Burning Peppermint Soaked Sugar Cubes - Christmas Science Sunday

I wanted to tie Science Sunday in with some of the Christmas baking we've been doing this week. So, I decided we would try doing a flame test (of sorts) on peppermint extract. After all, what says "Christmas baking" more than peppermint extract?

So, while the children were napping, this afternoon, I soaked several sugar cubes in peppermint extract. I figured the alcohol in the extract would burn, and the peppermint oil would change the color of the flame from orange to blue - at least, all the fancy drinks, and dessert recipes, calling for peppermint schnapps, mentioned blue flames. (See the comments of this post, for a suggestion that is the alcohol in the extract, that turns the flame blue, and not the peppermint - on further reflection, I think that's probably correct - but the peppermint does add a refreshing aroma!)

When the children were up, I gathered a lighter, a candle, a non-soaked sugar cube on a plate, one of the soaked sugar cubes on another plate, and my husband, to handle the actual job of lighting things. I stood back with the camera, and a pan lid on ready, just in case things got out of hand.

First, we lit the candle, so the children could observe the regular color of the flame.

Then, we attempted to light the plain sugar cube, to show the children, that it would not light.


Finally, we lit the soaked cube. Actually, I should say we attempted to light the soaked cube, and learned a valuable lesson about evaporation. Apparently, all the alcohol had evaporated.


So, we doused the cube with a few fresh drops of peppermint extract, and lit it again.



The children enjoyed watching the resulting blue flame, and were surprised to see the side reaction going on - the sugar being caramelized.


Being true scientists, they picked a volunteer to taste one of the remaining sugar cubes. It turns out, while most of the alcohol was gone, all of the peppermint remained. Think Altoids x 100. And yes, I tried one too :)

They also tasted the brown bits of caramelized sugar from the plate, and discovered delicious, candy cane goodness.

Finally, after noticing the peppermint extract that spilled onto the plate, burned really well too, they wanted to know if it would also burn on top of a bowl of water.


But, even though we could see the peppermint oil floating on top of the water, it would not burn. I guess, that goes down as an experiment in mixing solutions. Apparently, alcohol and water will mix, or maybe the small amount of alcohol in the extract dissipated too quickly. At any rate, it was quite interesting, and now the house smells truly Christmasy!

For more fun with science, check out the other links at this weeks Science Sunday, at Adventures in Mommydom.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

What My Child is Reading - December 19, 2009

With Christmas closing in fast, we've been on a reading frenzy to finish up all the holiday themed books we grabbed from the library, throughout the month. Most have been secular stories, not so much about Santa, and reindeer, as about family traditions, love, and giving.

We have quite a few books around the house, that tell the story of Jesus' birth, but for the most part, I like to read that account out of the Bible to children, without all the little extras, that get put into children's stories.

I did pick up The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi, this week. I thought it might be fun to compare the facts of Nicholas' life in the book, with the Veggie Tale, movie version, we watched earlier in the month. Once I had a chance to look through it however, I realized it was a little wordy for the younger ones, so we'll be reading it slowly. The illustrations are amazing though, so I think the they'll still enjoy it.

Here are few of this week's favorites:

Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Slasser - This was our first Fancy Nancy book. I was a little disappointed, that the story was not as exciting as the illustrations, but the children liked it, and asked to hear it multiple times, so I guess that makes it a hit.

Not A Box by Antoinette Portis - I think someone mentioned this book in the "What My Child Is Reading" link up, last week, but wherever we saw it, we checked it out on Monday morning, and I'm glad we did. The story is very simple, as are the illustrations, but still very cute. A little bunny stands on a box, sits in a box, sprays a box with water, and so on, and we discover it is not a box at all, but a race car, a mountain top, or a burning building. Again, along the theme of Too Many Toys by David Shannon, but in a simpler form.

Not A Stick by Antoinette Portis - Not a Stick is just the same as Not a Box, except with a stick. It is also very cute.

