's and 1 part liquid starch. Add food coloring if desired. Let mixture air dry. This putty bounces, stretches, and lifts pictures from newsprint. Store in an airtight container.

No-Cook Dough

Mix 2 c. flour, 1 c. salt, water, food coloring, and 2 T.oil. (You may leave out the oil if you want your art to harden)

Colored Glue

Add food coloring to white glue. Mix well. Use this mixture to outline parts of your drawing or in place of some paint.

Papier-Mache'

Mix together 1 box Knox gelatin , 3 ounces white glue, and 2 ounces water until smooth. Wet tissue paper or paper towel strips thoroughly with mixture. Place strips

over your mold until you have covered it as thickly as you want. Or... Mix equal parts of liquid starch and cold water. Dip newspaper strips in mixture and apply.

Pistacio Nut Shell Art - More cheap art materials

Just when y'all thought I had run out of cheap art materials, I have found the ultimate use for cast offs from those couch potatoes who will be watching the Football games this weekend...pistacio nut shells.

These photos are by Balla Tamas, http://www.ballatamas.com/kreativ/en_creative.html  for more information.

Corlette T. Baylock from Cleveland has his own website (art on the half shell) where you can go and discover the many uses of pistacio nut shells.  The photo below is courtesy of his website.

How can we turn the humble pistacio nut shell into a method of teaching children body proportions?  Well, I remember learning if you draw a round shape for a person's head, then the typical person will be seven more heads long.

Another of his neat projects - You can make a rain stick by sealing the pistacio nuts into a cardboard tube.  Note to self: keep pistacio shells next time I indulge - that sounds like a really fun open ended project for kids!

But why stop at people? these nut shells also make awesome looking jewel beetles (Christmas beetles - June bugs); jewellery; furniture decorations (might be hard to sit on though) and any other 3 dimensional craft.

Kid's bored and needing entertainment?  Can you imagine how well a pistacio nut shell with a face on it would fit onto your finger - and there you go, a mobile finger sized puppet theatre. Don't care if the kids see you drawing on your hands?  Then you could finish off the body down your fingers.  Note to self: place pistacio nut shells into pocket for doctors waiting room (how Corlette got started).

OK, now the kicker, he recently completed a commissioned (think largish sums of money) nut-art picture of a crowd scene - 700 faces including Paul Newman. I wonder if he's done the Mona Lisa yet?

Here's an interesting aside: Pistacio trees are a quite ancient crop thought to have originated in Central Asia.  One of the main producers in the world was Iran, until the war.  The dramatic decline in supply has caused prices to rise, and other areas with similiar climates (California and Australia) are beginning to grow this crop. After grafting it is 4-6 years before you get your first crop, and 20-25 years before the trees bear fully.  Trees often continue to bear nuts for 40-60 years more (at the ripe old tree age of 85).  Before you think about putting some trees in - check if your climate is right:  cold winters (less than 5ºC in July, and down to -18ºC) and long, hot dry summers (more than 32ºC in January, and up to 38ºC).

Regardless of your chance to grow these trees, you're nuts if you don't recycle these shells nextime you buy a bag......

Aussie Kim

History At My House: World War I (African Americans At War)

Much to my children's dismay, we do not take the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday off from school. Instead, we spend the day learning. Today we are learning about the Americans of African descent who fought for our country during the First World War, the 369th Infantry. The National Archives and Records Administration (which is where I found this photo) has an excellent site designed for this purpose. It includes documents, photos and many other teaching resources.(Why reinvent the wheel, right?)

That's where we'll be hanging out today. Maybe we'll see you there!

LA Sue

History At My House: World War I (prelude to war)

Everyone knows that the First World War began when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, right. Well, not exactly. That may have been the striking of the match, but the firewood was chopped and stacked in the woodshed months before. To understand why the Archduke was killed, you have to get hip to what was going on in the Balkans at that time.

"What are the Balkans?" asks Salamander. Funny you should ask. Go read this and this. Now Google Earth the Balkan Peninsula.

