Experiments – Our Beautifully Messy House

Color Changing Carnations

February 24, 2017March 5, 2017 Porter Leave a comment

The latest experiment in Our Beautifully Messy House is one of the most colorful ones yet – Color Changing Carnations! It’s pretty simple to throw together and you will start to see results within a day! You can do this experiment with any white flowers…daisies, roses, even Queen Anne’s Lace…but carnations are cheap and abundant in our local grocery store these days. I was able to use this experiment to show L and WB how chemicals get into the food we eat, especially the food we grow. L knows why we always try to find organic fruits and veggies at the grocery, but now she can see why we do too!

Materials needed:

jars or vases
white flowers
scissors
water
food coloring

First, trim your flowers’ stems. It’s best to cut flowers at an angle and to remove any leafage near the bottom. Leaves trapped underneath the water’s surface become moldy and cause your water to go bad sooner.

Next, put about 10-20 drops of food coloring into each jar. The bigger the jar, the more food coloring you’ll need. Then, add the water.

Finally, put a flower or two into each vase and wait a day or two for the magic to happen!

The results are fun and exciting to see! Even I couldn’t wait to see what our flowers looked like with each passing hour.

To take this experiment to the next level, you can try making bi-colored carnations. Carefully split a flower stem down the middle and put each stem half into a different jar of colored water. We tried to make a half-yellow, half-red flower. Our “red” jar didn’t have quite enough food coloring in it, but the flower was clearly half-yellow! We’re still working on this one!

Enjoy!

Mushroom Spore Prints

October 27, 2016October 27, 2016 Porter 4 Comments

Did you ever make MUSHROOM SPORE PRINTS as a kid? They’re super-easy to make and super-beautiful! Lately the girls and I have found lots of mushrooms around the yard, at L’s school, and when out hiking in the woods! Mushroom spore prints are so mush fun to make…you’ll be out looking for mushrooms everywhere you go! When looking for mushrooms, you’ll want to find some that are fresh (just a day or two old), before they’ve dropped their spores. Mushroom spores are no bigger than a speck of dust and the wind scatters them all around. As you probably assumed, the spores are mushrooms’ “seeds.” In making spore prints on paper, you’ll be amazed at how many just one mushroom has!

While it’s fun to poke and prod at mushrooms, investigating them and marveling at their unique beauty, be sure to remind your kids that we NEVER eat a mushroom that we find outdoors. Only experts know the difference between ones that are deadly and ones that are okay to eat.

Materials needed:

mushrooms
sharp knife
dark paper or card stock
a large bowl or container

First, find a good mushroom or two. Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes…you’ll want a typical dome-shaped mushroom cap, though it doesn’t matter what color.

After you’ve carefully removed the mushroom from the soil, cut off the stem close to the top of the mushroom.

Flip the mushroom onto a dark piece of paper.

Cover it with a large bowl or container, and let the mushroom sit for a few hours or overnight.

Carefully remove the container and lift the mushroom off the paper without smudging the spore print.

Fascinating and beautiful!!!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs (with Onion Skins & Cabbage)

March 24, 2016March 24, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

How beautiful are these Easter eggs!?! Ever since I was a kid and read about dying eggs in onion skins in a nature-craft book, I’ve wanted to try it. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make and how bright and colorful they turned out! The orange-brownish eggs were dyed in the onion skins, while the bluish ones were dyed using red cabbage. And no, you don’t need to buy a whole bunch of onions to get the skins. Just ask the nearest grocer at the store, and they’ll be happy to let you and the kids dig through the onion bin! You’ll find plenty there! It did not take long at all to dye the eggs in onion skins, while the ones dyed with red cabbage soaked over-night. Just takes a little patience!

Materials needed:

white eggs
onion skins
red cabbage
medium-sized pot
water
small flowers, leaves, herbs
old pantyhose or knee highs
twist ties

First, fill your pot up completely with onion skins. Then, fill with water, leaving a couple inches of space for the eggs.

Do the same with the red cabbage, chopping the cabbage first.

Next, put both pots on the stove and turn on high to boil. Let the water simmer for about 5 minutes, then turn the pots off. Let them sit and cool for 5 hours or overnight.

