The Importance of Self Care

Let’s face it, life can get pretty hectic. Kids, grandkids, work, even husbands can be demanding of our time. Some days I have a ‘to do’ list a mile long long. It’s no wonder there isn’t much time left to take care of ourselves. However, self-care is fundamental to our well-being, physically, mentally and spiritually. That’s why when #MichelleWorthington of #ShareYourStory suggested #SelfCareSeptember, I was on board straight away. My calendar for September seemed reasonably clear after a full August with my book launch of ‘A Lighthouse in Time’ and all the events associated with that. So I was looking forward to a quieter September. Time to relax, unwind, breathe. It is too easy to be on the go and run ourselves into the ground. By the end of August, I was mentally and physically exhausted and I had finally succumbed to a winter cold. I’m not complaining, I enjoyed every minute of the month and I would do it all again, but I need to learn to pace myself.

The first of the new month arrived faster than expected, I logged onto Facebook and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Michelle’s first self care task was easy, Read! Take time out during your day to read. No problem. As an author, I always do that. Day 2, Nap, perfect, any excuse for a Nanna nap in the middle of the day. Day 3, Visit a friend. I did that too, even though it was included in a visit to Shellharbour City Library for an author talk. This was going great so far. Then it all started to unravel. I missed day 4, managed day 5, Meditate, well, I justified that one with my daily walk listening to all the sounds in the bush. I enjoy my walks with Snowy and sometimes when my grandson comes along , even better. It is time to slow down, breathe the fresh country air, relax and listen to the birds high in the gum trees and watch out for kangaroos and echidnas.

After that, forget it, I meant well, but just didn’t seem to get around to it. I glimpsed Michelle’s posts each day, liked them, even laughed at some of them, but did I take heed, no, life was too busy as usual. I try to walk our dog everyday or simply stop and watch the kangaroos grazing in our yard. I consider myself lucky to live in this beautiful country region.

That’s the problem, we always have good intentions, we always say we will look after ourselves, then we find excuses. I’m too busy, the kids need me, I just need to finish this bit of housework, the bills need to be paid, I have to shop, someone is waiting on this email reply, I promised to write this review, the list goes on. I have come to realise, I have to learn to say ‘no’, I can’t do everything and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with having some self care time.

As most of you know, hubby is working overseas in PNG for a couple of years. We do our best to make this work with home visits as often as possible. During September he realised at the last minute that he had a long weekend and asked me to book him a flight home. Naturally, the flights out of Port Moresby to Brisbane were all full. I told him I could book him on a flight to Cairns then on a connecting flight home to Canberra, but instead he suggested I meet him in Cairns. This turned out to be the best result for his self care possible. After 4 days in tropical far north Queensland, walking trails through the rainforests, he returned to PNG looking more relaxed than I had seen him in a long time. It did both his mental and physical health the world of good.

So, I am going to make a promise to myself, and I urge you to too. Find and do at least one thing each day for yourself. Whether it’s reading a book for half an hour, taking a nap, binge watching your favourite show on Netflix, taking the dog for a walk, doing a gym or yoga class, cooking something special, or simply relaxing and watching the sunset, just remember to breathe and take a few moments in the day for you. It’s really that simple, you will be happy and healthy and everyone around you will be too.

What do you do each day to take care of yourself? Share it in the comments below.

Tis the Season for Holiday Traditions

This is the season when memories are made and family is celebrated in unique, joyous ways. Whether your traditions are Christmas based or not, it's still a time to came together and share special moments together. What traditions make your holiday?

Perhaps it's hanging that special ornament made by your child years ago and brought out every year. to be hung  in pride of place,

Do you whip up a special recipe that Grandma taught you long ago?

While you ponder some of your fond memories please join me and my #Gr8Blog colleagues as we share a few of our Holiday Traditions That Ring In Our Season.

A Past Family Tradition.