Okay, now that we know what they are, we still need to know why they are important. What the heck was going on there that they needed to bump off Franz Ferdinand? This will tell you all you need to know (and more than you ever wanted to).

We've learned about the Balkans. Now let's find out a little about the Archduke and his connection to the Balkans.

Okay, so now we know why the guy with the mustache (and his poor in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time wife) were a target for unhappy Serbian Nationalists. Finally, here is what happened on that day in Sarajevo that plunged a world into war.

LA Sue

Photo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his family is from http://www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm.

History At My House: World War I (prep work)

So you want to teach your little darlings about the First World War. Well, one does not enter into a war lightly or unprepared. A little reconnaissance is needed. Supplies must be gathered. Training must take place. This is war!

How do I prepare myself for war? First, you must understand, this is total war. It's not just history. It's math. It's science. It's literature. It's home economics. It's physical education. Yes, that's right. I said physical education. Ever hear of forced marches? Strap on your kit, and I'll tell you how to prepare yourself for the siege.

When preparing for total war, you have two new best friends: your computer and your librarian. You will need to utilize these tools to their maximum capacity. Yahoo and Google will cry for mercy when you're finished with them.

Start with a general search. I Googled World War I. These are some general, all purpose sites I found...

http://www.worldwar1.com/

http://www.firstworldwar.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/

Their are thousands of other sites, but these will do for now. I spend my leisure hours (between midnight and 2am) going through these sites. I find that the PBS site is a companion site to a video series, "The Great War" and that leads me to the library. I bribe my lovely librarian (chocolate works!) to ensure that the video will be in on time. I love my librarians.

While I am at the library, I search for books and other videos on the First World War. I find some and put holds on others. I ask my librarian for other ideas. She suggests that I search specific subject areas (i.e. science + WW1, literature + WW1, etc.). I kiss her feet and then search as directed. I leave with two bags full, and I return home to my computer and search some more. Here are some of my finds...

Science:

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2003.html

(Work on drugs during WW1 saved countless lives in WW2!)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,711767,00.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195168747

(I didn't buy it, but I requested it from the library. However, it looks like a good one to own!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_during_World_War_I

http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2005/12/79si.html

(Did you know that the earliest chemotherapy drug was produced from mustard gas?!)

Okay, you get the idea. The subjects of my searches were Science + WW1 and Science Innovations + WW1. You could use other searches to find more (medicine + WW1, aeronautics + WW1, etc.). The possibilities are mind boggling.

Now, do the same for other subjects. I searched for WW1 + literature, food, health, geography, time line, politics, languages, maps and I don't remember what else. When I came across a book that looked good, I stocked up on chocolate and headed to the library.

The key to a successful foray into history is preparation, and also an understanding that everything is history. A periodic table of elements didn't just appear in space. Someone discovered an element and made history. L.M. Montgomery didn't just think up Rilla of Ingleside one day after eating too much cheesecake. She lived through the First World War and decided to write a story based on events in history. Reading fictional works set in an historical setting is still learning about history. You don't have to tie yourself to a textbook. History is everything. When preparing to teach history, don't forget that everything is fair game. Connecting the dots between traditional subjects is what makes history fascinating. Names and dates can be important, but they are not the sum total of an event.

You have your marching orders, now hop to it soldier. Total history is upon us and we must prepare. Research is our finest weapon in the battle to make history interesting and fun!

LA Sue

(More on my family's WWI studies coming soon.)

Dryer lint as an art material

Just when you thought it couldn't get cheaper than using toast for art, another gem as reported by my Ripley's engrossed son: art from dryer lint. 

Yes, I kid you not!  I had been hoarding my dryer lint to use in starting campfires, but now, I think we will have to let loose and use it for art work.  My son informed me there wasn't enough different colors in the lint we had collected over the last 6 months, but I know that blue water and grey sky take all the lint you can get from the jeans that go through our dryer.