To prepare the eggs to dye, to get the beautiful nature prints on them, gather small leaves and flowers from your garden. We even used some weeds with interesting leaf shapes!

Cut your pantyhose or knee-highs in small sections. We used knee highs. I cut them in half and then with the top portion, I cut a slit up the side. With the bottom half, it was easy to just place the egg inside.

Press a flower or leaf onto the egg and carefully wrap the pantyhose around it. Dipping the leaves in water first makes them stick to the eggs a bit easier.

Twist the pantyhose in the back and secure with a twist tie.

Now to dye the eggs! Place your eggs into the pots, making sure they are completely submerged in the water.

Put the pots back onto the stove and bring them to a boil again. Turn down to low heat, and let the pots for 20-30 min.

After the water cools a bit, carefully remove the eggs soaking in the onion skins and dry them off a bit on a towel.

Cut the pantyhose and the eggs will come out carefully. So cool!!!

Place the pot with the red cabbage and eggs in your refrigerator and let them sit up to 24 hrs. Then do the same…removing them from the water and cutting the pantyhose off.

To make your eggs shine, you can wet a paper towel with vegetable oil and gently rub it onto each egg. Such a naturally beautiful way to celebrate Spring, Easter, or Naw Ruz!!!

2-Ingredient Slime

March 20, 2016March 20, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

This SLIME recipe has to be the quickest and easiest sensory-dough-goop we’ve ever made in Our Beautifully Messy House! It was perfect for a cold, rainy afternoon…a perfect excuse to keep the t.v. off as well! Both girls loved squishing and stretching our slime and I’m sure they’ll be asking for it first thing tomorrow morning!

Ingredients:

one bottle, glitter glue
1/4 cup, liquid starch

I’ve seen various recipes for this slime and it looks like all types of liquid, non-toxic glue will work: white (Elmer’s) glue + food coloring; clear glue + food coloring + glitter. I thought just using the glitter glue would take out the extra steps of adding coloring and glitter, and it worked great! No dyed fingers and no glitter mess to boot!

First, empty an entire bottle of glitter glue into a plastic container or bowl.

Next, add the liquid starch a little at a time. Stir for a minute or two, until the slime congeals together and is semi-solid.

Dump the slime out on a hard surface and squish with your hands. (After this step, my hands and the plastic mat were a little wet. I simply dried them off, and after that, the slime was virtually mess-free!)

Time to play!!! L and WB enjoyed squishing plastic figurines into their slime this afternoon. They made a bed for some jawas to nap on, a dinosaur taco, and a sparkly potion for the fairies. Let their imaginations soar!!!

An extra-fun quality of this slime is the inappropriate “FlAaArP!!!” sound it makes when you squash it into a plastic cup with your fingers. Haha! There was so much laughter to be had with that one!!!

Store your slime in a sealed container and it should last for at least a couple months! Enjoy!!!

Ice Cube Heart Garland

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016 Porter Leave a comment

I don’t know why I never thought of this project until now, but an Ice Cube Heart Garland is perfect for this time of year! It takes about 5 minutes to make and costs nearly nothing! If you live up north where temps are below freezing consistently in the winter months, Ice Cube Garlands would be beautiful hanging everywhere! You could make other shapes too! Along with our garland, we also made some individual Ice Cube Hearts (more like ornaments)…the week of Valentine’s Day, the girls and I plan on making dozens of these to hang off of trees all over town. Such a sweet, little heart surprise!

Materials needed:

silicone heart molds
food coloring
water
string
scissors
a tray or cardboard that will fit in your freezer

First, place your silicone heart molds on your tray or cardboard piece. (It’s a tricky mess if you do it after the water is poured, like I did the first time!) Next, put about 10 drops of food coloring into a measuring cup and fill with water.

Pour the water into the heart molds.

Now, cut a string long enough for your garland and/or some smaller pieces for ornaments. Using your fingers, press the string into the heart molds. Make sure you leave 4-5 inches of string between each heart.