Rocky Mountain Night Before Christmas by Joe Gribnau, and illustrated by Salima Alikhan - I thought a Rocky Mountain twist on the Night Before Christmas poem would be fun for the kids, and for the most part it was. Though, I was not too happy to have to explain what it meant when it said Santa came in by the fire for a "nip", and there is mention of cussing (in a friendly Rocky Mountain kind of way, of course). So, while I got a kick out of the cowboy, the cabin, and the cows pulling Santa's sleigh, this one might have been a bit rough for the children.

For more book reviews, and suggestions, be sure to check out the "What My Child Is Reading" link up, over at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Recycled Plastic Bag Ribons - Simple Wrapping Solutions

My in-laws sent us a box of presents earlier this week. It was quite exciting. But, I have to tell you, I was just about as thrilled to see the assortment of colorful plastic bags they used for padding, as I was to unload the actual gifts. You know how it is, once you start recycling, and repurposing, you see fun potential in every empty bag, or box.

So, when I finally got the goodie plates ready for the neighbors today, and realized they looked a little plain, out came the bags.

A couple of quick snips, and a knot, and the goodies looked so much more festive.

If my ribbons aren't fancy enough for you though, check out the plastic bag bows at Creative Jewish Mom, they're quite beautiful.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

One of Those Days - Christmas Style

You ever have one of those days? You know the ones, the ones that make the author of Murphy's Laws look like an optimist. Well, let me tell you, it can get worse. Here's my day:

1. The children woke up grouchy. Not a little crabby, but really, really grouchy. It might have been a sugar hangover from all the goodies currently in the house, and so technically my fault, but really I think three incidents of hitting, pinching, and kicking at the breakfast table, coupled with a back talking twelve year old, was a bit much!


2. Today was a day I babysit an extra two year old. She's a sweet, good natured, darling little child, but still - she's two, enough said.


3. While trying to make goodies, for the neighbors, to go along with the one batch of peanut brittle I managed to get right, I destroyed two batches of fudge, one a full proof, chocolate recipe, and one a never-fails, peanut butter kind. Who ruins no fail fudge?


4. Falling back on the gingersnaps I made yesterday, I discovered my husband had taken a baggie full to work with him, thereby leaving me short - but in fairness, I didn't tell him tell him they were special, and cookies on the counter are usually for him.


5. Finding another yummy looking snowball cookie recipe linked on Crafty Crow, that looked pretty quick, and simple to make, I started in on them, only to realize I was mysteriously out of walnuts, one of the main ingredients for the cookies, and I'd already cubed the butter, and added the flour.


6. I sent the older children walking to the store for walnuts, and sat down for a minute to crochet a little on a Christmas present, while I was waiting for them to return, only to discover my crochet hook was missing.


7. The children returned from the store with a can of roasted almonds.

Arrrrg!

Okay, so several deep breaths later, and all the younger children down for nap, I slipped out to the store to get the walnuts myself (one major joy of finally having a child old enough to babysit!). The air was fresh, the sun was out, and there was happy Christmas music playing at the store, all was not lost. I began to reflect on the fact, that there have been many times in history, and in fact there are many places in the world today, when and where people might wish for troubles as mundane and trivial as the ones I was experiencing.

And, I was reminded, that this is Christmas, when we remember that Jesus, gave up His place in heaven for a time, to come to earth, and live in all the misery and frustration, that humans live in, to give us the ultimate gift - eternal life!

So, I went home, walnuts in hand, baked the cookies, made a new batch of fudge, which is no-fail, if you follow the directions, and dug the crochet hook out from the couch cushions, where I should have known it would be all along. My husband came home, and knowing it had been a bad day, and knowing he had to go back in to work for a few hours, took over dinner, and let me hide in our room crocheting.

I finished the present, screened up an instant view movie for the children on Netflix, poured a cup of coffee for myself, and called a good friend for a chat. That was when my daughter called me from the bathroom. The toilet was plugged...plugged, and full...and apparently all the holiday treats have had another negative side effect on one of the children, so again, technically my fault...