The National Lint Project (I kid you not!) shows you a range of SCULPTURES from lint.  This photo is from that website, and a review written by the Pittsburg Post-Gazette in 2002.

Doesn't seem so basic anymore does it!!!!

So what else can we do with dryer lint? 

1. Give it to the birds for nesting materials. 

2. Use it as a firelighter (put it into a toilet roll or egg carton with wax and save for your campfire). 

3. Dryer lint clay (3cups dryer lint: 2 cups water: 1 cup flour - mix in a saucepan over heat, stir until mixed, pour onto wax paper to cool, use it like clay.) 

4. Put it in the bottom of plant pots for retaining moisture. 

Due to lints flamability, it's probably a good idea not to use it for stuffing soft toys or quilts. Firemen recommend you clean your lint trap out EVERY load, and do not leave the dryer on if you leave home, because many home fires are started because of the lint.

For an amazing selection of dryer lint art go here.  I'm thinking it would be difficult to get any cheaper art material than this....

Aussie Kim

Using Encyclopaedias on CD or online for homeschooling

Part of the Sonlight Curriculum for Eastern History (Core 5) uses the World Book Encyclopaedia on CD for the backbone information on the country being studied. I thought I would review how we found this to go.  Sonlight also provides questions about the country that you can go through with the text, and as usual, a wonderful assortment of age appropriate reading books placed in the country and historical era under scrutiny.

In fact I found using the Encyclopaedia CD alot easier than I had expected.  Part of the reason for this, is that Sonlight suggests which parts for you or your children to read.  You could really work this out yourself, with a quick perusal of the information about that country and knowledge of what your kids will enjoy or not.  Although the contents of any encyclopaedia can be quite dry, it is surprising how using a digial encyclopaedia has changed things up.

If you are studying a country, it is neat to listen to their national anthem, or traditional folk songs.  Try doing that with the paper version!.  Want to see what their national flags, state flags, national flora and fauna, people, artwork, countryside etc etc look like?  Zoom in on the pictures.  If you want more detail on a topic, much of the text has key words highlighted, so you can follow your interests very easily. 

Other upsides: We are not causing deforrestation of acres of land to produce a set of books which will only be up to date for a few years.  Sometimes, using an encyclopaedia at the library is not practical on a daily basis.

So what's the downside?  You're not turning a page, you are clicking a mouse.  (Can be viewed as an upside).  You need a computer.  You need to watch the kids if there is information in the encyclopaedia you don't want them to learn about.

Do you realise how much your view of the world is coloured by the culture you are living in?  We used World Book for our readings, but after a short time, I (being an "alien") became unsettled at the view of the world from the USA.  The location of continents or countries was discussed in relation to the United States.  The history of other countries was discussed in relation to the US.  Yes, I know there is connections there, but how about just sticking to the facts about the country's interaction with the rest of the world, and not just the US?  Of course, this is a US encyclopaedia.  However, I decided to read from the Encyclopaedia Brittianica CD first, but if you are trying to follow a particular curriculum (eg Sonlight) things get quite complicated using a different encyclopaedia from what they want you to....    I do feel however, that the Encyclopaedia Brittanica gives a more focused perspective of the history and geography of countries.  (Warning: Conflict of interest in this comment....I may be biased towards the British viewpoints due to my Colonial upbringing.)

Overall, using the two encyclopaedias on CD has added a much greater depth to our geography and history studies.  We always checkout the country we are learning about on google earth, and this, in combination with listening to the national anthems, looking at pictures of the countryside, clothing, food and animals make for an interesting read.

This is the Australian flag, and coat of arms (from Wikipedia).  I understand we are one of the few nations that eat both the animals on our coat of arms.  For one of the basic foodstuffs, click on the link for Vegemite (under homesickness fixes in the left hand column). 

Aussie Kim

Preparing for the ACT - from grade 5

Simply put, the key for acceptance into colleges in the U.S., are your ACT/SAT scores, and/or a portfolio and/or your track record in high school subjects.  So, what is the ACT/SAT, and how can you prepare your child for it? 