To make the ornaments, just press both ends of your string into the mold filled with water. The center 2 hearts are ornaments in the pictures above and below. You can see the shorter loops of string.

Next, place the tray with your heart molds into the freezer for a couple hours until they’re completely frozen.

Carefully pop your ice cube hearts out of the molds.

Now for the fun part…find a place outside to display and enjoy your Icy Hearts! So sweet!

Hidden Fairy Bath Bombs

October 26, 2015February 8, 2016 Porter 1 Comment

Have you ever bought bath bombs for yourself or for your kids? Bath bombs were originally intended for adults to use in the bath…their scents make the water smell wonderful and many times the bath bombs contain epsom salts to soften and refresh your skin. The thing that many people don’t know is that kids LOVE them too!!! The fizzy, bubbly, sizzling chemical reaction is just too cool! In the past, we’ve bought bath bombs and given them to our girls in their stockings at Christmas or for their birthdays…but now, we’ll never buy them again! These bath bombs are so quick and easy to make and there’s a surprise hidden inside each one! I found inspiration for this DIY on a fellow blogger’s site; she makes “Hidden Train Bath Bombs” for her little boys…adorable and genius!

Materials needed:

2 cups baking soda
1 cup citric acid
food coloring
essential oil
water in a spray bottle (not pictured)
plastic fairies (flowers, dinosaurs, cars…)
silicone molds or a muffin tin

First, mix two cups of baking soda and 1 cup of citric acid together in a large bowl.

Next, add about 10-15 drops of food coloring and some essential oil, and mix. You can add more coloring and oil to suit your preference. I used a “sweet orange” oil and yellow food coloring. Even though the bath bombs themselves were not super-vibrant in color, the bath water certainly was! The kids loved it!

Now, spray your mixture with water and mix quickly! I would give our mixture about 3 squirts, mix, then repeat. The baking soda and citric acid will start to fizz a bit, but once you mix, it will stop. Repeat this process until the mixture clumps together like breadcrumbs.

Spoon the mixture into your silicone molds. Fill about halfway and pack it down firmly with your hands.

Now, add your fairies. We added a silk flower to one of ours as well.

Fill the molds the rest of the way with the baking soda-citric acid mixture and pack it down firmly. Once the bath bombs set, they will expand. The next time I make bath bombs, I may not fill them all the way up to the top…or I may do so purposely and make them look like frosted cupcakes!

Let your bath bombs set up for a few hours until they are hard. (Can you believe how ours expanded and “grew”!?!) Flip the bath bombs over and gently pop them out of the molds.

Now for the fun part, surprise your kids with the bath bombs! The chemical reaction is just so cool!!!

They will be doubly-surprised to find fairies hidden inside!

The walls, tile and bathtub in our bathroom are all white…the bath water was so, so yellow the whole bathroom glowed!!!

This recipe can easily make 7-8 bath bombs…plenty for you and a friend! Enjoy!!!

Candy Corn Candles

October 15, 2015November 3, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

I was so excited when I saw some “candy corn candles” online the other day, I couldn’t wait to make them! The candles were so cute, but when I read the tutorial, I discovered that they were just white candles painted to look like candy corn! What a disappointment! I figured, “How hard could it be to actually make CANDY CORN CANDLES?” And so I did just that! I’ve made all types of candles before and each time is an experiment. They are a lot of fun to play around with! Give yourself some time and patience when you’re making candles…they are definitely worth it! These candy corn candles may be my favorite yet! They’re seasonal and adorable! My suggestion is to make a few at a time…one for you to keep and a couple to give away as gifts!

Materials needed:

large pot with 1-2 in. water inside
metal pouring-pot or large metal can
paraffin wax
crayons (yellow, orange and white)
mason jars
primed wicks
pencils
paper towels
wax paper (to protect your counter top)
wooden skewer or stick
candle thermometer

First, place your metal pouring pot (or large can) into the large pot of water. Place 2-3 blocks of paraffin wax into the pouring pot. Turn the stove on high, bringing the water to a boil, then turn it down a bit so the water doesn’t boil over.

As your wax melts, peel the paper off of two orange crayons. The easiest way to do this is to carefully slice the paper down the side with a sharp knife.

