Homemade Volcano

Any person who's had the opportunity to participate in a science fair in elementary school is probably familiar with the baking soda and vinegar volcano. Today I introduced it to my son.

You'll need some clay to create the volcano. If you've really got some time and patience, papier mache works great too.

Ezra wanted to create a moat around the base of our volcano.

Besides the clay, you will also need a pan or cookie sheet for the magma flow, baking soda, and vinegar. The food coloring is optional.

 Next, add a few spoonfuls of baking soda inside your volcano.

 

Here we added red food coloring to our volcano. Add this after your baking soda. Then pour on the vinegar!

Ezra wanted to try out different colors so he chose blue next. Each time we started a new eruption we had to add more baking soda and vinegar.

Since my video isn't working here's a volcano video from Mr. Wizard. He creates a volcano with fire and asbestos paper! See you!

                                     

Mini Skateboards

Today's project is a homemade version of the fingerboard.

You'll need large popsicle sticks or cardboard, markers, small round beads, toothpicks, and craft glue (hot glue would work too). Start decorating your boards!

 

 

Glue on your axles (or trucks, lol). Ez wanted three.

 Slide your beads on the ends of the toothpicks. Ours are sticking out quite a bit, so you can trim them down if you want.

 

 

 

Cactus Tree

Here's a fun project if you've got a big ol' roll of butcher paper on hand. I suppose the back side of wrapping paper could do too. First, your materials.

Paint for the background of your desert, brushes, water, and a shoe you don't mind getting paint on.

Paint your background.

Let it dry.

When your background is dry, paint the sole of your shoe the color you want your cactus to be.

Ezra tried walking with the paint on his shoe first, but that didn't work so well. 

This did.

Last step! Add your delicious prickly pears!

It's good to be back!

A Return

It has been well over a year now since my last post. My original intention was to present the world with an activity to do with your children daily. Well, that sure proved to be a challenge. Life is not predictable. I could not possibly have carved out enough time to be in front of the computer every day. When I started skipping days it would bug me. Something I wanted to work so perfectly and it wasn't. I had to take a break.

A lot of life has been lived over this past year. A move, school, work, family, vacations, deaths, births, celebrations, music, festivals, camping...so much that I am grateful for...this very rich and lush life that I am leading surrounded by ones I love. And now I finally feel I am ready to return to this blog, albeit on days when it comes naturally.

Kitchen Drum Kit!

Sidewalk Paint

So maybe the blog's subtext should say, "your sporadic dose of fun". Been difficult to commit to the blog lately because it's festival season! Happy Phamily is also a family run business that creates clothing and goodies for the home (and disc golf discs). See. It's been eating up lots of time, but we enjoy it. So if you like reading the blog just bear with me and keep checking back!

Graffiti can be fun! And educational. Kids can make their own sidewalk paint by mixing 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add your food coloring favorites and you've got yourself some really watery paint!

We used an old muffin pan for the palette.

Ocean

Ventura's landmark Two Trees, or as our family calls it Crab Mountain.

Footprints

Sick kids, sick husband, and festivals approaching for Happy Phamily. That explains this week's absence of posts. Please keep checking back, the posts will return!! Feel free to check out the shop for a peek at what will be at upcoming festivals.

Happy Phamily on Etsy