Creative fun for beating holiday vacation boredom bug
We are now in full swing of the holiday season and during the school break our family looks forward to spending quality time together. As the year is ending it is a great time to reflect on what was learned and what we are looking forward to with the New Year. It is also a time to fight off the boredom bug! The following are a few ideas which your family could try out or participate in to fight off "I'm bored!", and also create some family memories.
Sandpaper and Yarn
If you are not a crafty person this is a super easy craft with little mess!
Materials
- Sandpaper
- Yarn
- Scissors to cut yarn
There is no need for glue as the yarn will stick to the sandpaper, it just requires your imagination to design and shape the yarn. It might be easier for younger children to draw their design first before using the yarn. From snowmen to a winter wonderland, this craft offers hours of creative fun. You could also experiment to see what other craft items might stick to the sand paper, too!
Rainbow Milk Activity
Materials
- Whole Milk
- Shallow Dish
- Food Coloring
- Liquid dish soap – in a small bowl
- Q-tips
Instructions
- Pour a thin layer of the whole milk in the shallow dish.
- Squeeze droplets of the food coloring on the surface of the milk. You can try out one color or use a variety.
- Dip one end of the Q-tip in the dish soap and then in the milk, preferably in the center of a spot of food coloring.
- You can keep exploring all the different aspects of your creation until the water becomes a dark color. If you want to continue just empty out the milk and start over!
http://artfulparent.com/2014/07/awesome-rainbow-milk-science-experiment.html The Artful Parent – Jean Van't Hul
What is the Science behind this activity?
In my family we love the word "why." This activity allows for some great teachable moments. Steve Spangler's description sums up the science aspect to this activity. "Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).
The secret of the bursting colors is the chemistry of that tiny drop of soap. Dish soap, because of its bipolar characteristics (nonpolar on one end and polar on the other), weakens the chemical bonds that hold the proteins and fats in solution. The soap's polar, or hydrophilic (water-loving), end dissolves in water, and its hydrophobic (water-fearing) end attaches to a fat globule in the milk. This is when the fun begins.
The molecules of fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions as the soap molecules race around to join up with the fat molecules. During all of this fat molecule gymnastics, the food coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. As the soap becomes evenly mixed with the milk, the action slows down and eventually stops.
Try adding another drop of soap to see if there's any more movement. If so, you discovered there are still more fat molecules that haven't found a partner at the big color dance. Add another drop of soap to start the process again."
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/milk-color-explosion#how-does-it-work