Sunday, December 22, 2013

Countdown til Christmas- DIY Candles

Attention last minute shoppers! I found this video on YouTube randomly. How cute are those hot chocolate candles. I immediately went to Michaels and bought some candle supplies. I didn't measure any of my ingredients. I mostly eyeballed it and manipulated it to get the color I wanted. I went a little bit candle crazy and tried a bunch of different things.

What you will need:
  • Soy wax - It melts quickly and can be melted on the stove or in the microwave
  • Crayons - optional. Some people don't like using crayons for color because it can clog the wick
  • Wicks- Use a soy wick for soy wax preferably
  • Skewers for mixing
  • Color blocks
  • Scent blocks, scented oil or an old candle
  • Mugs, or other glasses
  • Thermometer - optional. My set came with it.
**In the video she used shortening to make her candles instead of soy wax. I didn't have any on hand and didn't go buy any but it is on my to do list. 

Let's start with the Caramel Latte Candle - that smells like vanilla lol. You can start by gluing your wick to the bottom of the glass, I didn't. After you glue it to the bottom you can straighten your wick with two pens. I wanted to hold the wick in while I poured the wax into the cup but it didn't seem to work. So if you decide not to use glue then save the wick until after you pour the wax into the glass.


To create the coffee I used a microwave safe bowl. I put about 5 handfuls of soy wax, a  few pieces of brown and black crayons, and a piece of the vanilla scent block. I put it in the microwave and mixed it with the skewer in one minute intervals until the wax, crayons and scent were fully liquefied. I had to go back and forth with wax and adjusting the color.
**When cleaning the bowl make sure the bowl is still warm and you use hot water. Take a napkin and wipe the bowl first and then wash it. 
**If you are using oil put a few drops after the wax is melted.
Once it is the color I was looking for I poured it into the mug. Then I put the wick in the center and held the wick up by placing it in between two pens. I let my wax cool for a while- perfect time to get lost on Netflix or leave it overnight! Once it looked try I started the next layer...whipped cream. I put a handful of the soy wax into a bowl and put it in the microwave for a minute and a half to two minutes. 
I added more wax after I took the the bowl out the microwave and mixed it until most of the pieces were dissolved.
I let it sit for a couple of minutes so it can thicken/harden up a little. Then, I used a spoon and put the topping around the wick. TA DA! 

Now for the caramel syrup! I used crayons for this and melted orange, apricot, and blue. (There were probably other colors like yellow, too.) It was tricky to get the right brown.  I took the spoon again and drizzled it over the whipped topping. Then, I cut the wick. Fin!
**If you want to test the color dip a toothpick into the wax and place the melted wax on a paper towel. The wax will cool into a lighter color and that is the color the wax will be when it is cooled down.


This next candle, the Martini Candle, was really easy! I only used  three things. A martini glass, an old candle and a wick. (You can use the wick from the old candle if it is long enough.) I used the double boiler method to melt the wax. I took the Cherry Pie candle and put it in hot water over a low flame. I ended up adding more water to match the height of the wax. 
After the wax melted I poured it into the martini glass and put the wick inside. I used pens to hold the wick in place and let the wax cool over night. When it's set I cut the wick. 

Finally, the Hot Chocolate Candle! Soooo I didn't have any more brown crayons but I did have more of the Cherry Pie Candle left. How hard could it be to turn the deep red color into brown...hmph! Well, I used the double boiler method again and melted the candle and removed the wick. I then poured the wax into the mug, which wasn't enough. Now for the experimenting - I put a piece of the blue dye and yellow dye into the glass and some soy wax. 
I melted it down and then poured it into the mug. I continued until the wax turned into a reddish brown. I let the candle cool for a few hours. 
Now, the whipped cream again. This time I decided to do it a bit differently. I melted a handful of wax and vanilla scent together until it became a liquid. 


 It wasn't enough so I added more soy wax and took the glass out of the water. I mixed the soy chips into the wax and then let it sit for like 3 minutes. Once it started to turn white again I started to mix it quickly. The wax started thickening. It looked a lot smoother than the last time I did it but not as thick. I used a spoon to put it on top of the hot chocolate. I let it cool for an hour or so. It looked much fluffier and whipped when it dried.

Next, I made the chocolate syrup - more color experimenting. I cut red, blue and yellow pieces. I mixed it with a little bit of soy wax. I experimented with the color until it looked chocolaty. Then, I drizzled it over the whipped cream with a spoon.

MARSHMALLOW TIME I put a little bit of soy wax into a plastic cup and put it into the microwave for about a minute.
 I just wanted it to be warm enough to mold. I took small pieces and shaped into little cylinders. I placed them randomly on top and then drizzled some more chocolate over them. HOT CHOCOLATE IS DONE!


HERE ARE THE OTHER FINISHED CANDLES!

P.S. Don't burn the martini with the umbrella. 

YUMMY! It was so much fun. I read a bunch of different sites - some said to let the candle cure for 24hrs, one week or two weeks to get the full scent. Also, I have read to let the wax cool a bit before adding the scent because then it will be stronger. 

