mommyapolis

My son and I take a class at the EP Family Center for two/three year olds…  This is the recipe they gave us for bubbles… I’ve made these before at school and used 2teaspoons of Glycerin in place of the Karyo Syrup and it’s worked just as well…  This is a great time of year for bubbles, ENJOY…

2 Cups Joy Dish Soap 
6 Cups Water 
¾ Cup White Karo Syrup   
Combine, shake, and let settle for 4 hours before using.  
Store covered in the refrigerator to extend suds shelf life.
Then allow warming before using.    


Bubble Tips. 
•  Do not stir wand in suds, this avoids foaming.
•  If foam develops, scrape off with stiff card. 
• Keep suds clean, avoid dirt, grass, bugs etc. 
•  Use a 9x13 cake an or pizza pan for suds. 
•  Bubbles are best on humid days 
•  Joy and Karo syrup work best. Other brands don’t work as well. 
•  Direct sun light weakens suds. 
•  If bubbles get in eyes, Rinse with water   
BUBBLE WAND.  Bend a metal hanger into desired shape...For small wands tie a twist tie to a straw.  

Today in Kindergarten we started our first Earth Day Project….  Paper Mache Earths…  We RECYCLED old newspaper and used eco friendly paste to make a fun project… Here are the directions!  I will post the pictures after we paint them…

1.  Cut several 1 inch strips of newspaper

2.  Blow up a balloon (7 or 9 inch)… The smaller you blow them up the more “circular” they are…

3.  Make the paste by mixing 1 part flour with 2 parts water.

4.  Carefully dip a strip of paper into the paste… I always slide my hands down the strip after I dip it to get any excess paste that might drip off.

5.  Place the strip on the balloon.

6.  Continue the process criss-crossing the strips and covering the entire balloon with newspaper.  You can repeat the process several times so you’ve done several layers of newspaper on the balloon.  The more newspaper the stronger it will be!  You will want to make sure to cover the knot of the balloon too…

7.  Let the paper mache dry.  You can set the balloon in a cup to dry, just make sure to flip it after several hours so both sides get a chance to dry.  You can also just lay it on a piece of plastic and again flip it half way through the drying process.

8.  Using a permanent marker you will want to “Draw” an outline of the continents, depending on the age of your child he/she may be able to do this themselves.  It DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT… It’s just for the paint to have a bit of an outline…

9.  Paint Away… We will use green to paint the inside of each of our drawn continents and blue for the rest (oceans)…

So cute!  ENJOY….

With the weather warming up, I can’t help but dream about fresh fruits and vegetables!  The tartness of a freshly picked strawberry and the crispness of a green bean right off the vine… MMMMMMMMM…..  CSA is one way to guarantee we get fresh veggies weekly/biweekly from a farmer we trust…

CSA is a fairly new idea to me… I have known about it for about 3 or 4 years and think the concept is amazing…  Here are the basics…  A farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public of their farm.  Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included.  Interested consumers purchase a share (membership) and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.   I have had several friends suggest several different farms, each offering something different.  I’ve heard amazing things and even some complaints.  The complaints mostly are that you get a lot of “one” kind of veggie and maybe don’t care for it or don’t know what to do with it… Some of the farms allow you to come out for a “tour” and even have special events for kids during the season…  If you think you might be interested in CSA, here is a link to a website where you can type in your zip code and get a list of local farms that might service your area.  You can also choose what kind of produce/dairy you would like to purchase…

http://www.localharvest.org/

I was talking to some friends about CSA at church last night and we were all saying how great of an idea CSA is BUT how much we LOVED the farmer’s market…  I am not sure if CSA cuts into my Farmer’s Market purchases or not, but I know it will not cut into my FM visits… I love going to the market!  I am hoping that the FM supplements my CSA purchases!

So I know I’ve told you this before, but my all time favorite “blog” is www.bakerella.com I love every ounce of her creativity and wish I had just a pinch of it!  Needless to say, these are the cupcakes I am going to attempt for Easter…

photo courtesy of Bakerella

Mine probably will not be as “perfect” but my family won’t care!  That’s what is so great about family!

Happy Easter!