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Christmas Traditions - Making Peanut Brittle for the Neighbors

The Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash ends up today with a "Christmas Traditions & Memories" link up, with Tidy Mom.

We have a lot of traditions at Christmas, mainly because any activity we happen to do one year, the children automatically assume we'll do every year after that. They are very big on tradition!

I have mixed feelings about most them (the traditions, not the children!). I love the continuity, and feeling of security they bring to life. I love how they join us together as a family. But, being a bit of a flibbertigibbet myself, I find the discipline involved in carrying them out, year after year, more than a little taxing.

Case in point, is one of my favorite, but newer, traditions - having the children deliver plates of homemade goodies to the neighbors. We started it a few years back, when our street, which is also newer, was finally completed, and entirely occupied. It was our way of welcoming the new neighbors, and introducing ourselves to the ones who had moved in a little ahead of us. It was also an opportunity to get the children involved in an act of giving.

The first year we gave out plates of gingerbread men. The next year, it was an assortment of goodies, including my family's old stand-by, Betty Crocker peanut brittle. One of the older women (a little younger than my mother, but close enough to be surrogate), asked for the recipe. I gave it to her, but admitted, that for every good batch, I usually have at least two that fail, but that for some reason, my mother can always manage to make it work, every time. She grinned a conspiratorial grin, and assured me her dearly missed mother had been that way too.

Of course, after that, the peanut brittle became part of the tradition, failed batches, and all.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

stART - Too Many Toys

***Sorry about the lack of paragraph spacing in this post. Blogger, and I are not getting along today :) ***

The book we read, today, for stART, a story and art link up hosted by A Mommy's Adventures, was Too Many Toys by David Shannon.

I was doing a little blog hopping this weekend, and ran into a review of this book, by a guest poster at No Time For Flashcards. My library had a copy on hand, so I checked it out the next day, thinking it would be a good one for the kids. It is, but even more importantly, it's a good one for all of us parents of today, especially at this time of year.

The little boy in the story, is not greedy. His parents have not deliberately spoiled him. The toys he has are not bad, in fact many are even educational. And, it's not that he doesn't appreciate them, he does - he plays with them constantly, and even remembers who gave them to him. He just has too many. Sound familiar? While his family's intentions in giving him the toys, games, paint sets, musical instruments, and books, were good - it turns out they were really fueling his materialism, more than his creativity.

By the last page of the book, the reader (and by this I mean the parent reading the book out loud), is reminded, that no matter how many great toys there are out there, nothing beats a child's imagination for pure, and simple fun, as any parent who has ever watched their child playing with a cardboard box, really already knows.

So, after reading the book to the children today, I gave them boxes of their own, and left them alone to create, imagine, and play.

I would show you all of their finished works of art, except that they took them to their rooms, which look a lot like the little boy's room in the story - too many toys, indeed!

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Recipe For Frugal Christmas Fun

Day four of the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash is being hosted by Simply Sweet Home with a Christmas recipe theme.

If your familiar with this blog, you know we like to play around with recipes, and we've already had a lot of fun making child friendly, chocolate fudge truffles...

...melted snowman pudding snacks...

...marshmallow dreidels (more Chanukah, than Christmas, but fun none the less)...

....peanut butter cookie Christmas mice...

...and crunchy, munchy Christmas tree cookies.

But, of course, not all recipes are for food. Some recipes, the very best recipes, are for fun. And, last night, we tried out a new recipe for frugal, family, Christmas fun.

• Take one batch of homemade play dough - 2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups salt, 1 cup boiling water, 1/4 oil, and food coloring to desired color.



• Print out three, or four, Christmas themed, play dough mats from SparkleBox, and cover them with contact paper, or slip them into clear paper protectors. (Thanks to Michelle, at A Mommy's Adventures, for putting us onto these!)



• Add a few kids, who have been cooped up a little too long by stormy, winter weather.



• Throw in a couple Christmas cookie cutters.



• Stand back, and watch the fun happen.

It's great to be a homeschooler.