Hope this was helpful. Have a safe and happy holiday! :) 

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Happy Holidays! My favorite time of the year has approached, quickly! I thought I'd share a recipe for a cheesecake dessert. I baked two cheesecakes for thanksgiving ... but feel free to alter the recipe and start off with one.

What you will need:

  • 2 large bowls
  • a strainer
  • two crusts - we used already made graham cracker crusts
  • caramel - the ice cream topping caramel works well or you can make your own
  • pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts - we used hazelnuts but I'd prefer pecans (optional)


What you will need for the apple filling:
  • about 8 apples - we used a mix of three different apples - Figi, Granny Smith and MacIntosh
  • 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice - we just eyeballed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Peel, core and slice apples. Then place them in a large bowl. After all the apples are sliced you can pour the lemon juice over the apples - to keep them from browning.


Then you are going to combine the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and corn starch. Apples naturally produce water so you are you going to put the apple mixture into a strainer over a large brown. Let them drain for about a half an hour or more.



While your apples are sitting out draining you can start the cheesecake filling!
What you will need for the cheesecake filling:
  • 4 packages of cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar 
  • 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla - we eyeballed it
  • 4 eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or if you want your apples to sit out for awhile wait until you're ready to bake). Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until it is well blended. It would be best if you used a mixer but we didn't. Then blend in your eggs one at a time. 


You want to leave your apples out to produce about 1/2 cup of juice or more. You can spray a cup and pour the juice in the cup along with the butter and heat the mixture for about 5-7 minutes in the microwave OR you can heat the juice and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove.You want the liquid to boil until it becomes syrupy. Pour the the syrup over the apples and mix.


Once the oven is preheated you can put together your cheesecake! You can mix your hazelnuts into the apple mixture now or save it for the top of the cake. Spoon the apple filling in your crust - not too much about halfway. Save some apple for the top of the cheesecake.




Then, you are going to pour the cheesecake over the apples.


Bake the cheesecake for 30-35 minutes.


When your cake is done baking you can mix your caramel with the apple mixture and place the apples on top of the cake or place the apples on top of the cheesecake first and then drizzle the caramel over the apples.

Refrigerate for 4 hours and then ENJOY!





Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Where The Wild Things Are - Lesson Plans

Happy Wednesday night! I have all of these ideas for the book Where The Wild Things Are by Mauric Sendax and I want to share them. These are all activities that can be made as lessons or spin-offs and follow-ups to lesson plans. 

I really like the idea of brainstorming as a class about what is a wild thing and what are emotions before getting into the activities to get a feel of what they know and what you can expand on.
  • Creating a "Wild Thing" Scrapbook. Providing pictures of "Wild Thing" - what it looks like, where it lives, what is it's name, what does it like to do, is it a scary wild thing and other characteristics? (Incorporate lots of different materials.)
  • Collage of where the wild things live. Expand on different environments.
  • Creating a story about their own "Wild Thing". 
  • Create a classroom book with everyone's wild thing and facts about their wild thing. 

These ideas give children the opportunity to express themselves and get creative.
  • Express feelings through finger paint. 
  • Play music that reflects emotions, provide instruments and allow them to do what feels right to them...have a wild rumpus! 
  • Create a wall of emotions/feelings. Take pictures of the children making different faces and label it with the emotion they are trying to express. 
  • Act like a wild thing. How do they move and what do they sound like?
  • Make masks! Using different textures and a range of materials. Include them in a wild rumpus!
  • Trace students body doing different wild thing poses. 
Incorporate some science -learn about plants, plant with your children, and create a class garden. ...a forest grew, and grew and grew...
Or have them research a wild animal they would like to learn more about. They can create books, a diorama, masks, compare the animals features to the characters in Where The Wild Things Are.

Hope you found this helpful! Share your ideas with me! 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Day Care Confessions

Color Sorting with Pom Poms 
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Sorting with Apples
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Storytime. (Worksheet Activity On LlamaLlamaBook.com)
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Felt and Apple Seed Counting. (By Oopsy Daisy Blog)
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Ladybug Activity (By Making Learning Fun)
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Did they survive? As you can tell my midnight projects are in need of some TLC. I used Self-Adhesive Paper to "laminate" them. They lasted through the tugging and pulling of the children fighting over them and crumbling them. But, right now they are bent up and look worn out only after two days.
Help I am running out of ideas for this RED/Letter A week!  (I haven't done any ONLY RED activities - besides an apple coloring.)
Most of the children are under 5 and need loads of attention. (A classroom of high energy students - imagine.) For a lot of them this is their first time around other children, and in a classroom setting. We can't passed the not sharing and tattletales to have a smooth activity.
I need to think of some team building activities for toddlers.
What are some good attention grabbers for toddlers?
Can you tell I'm new to this?

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Beat The Heat!

It's pretty HOT in New York! (Hot might be an understatement.)  So I've been looking around on Pinterest and other blogs and found some summer activities to stay cool! 

 Indoor Bubble Blowing!


Play Create Explore's site has a bunch of fun ideas! One being indoor bubble blowing. All you have to do is get a bowl add some washable paint and dish detergent to warm water. Oh, and don't forget the straws.