When I was little we had a huge Pine Tree at the bottom of our backyard. Well, it seemed huge to me at the time. I always knew Christmas was almost here when Dad went down to select a branch to be cut and made into our Christmas tree.

He would plant the branch in a bucket of sand. (We collected the sand from the sandhills at Cronulla each year). That in itself was a fun day out as Summer was upon us and we could slide and roll down the sandhills for hours. Mum would then wrap the bucket in Christmas paper and the tree would stand tall in the corner of our lounge room where we would decorate it with shiny ornaments and tinsel. The angel was always last to be added, her special place was on the top of the tree, she was the finishing touch.

The scent of the pine needles permeating the house combined with the build up of Summer heat made it feel like Christmas was here.

Past Treasured Recipes.

When I was young, Christmas dinner was not complete without a traditional Christmas pudding. My Aunt continued the old tradition of hiding a handful of threepence in the steaming hot fruit pudding and covered it with a delicious port wine sauce. Once decimal currency arrived, she converted the coins to 5 cent pieces. My fondest memories are sitting around my Aunt's dining table being surprised by my father and grandfather as they each in turn pulled out larger coins from their serving of pudding. My sister and I would increase in jealousy and eat more of our pudding in hope of more money. Alas we were to only ever find 5 cent pieces in our serving. It wasn't until the stakes rose so high that Dad and my granddad began to raise one and two dollar notes above the table that we realised they were joking.

As I grew older, it wasn't the gathering of coins that made me eat Christmas pudding, but my Aunt's famous port wine sauce. We couldn't get enough of it. She always promised to write the recipe down "one day." Unfortunately "one day" never came, and try as she might, my mum never did quite manage to replicate it.

Today's Family Traditions.

While we are surrounded by trees since we live on a property instead of suburbia, we haven't planted any pine trees because they are not native to Australia and the native wildlife won't nest in them. As a result,  I don't have access to our old tradition. I could use a branch from a gum tree and have the scent of Eucalypt through the house, but I prefer my imitation tree that I can use time and time again without cutting anything down. It goes up on the 1st of December each year and sits in my bay window for all to see. Naturally, my angel sits atop my tree just like my childhood memory. Ornamental reindeer adorn every nook and cranny possible around my house, it's a bit of a joke between hubby and myself, they serve as a reminder to him to look before you throw things away. I guess you could say he learnt the hard way. Accidentally throw out one  favourite reindeer, find a dozen more every year since. They just keep multiplying!

Today's Treasured Recipes.

When my eldest son was old enough to start cooking, he began making a Gingerbread House for Christmas. Later, my nephew took over the task, then it was his brother's turn. Each year we look forward to seeing the latest creation and delight in cutting into the house and tasting the delicious treat. Of course Gingerbread Men are traditional favourites this time of year too. When our boys were younger they enjoyed a gingerbread man or two. This lead to my idea for my early reader series starring Gingerbread Aliens, after all, most boys like gingerbread and aliens, put them together and you have a recipe for a great story. Over the years I have made many batches of Gingerbread Aliens to the delight of lots of children. In the story the kids use sultanas and honey spread across the top of the head to represent brains, they cut up green jubes for eyes and roll up orange jelly snakes and stick them on the middle for the gingerbread aliens insides. Kids love it when the intestines melt and go all gooey! Disgusting! Sometimes I make life easier for myself and decorate the gingerbread aliens with green icing. Either way they look cool, are lots of fun and taste yum!