ACT stands for The American College Testing Program.  SAT stands for the Scholastic Aptitude Test. They are tests using multiple choice answers in the areas of English, Math, Reading and Science.  Also available is the Writing Test which measures skills in planning and writing a short essay.

It was traditionally thought that once you test and get a score, you can't get any better.  WRONG!  Typically, every time a student takes the test their scores IMPROVE.  Why?  Well, now they know what it's all about, it's not some big scary mystery any more.  Students are able to realize which subject areas needed more work, and improve on them. 

You can take the ACT whenever you want, these days kids often take it the first time in 11-12th grades.  If every time you take it, you get better scores, wouldn't it make sense to start getting used to it before grade 12?  ACT now offers two other tests which are aimed at getting the kids used to taking this type of test at an earlier age - instead of leaving it till grade 12.  These are the Explore test (aimed at grade 8) and the Plan test (aimed at grade 10).  What a neat way to expand their business!  Christmas bonus to the guy who thought of that!  Bonus also, to the person that thought of naming these as .... Explore, Plan and Act.......

OK, enough sarcasm. I am not promoting getting on the treadmill of spending your school time preparing for tests.  However, I am promoting the idea that getting kids used to these tests at a young age is a good thing.  This is working under the assumption that we are not putting PRESSURE on them - aim to make the whole thing a non-event, or at the least, a day off school.  The Explore and Plan tests are NOT equivalent to the ACT.  They are aimed at grade 8 and grade 10 students.  They are meant to help the kids get used to test taking and to guide their career choices by providing an indication of your success, (using this testing method) in the core subjects.  However, you know your kid better than any test - keep that in mind when the career guidance information comes back!

But, you say, the title of this post says "grade 5", and you say the Explore test is for grade 8...?  OK, here's the deal, if you test your kids using the Stanford Achievement Test, Iowa Test (or some other National Standardized Test) and your child scores above the 90 percentile for their grade.  Then you are eligible to enroll in a range of Talent Search programs run by the US universities (one example is the Duke Talent Identification Program - or Duke TIP, check the region your state is in for its Talent Identification Program).   These people then offer the student the opportunity to take the Grade 8 test anytime from Grade 5 up to Grade 8.

Did you know, if you have a college degree and homeschool, you can enroll with Bob Jones University to qualify to test your own children with the Stanford Achievement Test or the Iowa Achievement tests?  Some of these tests require no enrollement to give them to your kids.  So check first, with the testing company.  To test with the SAT you need a certain number of other non-relative children at the same grade level to test with yours. 

Once again, the only reason I would see for doing this, is that it gives your child real world practice at testing.  Imagine what it will be like for them in grade 8 having already done this test 3 times before?  Or in grade 12 doing the ACT and having had practice at that type of test since grade 8 or 5?  There are samples available for practice (see the ACT links), and I recommend getting these, and working through the LOGIC of the questions.  Particularly with science, if the kid can read a graph or table, it is normally very simple to see the answer. 

I also recommend, stressing the fact that this is just an opportunity for them to experience this test, and that all you want them to do is their best on the day. I think it is important to minimize the time spent on studying for the tests.  Stick to the curriculum which is working for you and your child.  Think of these tests at this age/grade as bonus stuff (or fluff).  If you want them to start getting practice for the ACT, this post is just to help you realize that now you can do it from Grade 8 (and some Grade 5) onwards. 

Aussie Kim

Teach your kids about recycling this Christmas

Are you emerging from under a mountain of wrapping paper today?  This year I noticed some differences in the wrapping paper and cards.  Some of the wrapping paper had ensignias from World Wildlife Fund, some of the cards were fundraisers for St Judes and other chartities.  This is a great option for supporting these organisations.  If you are like me, the christmas cards get packed away (the pack rat option...) so there is no point in discussing recycling plans there.  Here is another concept for wrapping paper: Next year use those colorful bags which can be reused again and again. 