But Fun Baths has to be my favorite idea. Giving your child a new fun themed bath every once in awhile is a good way to extend knowledge through exploration!

Build a Sand Castle!
Make "Moon Sand" using the recipe provided by Sherry and Donna for days you can't make it to the beach. Cover it and save it for another day!

Put on Your Bathing Suits!
Hit the park and run through the sprinklers, fill up some water balloons or check out Clumst Crafter's Water Blob Tutorial. She also posted a simple D.I.Y. for staying cool and having lots of fun - Water Bombs. It is so much easier than refilling water balloons!

Sidewalk Creativity!
Growing a Jeweled Rose posted the ingredients for Chalk Splat! Watch what happens when you spray some vinegar on your artwork. There are also a bunch of other sidewalk art ideas featured on the post. 
Through Pinterest I found another summer activity  - Ice Chalk. And there are a bunch of ways you can have fun with it. Like color mixing...

Playing With Food!
Get your pasta and create Octo-Ice! Great for sensory play and it's something different! 
Crystal provided other sensory play ideas and I am loving the Freezy Dough! It's great because you can extend learning through pretend play! 


Shells and Play Dough
Make your own play dough using some flour, salt and water for practicing motor skills. Add some food coloring or kool-aid for colored play dough. Add some summer themed toys like shells and dolphins
Or create Beach Dough Creatures! It's really cute!

If you bake the dough you can make Shell Imprint Fossils.

Build a Tent and Camp!

Check out some Camping Themed Activities.
Simple Little Home went all out on an indoor camping experience! I love that some learning activities are included in all the fun. 
Too busy gazing at the stars? How about learning about constellations and creating Marshmallow Constellations!
Or HAVE AN INDOOR CAMPING PARTY! I love this! 

Ice Cream!!
What better way to stay cool in the summer than ICE CREAM! Make Ice Cream in a bag! This looks like a fun and easy experiment.

I made an Ice Cream color activity for secondary colors. Make red, blue and yellow ice cream scoops and brown, orange, purple, and green cones. (I'd highly suggest laminating them, so they are durable.)

Ice Cream Dough! Great for pretend play! And it looks so real! 
 
More pretend play by using this tutorial to make an Ice Cream Play Set! And a color matching game!



I am fully aware of the overuse of exclamation points! I couldn't help myself. Happy Summer! 


** I used Dreamlike Magic and Ashley Hughes clipart. 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Where The Wild Things Are - Reading Comprehension



Hi! Happy Thursday! I am starting my literacy unit with Where the Wild Things Are!! I am sharing reading comprehension ideas to provide an enriching story time. Hope you find this helpful and can have fun with this book. 

Vocabulary

  • mischief - cause trouble
  • vines - climbing plants, grapes grow from vines
  • private - personal, only belonging to one person; secret
  • gnashed - grind their teeth together
  • tames - gentle; trained; calmed
  • frightened - scared; intimidated; terrified
  • rumpus - making a lot of noise; causing disturbance
  • lonely - feeling sad from being alone; feeling alone and wanting company
  • terrible - awful, horrible 
  • feelings - an emotion like happy or sad
When saying the definition of vocabulary words try to add it in naturally. "Max was causing mischief; he was causing a lot of trouble around the house. He is... (provide examples supported by pictures of mischief)" 
Try using the words consistently in conversations outside of story time to enhance vocabulary and expose the words more than once. 



Understanding Sequence


  Use "Max Head" -with feelings written on one side and a facial expressions on the other- to discuss his feelings throughout the story and how they change from beginning-middle-end. Place a "Max Head" where he was feeling mischievous, mad, happy, lonely, etc in the story. Incorporate other characters' feelings like Max's mom and the monsters.

You can expand literacy skills further by introducing cause and effect. Max was causing mischief so his mother got mad and told him to go to his room.

Questions to Ask Before/During/After Reading

What are feelings? Explain some feelings and when/why you may be feeling a certain way.
What are monsters?  How do they look like? How might they act? What kind of noise do monsters make?
Brainstorm - What is a wild thing? What are their features? Where do they live? How do the wild things get around? Some can have wings.

Why did Max's mother send him to his room?
Have you ever got sent to your room? How did it feel?
Why do you think a forest grew in his room? (Introduce real v. pretend.)
Why did they name Max king of all wild things?
What is a "wild rumpus"? What are they doing?
How do you think Max or monsters are feeling?
Why did he wants to go home?
Why do you think his food was still warm?

What would you name the forest where the wild things live?
What would your name be if you were a wild thing?
Have you ever pretended that you were an animal?
How do you think the wild things sound when they talk to each other?

Ask about meaning of certain words and see if the child/children can repeat back the definition. 
Take a picture walk and have the child/children retell the story. 


Along with asking questions, provide comments about ideas like emotions, pretend, setting, wild things and summarize text/pictures. 


*I found the Max template about a year ago. I am not sure where but I will link it when I find it. 

I have a few lesson plans to share, activities including other subjects and arts and crafts ideas.