Here's the recipe if you would like to give them a try this Christmas,

Gingerbread Alien Recipe

Ingredients

125g softened butter or margarine

½ cup (100g) brown sugar

½ cup (125ml) golden syrup

1 egg

3 cups SR flour *

1tbs ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp ground cloves

Snakes, jubes, sultanas, honey to decorate 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
3. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a large bowl until creamy.
4. Add the egg and beat until combined.
5. Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon and cloves and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
6. Use your hand to knead until smooth.
7. Cover and rest in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
8. Divide the dough into 2 portions.
9. Roll one portion out on a lightly floured surface to about a 4-5 mm thickness.
10. Use a 12cm gingerbread man pastry cutter to cut out shapes.
11. Reshape head by pushing in the sides to elongate and make more triangular.
12. Alternatively for those more creative, do not use cutter, use a blunt knife to shape by cutting freehand.
13. Use a skewer to poke two holes for nostrils and draw a thin line for a mouth,
14. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
15. As soon as gingerbread aliens come out of oven, decorate with sultanas and honey mixed together, snakes and lollies for eyes. Aliens need to be hot for lollies to stick while cooling.
16. Repeat with remaining dough, rolling and re-rolling gingerbread.

*I used Gluten Free flour and it worked just as well as ordinary flour.

Snakes were also gluten free. You can also buy fruit salad gluten free lollies to use for the eyes.

If you've not read the story or shared it with a loved 4-10 year old child yet, I guarantee they will laugh from the beginning to the end. It is a great Christmas gift.

Why not read the story and and make a batch of gingerbread aliens today! Find out exactly what becomes of the disaster in the kitchen when the boys mix up the recipe?

Available in print here on my website or in ebook via Amazon.

What sort of Gingerbread man could you create? Let your imagination play. Make one and send me a photo. I'll add it to my list.

Thanks for stopping by! What’s your most-treasured holiday tradition? Please share in the comment section.

For more traditions to ring in your holiday season, find inspiration in the #Gr8blogs below. If want to tag onto this hop, add the family-friendly link to your blog in the comment section. We’ll visit and give you some blog love!

Cat Michaels https://goo.gl/JZi7NQ

K. Lamb http://klamb.net/2017/12/07/the-smell-of-christmas-2-2/

James Milson  https://wp.me/p3RsfU-11O

Rosie Russell http://www.booksbyrose.com/kidlit-blog-by-rosie.html

Rebecca Lyndsey http://rebeccalyndsey.blogspot.com/

Spring is in the Air, Join us at the Fair.

Spring is in the air...... well almost! We had a glimpse of hope, then in true Canberra form, winter came back with a vengeance as snow has fallen twice within the first week of September. Don't let that keep you indoors this weekend, the weather promises to improve and no matter what else it will be a great Saturday at the fair.

Looking for something fun to do with the family? Why not take a short drive into the country and join us to enjoy a day at the Googong Field Day.This Saturday September 9, 2017 being held at St Paul's Church, 1290 Old Cooma Rd, Googong.

It promises to be a day full of fun,

with plenty to see and do for everyone.

While the kids pat the animals at the petting zoo,

Dad can view an exhibit of an historic engine or two.

There will be wheel barrow races, and tyre rolling competitions,

As well as sheep shearing and fencing demonstrations.

Listen to the Victoria Street Band play,

then wonder through the stalls, stop by and say G'day.

I will be there with my children's books,

come on over and take a look.

I'm sure you will find much, much more,

a day packed with entertainment to be sure.

Stalls are open from 9:30 to 2;30 so don't be late,

mark it in your diary, this Saturday, 9th Sep, save the date.

I look forward to seeing you there.

The Science Behind a Series.

Kids are naturally curious creatures. They want to discover new things, explore new environments and are intrigued by the inner workings of machines. Give them an opportunity to research through hands on experiments and you will have them hooked on learning. Add to the mix a few other key ingredients and they will be hooked on reading too! I learnt this simple idea a long time ago, both as a mother and as a teacher. When my boys were little I was fortunate to be teaching alongside some brilliantly enthusiastic science teachers at the same schools my boys were also attending. The first was an International School in Thailand where the children were all a buzz with excitement from so much inspirational activity. The second was our local neighbourhood school on the Central Coast of NSW where I was fortunate to be introduced to a Primary school teacher that had previously taught high school science. From our experiences at these two schools I arrived at the conclusion that there were several key ingredients to inspiring kids to want to learn to read.