But what to do today with the mountain of paper?  You have a wonderful opportunity to teach your kids about recycling.  Pack it flat and take it somewhere that accepts newspapers and magazines.  Don't know where this is?  Do an internet search using the words recycling and your town or region name.  After a while you should come up with somewhere.  We live in a rural area, so recycled papers get saved up for one of the trips to civilisations, (which we seem to make on a too frequent basis!).

Got small kids?  Save some pieces back, give them a pair of scissors and let them cut and paste.  Using scissors improves their fine motor skills and strenthens the fingers they will eventually use to write with.  Want to be even more consumer minded?  Get some blank paper and let your kids stick the cut outs onto the Christmas cards for next year.

What about the Christmas tree?  Here is a wonderful option for those near dams: creat a fish habitat (in an area where this is OK- check first!).  This is what they are doing near us with Christmas trees - you can take your tree there and have a nice outing with the family.

Trees For Fish
The annual “Trees for Fish” program at Sardis Lake is a joint effort between the Corps of Engineers, area bass clubs, merchants, and volunteers. City agencies surrounding the lake also help coordinate the collection of Christmas trees. The event is designed to take discarded Christmas trees, and recycle them into a valuable product for improving the fishery resources at Sardis Lake.

Go here to find ideas on starting your own Christmas Tree recycling program.  Think of this as a gift to your great grandchildren!

Aussie Kim

It's Rocket Science!!! - NASA teaching your kids.

There is a HUGE resource out there for teaching your kids science which is FREE.  It is NASA.  YES!  You can go have a look and choose from their vast array of videos, lesson plans, projects and competitions.  This year we participated in the competition called Moon Math, which very broadly involved doing some measurement of the moon, it was aimed at grade 5-7, they WANT a parent involved, they are happy to work with homeschoolers.  They have materials aimed at ALL grades.  I mean what more could you want?

For our moon math we decided to see if the moon was always the same distance from the earth, by taking photos of the moon and comparing the diameter over time.  But, you say, this is a very basic topic!  However, the goal is NOT the answer, the goal is for the kids to be exposed to the scientific process: 1. consider a question, 2. propose a hypothesis - do some background research and develop a research plan (hand this in), 3. begin your experiment, 4.write your research up in the manner of a scientific paper, (summary, introduction, materials and methods, results, conclusions) - and hand this in.  And then your child has successfully followed the same process that all great scientists have.

If you are an unschooler this will suit you down to a T.  Here is the blurb the NASA people sent out about their resources.  I highly recommend the experience of working with them.  It has been very productive from a "did the kids learn anything?" perspective, and it has been fun!

The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. The following items are now available for downloading.

Lunar Nautics: Designing a Mission to Live and Work on the Moon Educator Guide -- Grades 6-8

This unit features 40 activities that challenge students to assume the roles of workers at Lunar Nautics Space Systems, Inc., a fictional aerospace company specializing in mission management, lunar habitat and exploration design, and scientific research.

The guide includes information to teach the basics on Newton’s Laws of Motion, rocket design, microgravity, and the moon. Students design, test and analyze a model lunar lander, a robot, and a soda bottle rocket. They also build edible models, a solar oven to cook hot dogs, and a microgravity sled while underwater.

Educators can use this guide in a variety of formats such as week- long day camps, after-school programs, a classroom unit or as supporting curriculum.

Extra-Credit Problems in Space Science -- Grades 7-9

These activities comprise a series of 20 practical math applications in space science. Students looking for additional challenges in math and physical science are encouraged to use these as potential extra credit problems. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teachers guides with answer keys.

Additional Video Learning Clips Added

More than 50 educational video clips have been added to the Videos section of the NASA Educational Materials site.

Educational video clips are short segments about aeronautics, Earth science, space science, space exploration and other NASA-related topics. Designed for students in grades K-12, these short videos are ideal for supplementing teaching ideas in the classroom.

Use the Find Teaching Materials tool at the link below to select Video Learning Clips and the appropriate grade level.

Kids measuring the diameter of the moon.

Aussie Kim