HANDCRAFTED BUTTER

Creamy yellow butter.

This was a great science lesson for my

homeschoolers.

We learned about emulsions, fat globules 

and suspensions. We learned the difference 

between "milk" and "cream" and that when

I grew up it all came together in the same bottle :)

We started with whipping cream.

We filled our jar to just over half way 

 with the cream. We took turns shaking

the jar for about 15 to 20 minutes.

We had a peek after about 10 minutes to find

it thick and creamy turning in whipped cream.

Soon we could see the fat globules starting

to clump together on the sides of the jar

The butter has separated from the liquid.

Pouring the buttermilk off the butter.

Scooping the butter out into a dish.

Delicious on hot homemade cornbread.

GARDEN WHIMSIES AND MOBILES

My daughter made this lovely garden whimsy

for my Mother's Day gift.

While spending the day at the beach

she collected driftwood and oyster shells.

Along with her picnic she packed her cordless

drill, beads and wire.

A relaxing and productive day!

My grandsons made this mobile for their

mother for Mother's Day.

They made the mobile from driftwood, clay hearts

and buttons all wired together.

They embellished it further with wildlife buttons.

I made this mobile to hang in my kitchen

above the sink.

The entire 34th psalm is written out on the

various pieces of driftwood, shells and

homemade paper.

I am a great fan of buttons and loved how

the red complimented the white oyster

shells and the grey driftwood.

I also incorporated some of my treasured sea glass.

Homemade paper

. . .let the afflicted hear and rejoice. . .

. . .He answered me; He delivered me

from all my fears. . .

. . .Taste and see that the Lord is good. . .

. . .The lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed is spirit. . .

BOWSER Jr. BIRTHDAY CAKE

One of my grandsons requested

Bowser Jr. for his birthday cake.

This cake is one large "cake pop"

I used 6 cake mixes, 18 eggs,

2 pounds of margarine

and 5 pounds of icing sugar.

Heavy, rich and oh soooo delicious!

I crumbled the cake and mixed it well with

icing. It made up nicely into a "clay" that

was easy to shape, mold and stick together.

Decorating was easy as I didn't have to

deal with crumbs nor did I have the trouble of

the cake giving way under the weight of the icing.

WOODLAND WATER COLOURS

My grandsons and I head out to "Turtle Point"

with a picnic, pencils, paper, cameras, spotters

and a magnifying glass to study and draw whatever

we might come across.

How delightful to have ducklings and turtles to

keep us company!

We find a comfortable perch and start

drawing with specimen in hand.

We draw with lead and coloured

pencils in the field.

We describe our specimen with as many

adjectives as we can observe. Sometimes

we add a descriptive human attribute

such as "friendly"

Using a magnifying glass allows us to

study our specimen more closely.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

It looks like. . .

analogies, metaphors, similes

I notice. . . . .. .

 shape, structure, function, colour, texture, behaviour,

taste, sound, weight, odour, interactions. . .

I wonder. . . ..

what is it like, similar to, different from, reminds me of. . .

FOR FUN:

What human attribute would I give my specimen.

It brings what questions to mind?

How to answer my questions. . .

research....observation

CAN MY QUESTIONS BE ANSWERED BY THE

SCIENTIFIC METHOD?

OR

IS IT UNANSWERABLE,

 A MYSTERY OF GOD?

Salmon Berries

Once home I paint my drawings with watercolour.

Cottonwood Seeds

Overnight, in a warm house, the seed pods

have begun to open letting loose their fluffy cotton.

Pencil drawing of fungus.

On wet mornings I collect my specimens from

Turtle point and bring them home to my kitchen table.

The honey bees had to compete for the

sweet nectar found in these inviting pink blossoms.

As farm kids we were often found walking

through a summer pasture plucking the clover blossoms

and popping them into our mouths. Chewing them

released the nectar. Always a welcomed treat!

Pine Needles

My grandsons and I spent a day

practising drawing leaves.

We made a list of our observations in our

watercolour journals. We noted how our leaves

were similar and how they were different.

BACK HOME

MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS GRADE 2

Once again I was invited to the Grade 2 class. 

This week we are making a

 plaster craft for Mother's Day gifts.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Burlap for the backing (garden grade)
• Plaster of Paris
• Water
• Plasticine
• Assortment of items for making the mold
• Markers
• cards
• string
• wax paper
• Plastic cups and spoons for mixing plaster
• Rolling pin for rolling out plasticine

We provided an eclectic assortment of items.

You could instead do a theme such as the

seashore, birds, trees, pens and pencils an so on.

I rolled out the plasticine ahead of time as

it is a bit hard for grade two hands to roll out.

Once it was rolled out it was placed on a

piece of wax paper.

The plasticine "pancakes" were passed out

for the students to start making their impressions.

 The selected items are pressed into the plasticine

and then gently removed.

Many of the students were quite adept

at writing in a mirror image so that their

impressions might be read after the

plaster had set. Others wrote normally

creating a secret message for Mom that

she could read by holding it up to a mirror.

The burlap reinforces the plaster strengthening

it and also making something from which it

may hang.

Once the molds were ready the plaster of paris

was mixed and poured over the mold. The burlap

was then gently pressed into the wet plaster. Each piece

was then left in the classroom over night to dry.

In the morning the students gently peeled away

the plasticine from the now hardened plaster.

The students were so excited as their work

came into view.

We waited another 5 hours for drying before colouring them

with markers. The damp plasticine will absorb the

colour leaving it white and needing to be coloured again.

Each artist expresses their uniqueness!