I then set out to write a series of early independent and reluctant reader chapter books to hook boys and girls 6-8 years old into reading.

Ingredients                                                                 

An inquisitive mind

Kitchen science experiments

Classroom science experiments

Imagination

Humour                                                                        

Creativity

Intrigue

Method

Mix all the above ingredients into a series of unimaginable events that have children laughing and guessing all the way to the end.

Book 1. Gingerbread Aliens - Uses kitchen science mixing gingerbread men, bread making and polymers or in layman's terms, 'Goo!" What could possibly go wrong? Add in a snooping next door neighbour,  a fearful School Principal and top it all off with a Scientific Research Team for Asteroids and Meteorites and you have baked together one hilarious tale.

Follow up Activities -

1. Kids get to make and learn all about the properties of slime. 
2. Spend a day in the kitchen cooking gingerbread aliens - yum!
3. Write up the cooking procedure.
4. Research and discover properties of the Solar System, galaxies, universe, planets.
5. Discuss/Write about the possibilities of UFO's and alien life forms.

Book 2. Alien Shenanigans. - Begins with the kids in a year 6 class performing a volcanic eruption experiment that inevitably goes horribly out of control. When I have read the book to classes I have performed the experiment for them. They always applaud with delight. Added also to this in the story are the other science experiments in the classroom science corner, growing crystals, and fungus on bread and oranges, then there is the coke and mentos mint accident! We all know that will not end well. Neither will the accidental spill of washing powder, red food colouring and vinegar. All of these are repeatable outside experiments children can investigate. Top it all off with a mischievous chameleon alien that does not want to be caught and you have a whole lot of shenanigans.

Follow-up Activities

1. Kids love trying out all of the above mentioned science experiments. Write out the procedures.hypothesize what they expect to find. Research. Write up the results.
2.  At some of my readings we have watched videos where the mentos mints and coke experiment is taken to the extreme. It sets their imagination wild! Quite a discussion starter.
3. Model the Solar System or a space ship. This requires a lot of planning, research, drafting.
4.  Solar System Word Search or Crossword.
5.  Creative Writing - Write a story about Outer Space, where did you go/ who did you visit?

Book 3 Alien Milkshakes - Coming Soon.

More kitchen science mixed with classroom science. A backyard rocket ship, crop circles and disgusting looking milkshakes with the most unusual ingredients that no respectable 7 or 8 year old would ever allow pass their lips. Add to this a massive secret that causes more sibling rivalry and Brussels Sprouts muffins before a girl arrives next door to complicate the mischief! What are three brothers (and a little green alien) going to do now?

Follow-up Activities

1. Debate the moral issue of keeping a secret no matter the cost.
2. Write a reflection If you find something, does it mean you can keep it?
3. Try tasting some of the green smoothies in the story or making your own. What makes a healthy and tasty smoothie?
4. Build your own backyard water powered rocket ship. Have a class contest, who can make theirs fly the highest, why?
5. Look at what fuel you need to keep your body working and running efficiently.
6.  Critical and creative thinking - What could have really made crop circles? Design your own.

While I am writing this series I have also embarked on a picture book series incorporating uniquely Australian animals. These books are aimed for 3-8 year old children, although as an advocate of reading from birth aloud even to independent readers, these can be enjoyed no matter the age of the child.

Embodying my belief in using science to teach reading I have included fun facts about each character at the end of each book. Parents and teachers can use these to springboard discussions and other research into these animals if they choose. The books also provide the opportunity to learn a little bit about the environments within Australia.

Emma the Eager Emu teaches a subtle tale of following ones dreams. To have the tenacity try and try again until you find a way to reach your goal. She also shows us that being different is not only OK, but in fact good and that we are all different and special with our own unique qualities. Emma shares her experiences with several other Australian birds, a Rosella, Galah, Cockatoo and Kookaburra.

