Six Ways to Take Advantage of the Hot Sunny Days

Been doing a few of these in my house lately, and thought I'd share...

Let's face it - it's ugly hot outside these days.  Use the summer sun and heat to your advantage!

These are all things we do at my house or have done over the years when the teenagers were smaller.  Here's my list - give them a try!

1. Clean the burners, burner plates and knob of your stove with ammonia.  Simply place them into a large zip top bag with about a cup of ammonia.  Set outside in the sun.  I put mine out early in the morning, and brought them in the next morning.  Rinse well with warm soapy water.  You'd be amazed at how much grease, grime, and other yucky stuff will come off!  Because I actually cook, I've had stuff boil over onto the stove that I thought had actually fused itself into the enamel on my burner plates.  My stove looks like new!  By the way, when you dump out your ammonia, keep it away from tender plants.  I poured mine on the wood mulch in one of our flower beds that seems to attract the neighborhood cats, racoons and possums.  You can also put used paper towels into the liquid in the bag, and throw it away.
2. Fry an egg.  This is a great one to do with kids.  Prove that it is actually hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement.  All you need is an egg and some nonstick cooking spray.  Wait until about 3 in the afternoon, find a really hot spot on your driveway or sidewalk, and hit it with some cooking spray.  Drop your egg on the hot spot, and watch and wait.  This is a great exercise in scientific observation.  If you really want to get technical, do two eggs - one as a control, and one with a clear glass lid over it (like a greenhouse).  Which one cooks faster?  By the way, don't eat the eggs - just throw them away.
3. Make sun tea.  Another great science observation project, and this one you can drink.  I have a large, gallon-size jar, and to this jar I add 16 tea bags and one gallon of water.   Place on the porch or patio, and wait for a few hours.   I especially like chai tea, then drink it iced with milk and honey.   One year, I actually made homemade root beer syrup with herbal tea I had made as sun tea.  This is a delicious way to stay hydrated!  
4. Make sun prints.  You don't even need the expensive paper - just use dark construction paper, like black or blue.  Just a note here - since this is not the fancy photo-sensitive paper, use objects that have simple shapes.  The details won't show up as well, but it's quick, easy and inexpensive.  Simply place your paper in a very sunny area, set an object on your paper, and then wait for about an hour.  Not happy with your results?  Vary the amount of time - another fun science project!
5. Make a pie plate crayon.  Start with a small aluminum pie pan, add some old crayons, then set them in the hot sun all day.  Allow your crayon to cool, and color to your hearts content.  Feel free to mix and match or sort by color (a great preschooler activity).  If you buy the shaped tins (baking aisle), you can get a head start on Christmas ornaments by inserting a straw near the top of your shape.  Be sure to place the straw far enough down that the crayon won't break if hung on a tree.  You can also do hearts to set away for Valentine's day fun next year, and make stars on the 4th of July.
6. Stay in and learn some card games.  We all complain that our kids spend way too much time plugged in, and this is a great way to get them unplugged.  Card games teach math and logic skills, such as counting, sequences and strategy.  Card games teach social skills, such as good manners like dealing cards to others before yourself.  Oh yeah, and they're fun.  Crazy Eights and Old Maid are perennial favorites.  Feel free to move up to something simple like UNO for the younger ones, and then work up to rummy-type games, where the players have to make books (all one number) and runs (sequential numbers in one suit).  A favorite in our house is Five Crowns.  It's a rummy-type game with five suits and wild cards that change each round.  Buy it on Amazon.  When teaching a new game to players of all ages, we've found that it's best to play the first few hands/rounds with everyone's cards showing.  Then, Parent/Adult can help.  Also, don't be afraid to play and NOT keep score.  Just play for fun.  You'll make all kinds of fun memories.

Everyday Science and Bird Watching

As a homeschooler, I love what I call “Everyday Science”.  It’s the science that’s all around us, all the time...

**THIS IS A COMPENSATED POST***

***ALL IDEAS EXPRESSED ARE COMPLETELY MY OWN**

One of my favorite “Everyday Sciences” is bird study.  We live in an area that is semi-wooded, with mature trees, so we see lots of different birds all year round.  Our first foray into this wonderful world of winged creatures was simply learning to identify the birds that we would see in our trees, or on our walks around our town.  We have since graduated on to looking at migration and habitat maps, and also keeping track of who’s here when.

Speaking of keeping track, a cherished activity that is under this umbrella is participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count through the Audubon Society and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Simply set up a bird feeder in your backyard, or on your deck or balcony, then identify who visits and how many friends they bring with them.  What a great math activity, too!

What’s that?  You don’t have a bird feeder?!

Backyard Chirper is an excellent resource for you.  They have a huge selection of bird feeding products, and also bird baths, bird houses, and other fun gardening accessories.

One of the greatest parts of the website is their learning center.  Maybe you’ve never bird watched a day in your life.  I didn’t before we lived in this house.  Now you’d like to share in the joy of learning with your children.  The resources here are just so helpful!  You can learn how to attract many different bird species, the importance of bird baths, and also about butterfly gardens.  Backyard Chirper also carries DVD’s and CD’s as well as birding guidebooks.

Whether you need help with a purchase, have questions about an order, or just need information about their products, their friendly staff is knowledgeable about their product line and can help you pick the perfect product for your home.  In fact, they offer a 30-day money back guarantee (some exclusions apply – see website for details).

Use the warm summer days to explore the feathered friends in your neighborhood.  Visit Backyard Chirper today, and get started on a new adventure – bird watching!

Gluten Free Pretzel Chicks Recipe

Saw these today, when another customer of our local meat CSA brought them to our farmers as an Easter treat.  They are so cute!  Quick and simple, easy and delicious!

Aren't they just so cute!  Here's one, close up.

So, before I tell you how I made them myself, I have to tell you that the other nice customer lady said she used a recipe/how-to.  I don't know the source.  This was not originally my idea, just my take on what I saw today.  They were too cute, and looked too good, not to try!

You will need:
small twist pretzels (I use Glutino brand which are gluten free, but you can use regular ones, too)
Wilton yellow Candy Melt disks for the bodies
Nestle mini chocolate chips for the eyes
Orange mini MnM's for the little beaks

Preheat your oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and lay pretzels on the sheet in a single layer.  Cut candy disks in half, and place them on the pretzels, with the round side matching the round side of the pretzel.  Bake for about 5-ish minutes.  You want the candy to get spreadable, but not completely melted.  Remove from oven and CAREFULLY spread the candy with the tip of a knife or a spoon.  You can also melt the candy separately, then spread it on the pretzels.  While candy is still soft, add one mini chip to make the eye and one MnM (sideways and upright) to make the beak.  Allow to cool, then enjoy!

Just a side note here:  MnM minis come in a bag with many colors.  A GREAT activity for littles is to sort the MnM's by color into separate containers.  This teaches colors, and one-to-one correspondence.  Wow, what's one-to-one correspondence?!  One MnM goes in one container.  It's actually one of the earliest math concepts because if you don't understand what "one" means and is, you won't be able to count.  Also, one candy piece on each pretzel, one chip on each pretzel, and one MnM one each pretzel reinforce this concept as well.

For the not-quite-so-littles, cutting the disks in half is a great way to introduce/practice fractions. The pretzels are also divided roughly in thirds.  Math and science are so much more fun and interesting when you get to eat the results!

Now, I have to warn you - MAKE A BUNCH!  These will disappear probably before they are entirely cooled!

Have a blessed Easter, and I will see you again on Monday!