If you have a candle thermometer, continue to heat the wax until it reaches 180 degrees. Usually once all the wax is melted it is at or near 180 degrees. Now, add the two orange crayons. Using a wooden skewer or a stick, mix the color and wax together.

Carefully pour the orange wax into your three mason jars. If you have any excess wax, you can pour it into a disposable bread pan and save the wax for later. (I poured mine into a cheap coffee mug and made an additional candle in a mug!)

The next step is a little tricky, but take your time…wax doesn’t harden immediately, so relax and stay calm! Place your candle wick into the middle of the candle and wrap the extended portion around a pencil. Lay the pencil across the jar to keep the wick in place. You may have to move the pencil around a bit to get the wick right where you want it. Sometimes the wick likes to move within the first few minutes, so keep an eye on it!

Let the wax set for at least 30 min to an hour, but not much more. While you’re waiting, reheat the few drops of wax that remain in the pouring pot and, careful not to burn yourself, wipe the pot out with a paper towel.

After the wax has set, it’s time to do the exact same thing, but this time making yellow candle wax! Heat the paraffin wax in the pouring pot or large can. After it melts, throw in two yellow crayons. Mix the wax with the other end of your wooden skewer. Carefully pour the wax into your three jars. Let it set 30 min to an hour and wipe out your pouring pot.

And last, but not least…time to do the same with the white wax. If your paraffin is semi-translucent before it melts, I’d add a white crayon or two. Some paraffin wax that is designed specifically for candle-making is very white to begin with…you don’t have to add any crayons to this type.

Now, let your candles set for a few hours! Sometimes when making candles a little well develops around the wick as it sets. If this happens, melt some more white wax and carefully pour it into the well to top it off. For the first time in making candles myself, this didn’t happen with my candy corn candles! Once set, the tops were just as flat as when I poured the wax in. Trim the wicks down to about half an inch. Enjoy!!!

Some tips I learned the hard way:

You definitely need at least 2 crayons to color the wax. When the wax sets, the color will appear much lighter than it looks when poured. If the orange color appears too light for your taste, you can carefully place the jar into hot or boiling water to re-melt the wax and stir in another crayon piece. Best to avoid this step altogether though, and put enough color in at the start!
When making these layered, candy corn candles, let the wax set for an hour in-between pouring layers, but not much more! When I made these, I poured the orange and yellow wax at night and then I waited til morning to add the final, white layer. I totally forgot that the wax can shrink a bit when it completely sets, causing it to separate from the jar a little. When I went to pour the white wax onto the top, in two of my candles the white wax seeped down the edges, covering up the yellow a little bit. Oops! So let the wax set, but not for over an hour before adding the next layer!

Enjoy this adorable craft! They are just too cute!

Fizzy Ice Chalk Fun

June 18, 2015September 24, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

After we made “Homemade Sidewalk Chalk” the other day, I couldn’t wait to make some FIZZY ICE CHALK as well! I looked around online and found all kinds of recipes and methods for ice-chalk and fizzy or erupting ice-chalk. L and I experimented and tried all the tricks…we added some of our own variations, and I’m happy to share those that worked best! I suggest making FIZZY ICE CHALK in the morning on a hot summer day, let it set-up for a few hours, and bring it outside to play with in the afternoon. We have a few batches sitting in our freezer right now, just waiting for a lull in the action so we can bring it outside to play with again. This time we made lots so there’d be plenty for the neighborhood kids to play with as well! We can’t wait!

Materials needed:

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup baking soda
food coloring (or tempera paint)
1 cup water
measuring cup
silicone molds (or ice tray)
spoon
toothpicks
vinegar
spray bottle, squirt bottle, or infant medicine dropper

Using a measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup baking soda. Mix together with a fork or spoon.

Add 1 cup water and mix gently, but thoroughly.

Next, carefully pour your mixture into the silicone molds or into your ice tray. If you don’t have either available, you could use paper cups as well!

Add a few drops of food coloring or a squirt of tempera paint to each mold. (We tried both…the food coloring mixed better, but both worked fine!)

Using toothpicks, carefully mix each color.