Frazzled Freya teaches us that we are all a little shy and scared at times and that it is OK to be frightened as long as you are prepared to try to face those fears. Sometime things that frighten us the most are not so frightening after all. Her desert friends that come to her rescue are a pair of twin Velvet Geckos, a Goanna, a Spinifex Hopping Mouse and a Northern Brown Snake.

I invite you to take the science challenge. Read a book today. What scientific fact might you learn or want to research further?

Consider a Different Gingerbread Man this Christmas

The Christmas season is almost upon us and with that comes plenty of opportunities for baking with the kids. Reading recipes can mean a lot of fun in the kitchen especially when the cooking ties in with a story as well. This Christmas instead of baking the usual gingerbread man why not consider a different kind of gingerbread man this Christmas? Think about the alternative fun baking Gingerbread Aliens instead while reading about the mischievous antics of three young boys as they cook a Gingerbread Alien and all the possibly antics that can go so unexpectedly wrong. This is just one suggestion in my post on "Batch of Books" for more information read the link below.

http://batchofbooks.com/2015/11/baking-for-kids-gingerbread-aliens/

Classroom Science Trouble!

National Science Week this week, National Book Week next week, so no other better time than for a school visit and book reading of my chapter book series for early readers. Both Gingerbread Aliens and Alien Shenanigans incorporate plenty of scientific kitchen and classroom experiments that evolve into enough inevitable disaster and trouble to make young readers and their parents laugh along with the mix-up of mischief, mayhem and mishaps. Tomorrow I head in to do a school reading for a group of year 2 students who are looking forward to not only my reading of a chapter of "Alien Shenanigans" but also watching me erupt a paper mache volcano for them as well.

Alien Shenanigans opens with a classroom full of anticipation as the year 6 students prepare to erupt their volcano experiments.As in all good stories nothing goes to plan and our hero is naturally assumed guilty. My volcano tomorrow will not explode in quite the same astonishing manner, but I hope the students will be suitably impressed!

Later in the story the classroom teacher, Mr Haggardy and the boys next door neighbour, Mrs Witherbottom are inadvertently involved in another somewhat unplanned science experiment. Have you ever seen the reaction when mentos mints are added to a bottle of cola? I'd love to demonstrate this one tomorrow as well, however I don't think I would ever be invited back to the school if I made a terrible mess in the library. Instead I will settle for showing them via a youtube video clip where other scientists not only get to make all the mess but have a whole lot of fun doing so.

What is your favourite classroom science experiment?

Cool Classroom Science - Make and Erupt a Volcano

A couple of weeks ago I made a paper mache volcano and erupted it during my book launch at the Paperchain Book Store in Manuka, Canberra. Why would I do this? Mr Haggardy's year 6 class all make their own volcanoes and attempt to erupt them in the first chapter of "Alien Shenanigans," The Bradberrie Brothers Alien Adventure, Book 2. I promised to perform the experiment while reading part of the first chapter at the launch. It was a lot of fun, although I do admit, owing to the nervousness of the manager of the bookstore, I kept the explosion somewhat more controlled than I (and my audience) would have preferred. Below are the instructions for how to make a paper mache volcano and how to consequently erupt it!

Beware! The more baking soda you use, the bigger the reaction!

The Making of a Paper Mache Volcano

1. Find a suitable disposable plate to build your volcano on. (I used an aluminium pizza tray)
2. Find a cylindrical tube you can use in the centre of your volcano to hold the liquids for your experiment. (For this I used an empty Berocca container)
3. Gather strips of newspaper.
4. Make glue from 1 cup flour, a little water and a pinch of salt to preserve volcano. Mix to a thick pancake like consistency.
5. Place your cylinder in the middle of your plate start adding strips of newspaper dipped in paste. Continue to add layers until volcano takes shape. Sometimes I feel it is best to paint the strips of paper with the paste when on the volcano rather than dipping into the mixture. (This is less messy).
6. Leave to dry. Depending on the weather this may take a few days. If it is cold, place in front of a fire to dry faster.
7. Once fully dry and hardened, paint as desired.

Erupting A Paper Mache Volcano

You will need:

• Water
• Liquid Soap
• Vinegar
• Food Colouring
• Baking Soda

Then:

1. Fill centre of volcano halfway with water.
2. Add a couple of drops of food colouring. (ie: red and yellow if you want orange lava)
3. Add a few drops of liquid soap.
4. Now fill the volcano almost to the top with vinegar.
5. Add a heaped teaspoon of baking soda and stand back!

Watch your volcano erupt!

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Origins of Halloween

Halloween was not a holiday I grew up practising, nor did my own kids. Although during their childhood it was starting to appear around the neighbourhood. It is only in recent years that it has become more popular here in Australia to the extent where the shops are becoming full of merchandise, media is all over it and kids everywhere have begun to dress-up and prepare to spend their eveings trick or treating. Adult parties have even become the norm as a great excuse to dress-up and have some fun. A few years ago while I was teaching Kindergarten, one of the children's mum's orgainised a Halloween party at their house and invited the entire class, including myself. It was a huge success. The kids had a fantastic evening, everyone dressed-up and joined into the full spirit of the event. We even took them trick or treating through the neighbourhood. I must admit even I had a lot of fun giving the kids quite a scare in my witches costume as it took them quite sometime to realise that the dark haired witch was in fact their beloved gentle blonde spectacled teacher.

Over and over again I hear people say that Halloween is an American custom and question whether we in Australia should follow their traditions and celebrate it ? So I decided to look into this festival of sorts and draw my own conclusions.

I have always known that Halloween is short for All Hallows Eve, but what I was rather delighted to have confirmed was that All Hallows Eve is a Scottish term for the evening before All Hallows Day. A day to honour all saints, which occurs on November 1 and is followed by All Souls Day on November 2. There is much that can be read on these topics suffice to say, these days celebrate the souls of both the good and the bad that have since passed on,  in the hope that with prayer and blessings they may rise to heaven and live out their days in peace. All Hallows Eve became the night to begin the feast in celebration of the dearly departed. This also happens to tie in with the ancient Celtic or Gaelic harvest festival that occured in Ireland on the same date, 31st October, to mark the end of one season and the beginning of the next, that is, winter, the shortest and darkest time of the year.  This is referred to as Samhain (pronounced sah-win) where the Celts also believed it was the time of year where the spirits or fairies worlds and ours overlapped causing havoc or possible damage to crops and even ill health to the people of the village. Being the beginning of the winter season it was critical to ensure the crops survival through the long harsh season. Thus a bonfire was prepared and the festival began. Villagers would wear masks and dress-up to disguise themselves in the hope of tricking the spirits so that they could not be recognised.  Although souls of "kin" were encouraged to return to rejoice in the festival, food and drink were left aside to help include them. As the villagers rejoiced they would also sing and chant as they visited one neighbour to the next (in thier disguises known as guising)) in return for food,.

Considering my Irish and Scottish anscetry, I tend to rather like this historical take on Halloween and now have a rather favourable outlook on it. I realise there are more suggestions of Halloween's origins from other cultures but as my origins are also Celtic, I felt this was where my heart preferref to stay.

Halloween is only once a year afterall and as long as children understand that it is not just a celebration of all things evil or a way of gathering an abundance of treats, I don't see the harm in having a bit of fun. I understand that some may say we are sending mixed messages by allowing treats like this in this way when we spend the rest of the year trying to avoid them, but everything needs to be in moderation and children need to be allowed to have a childhood. Dress-up with them, get some exercise and walk with them, you might have some fun too! :)

If you don't like handing out too many sweat treats, you can always try this great recipe for "Soul Cakes" originally made for All Souls Day.