Put the molds into the freezer for a few hours, til they set-up completely.

Before bringing the ice chalk out to play with, prepare your vinegar. You can put it into spray bottles, into squirt bottles (empty dish soap bottles work great), or pour the vinegar into small cups paired with a medicine dropper. All are great for little hands and developing motor skills…L’s favorite is the medicine dropper method!

After the ice chalk is thoroughly frozen, bring it outside to play! One page online suggested painting the sidewalk first with water…we tried it, but didn’t see much benefit in having the pavement wet. We had more fun coloring with the chalk on dry pavement! Experiment with it though…see what works for you!

After the kids are finished coloring (if they can wait that long!), it’s time to bring out the vinegar. Spray or squirt the vinegar onto the ice-chalk and the ice-chalk pictures to watch it sizzle, fizz and erupt! This is definitely everyone’s favorite part!

Take a moment to talk to your kids about chemical reactions and the result of a base (the baking soda) and an acid (the vinegar) coming together. L always likes to taste how salty the baking soda is compared to the sour smell of the vinegar. Summer science fun…I just love it! Enjoy!!!

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

June 15, 2015September 24, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

Making SIDEWALK CHALK is so fun and easy, I doubt we’ll ever buy it from a store again! I’ve seen multiple DIYs on making chalk, but they all seem to use toilet paper rolls lined with wax paper or foil…some big complicated mess. I decided to use our silicone molds (the ones we only use for crafts) and the chalk popped out easily, plus it took on some fun and funky shapes! HOMEMADE SIDEWALK CHALK can be made in less than 10 minutes, but it takes 2-3 days to set completely…so give yourself plenty of time!

Materials needed:

Plaster of Paris
tempera paints
water
silicone molds
paper or plastic cups
plastic spoons or craft sticks

First, protect your working area with some newspaper.

The recipe for sidewalk chalk is pretty simple: 50% plaster of paris, 50% liquid (water + paint).

You can measure it out precisely: 1 cup plaster, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup paint; or you can do what we did and just “eye ball” it.

Fill up your disposable cups about halfway with plaster.

Add a good squirt of paint.

Then add water. And mix.

Once you have all your chalk mixed up, carefully pour it into the silicone molds.

If you want to mix colors, making a funky tie-dye effect, fill your mold about halfway with one color. Then carefully pour other colors on top.

Set your sidewalk chalk aside for a full day to dry. I suggest placing it near an air vent in your house to speed up the process.

After a day has passed and the chalk looks dry, gently flip the molds over and release the chalk onto some wax paper. (If the chalk is still moist, you can try drying the chalk with a hair dryer too.)

Once the chalk has been removed from the molds, put it aside for another day or two for the chalk to set-up and dry completely. (As you can see, our yellow mixture may have been a little too moist on our first try…it was still sticky when we took it out of the molds. We let the yellow dry for a day longer than the rest, and it colored just fine!)

Now, time to play!!! Aren’t the colors beautiful? Brighter than any sidewalk chalk I’ve ever seen!

Enjoy!!!

Fairy Mud

May 13, 2015September 24, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

I first saw a recipe for FAIRY MUD a year or two ago on a blog called Happy Hooligans. When L’s cousins came over to play on a hot day last summer it was the perfect activity! Fairy Mud is just as much fun for the kids to make as it is to squish between your fingers and play with! With the temperatures rising and our fairy garden in full bloom, we’ll be making it again this week!

Materials needed:

1 1/2 bars of soap
2 rolls of toilet paper
food coloring
1.5 to 2 cups of WARM water
glitter, sequins, buttons, jewels, flower petals
cheese grater
2 large bowls or tubs

First, grate the bars of soap into a large bowl. If you have older kids, they can certainly help with this process!

While you’re busy grating soap, have the little ones unravel 2 rolls of toilet paper. So silly, they’ll just love it! Gather the toilet paper into the second large bowl.

Once the soap is grated and the toilet paper unravelled, pour the WARM water into the bowl with the soap and add a few drops of food coloring as well. Squish and squeeze the soap shavings until you have some consistently melted and mushy soap blobs.