Soul Cake Recipe

http://recipewise.co.uk/soul-cake

Makes 14 large ‘cakes’

Recipe Ingredients:

• 340g plain flour (sifted)
• 170g sugar
• 170g butter (softened & diced)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 2 tsp of white wine vinegar

Traditionally Soul Cakes simply have a cross imprint on them as a decororation however they would be easy to add icing, sprinkles etc to. For the full recipe photographs and further information on their history please go the the link above.

Related articles

• All Hallows' Eve (ramblingratz.wordpress.com)
• The Traditions of Halloween (tvaraj.com)
• Halloween: A Brief History (lakeside.com)

Gingerbread Alien Sandwhich - a Healthy alternative.

We all love Gingerbread cookies and in this case Gingerbread Alien cookies. While these make great treats on special occasions, mums are usually looking for a healthier alternative for their childen's lunch or after school snack.

With this is mind here are 2 sandwhich suggestions that are both really yummy and fun. :)

1. Peanut Butter/ Gingerbread Alien

1. Spread a slice of bread with peanut butter.

2. Using a gingerbread man cookie cutter cut out shape. (note: I would have preferred to use my 12cm cutter however the bread I had today was too small, so had to use my smaller cutter)

2. Decorate with sultanas for the brains (just as Simon did in the Gingerbread Aliens book), slices of cucumber for the eyes instead of Simon's green lollies and grated carrot for the intestines as an alternative to the orange snake lolly that Simon used.

NOTE: Many kids these days have peanut allergies and therefore can't eat this first sandwhich. The second sandwhich below is a happy and safe alternative.

2. Grilled Cheese / Gingerbread Alien.

1. Butter a slice of bread and add a slice of cheese.

2. Grill in a sandwhich maker or under an open grill until lightly brown.

3. Remove from heat and cut with cookie cutter.

4. Decorate as above with peanut butter sandwhich

Some alternative toppings:- tomato, lettuce, alfalfa, bean sprouts, snow peas

Watch how fast they disappear into hungry tummies! :)

10 Simple Steps to Make Green Slime!

While Simon is busy making his Gingerbread Aliens his older brother Brian makes Green Slime or as he calls it "Silly Putty Ooze and Goo!" Along with the bread that David is also bakng, the mixtures inevtably get muddled and a whole lot of trouble follows.

After reading the story of Gingerbread Aliens, many kids have often asked me how can they make their own goo?  So finally here are a few simple steps to follow so that you can make your very own slimy goo at home.

You will need:

1 teaspoon borax powder (I substituted washing soda as my supermarket didn't seem to supply Borax)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup craft glue (either clear or white)   (Elmers Glue/PVA glue)

Green food colouring

Method:

1. Add Borax to 1 cup of water, stir to dissolve and then set aside.
2. Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add the remaimg half a cup of water.
3. Add a few drops of the green food colouring until the desired slime colour is reached.
4. Stir to mix glue solution until smooth.
5. Pour the Borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form.
6. Stir for a few moments and then the fun can begin. :) Use your hands to gather the ball of goo. The slime at this stage will be very soft and wet.
7. Keep kneading it or playing with it between your fingers and palms until it forms into a stronger blob (eeww!!!) and feels somewhat dry.
8. Discard excess liquid in the bowl down the kitchen sink.
9. The more you knead and play with your slime the firmer it will become. Let it droop and slide, have fun. :)
10. Store in cling wrap, a zip lock bag or an air tight container and it will last and last

Remember: Goo is for play only not for eating. Adult supervision is recommended.

Be creative, think of all the things you can do with your Goo, but please clean up after yourself so that mum stays happy/ :)

Take photos of your goo, I'm sure Brian, David and Simon would love to know what you do, .......but stay out of trouble!

Related articles

• Homemade Flubber Recipe For Kids (schelastic.wordpress.com)
• Make Your Own GAK-Like Slime (sciencesundayblog.wordpress.com)
• Tapioca Slime (megandz.wordpress.com)