Liquid Rainbow

rainbow in a jar

we found this book at the library

how to make a liquid rainbow by lori shores

you will need the following items:

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup blue dish soap

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

3 mugs

1 quart jar

spoon

red, blue, yellow and green food coloring.

Start by pouring a 1/2 cup corn syrup into a mug.  

stir in 1 drop of blue and 1 drop of red food coloring

pour the liquid into the glass jar

next slowly pour 1/2 cup of blue dish soap into the jar

mix 2 drops of green food coloring to 1/2 cup water

tilt the jar and slowly pour the green water inside.

next, slowly pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil into the jar

in another mug, stir 2 drops of red food coloring into a 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol

tilt the jar and slowly pour in the mixture

then, stand back and take a look

do you see the rainbow?

just a bit of a warning, you really do need to stand back or across the room.

if you look at the jar close up, you won't see it as clearly.

how it works...

liquids are made up of very small particles and how tightly they are packed together 

determines the density of the liquid.

for example, the dish soap floats on top of the corn syrup, because the soap is less dense.

you slowly poured the water in so that it wouldn't mix with the soap.

water is less dense than the soap, so it floated on top, etc.

pretty cool, huh?

we thought so too.

Club Mom

 It's that time of year where the boredom starts to kick in...

school's out

friends are on vacation

baseball season is over

etc....

If you are like me you are always looking for fun ways to entertain the kids...although back when I was a kid, we entertained ourselves ---- what the heck is wrong with kids today???

I remember when we got kicked out the door in the morning and didn't come back home until it was well after dark or we were hungry and thirsty...but most of the time we either packed a lunch of snacks and drinks or we ate at whatever neighborhood kid's house that had food.

We made up our own adventures of

riding our bikes,

splashing and wading through the creeks (or cricks?),

having lemonade (or koolaid) stands,

building forts out of old lumber and blankets,

rolling around in the grass and poison ivy,

playing ball with the neighborhood kids,

swinging on old rusty metal swingsets,

climbing on hay bales in a neighbor's barn,

drinking water out of and spraying each other with garden hoses

ahhh, the good old days.

at any rate, since today's kids aren't nearly as adventurous as their parents were...we continue to look for different and new ideas to entertain them, until they drive us crazy and we lock them outside ;) 

just kidding....

well, maybe

that's why I introduced my little kids to Club Mom.

We spend a few weeks here and there (usually not consistent, because we are always busy doing something) throughout the summer making crafts, doing projects, visiting new places, etc.

I call it Club Mom.

If you are looking for fun things to do, then be sure to check back often throughout the summer and see all the fun, cool things we have planned.

Last year's adventures can be found in a page tab on the sidebar.

Homemade Play Dough

we made some homemade play dough a few days ago.

the kids loved it.

it was pretty easy to make...

all you need is:

2 cups plain flour (all purpose)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

Up to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)

food coloring

we doubled the recipe and made

blue

pink

purple

orange

yellow

green

• Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl
• Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough
• Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone.
• add a few drops of food coloring while you are kneading the dough (yes, your hands will look like a rainbow for a few days - unless you wear some rubber gloves.
• If it is still a little sticky, just add a little more flour.
• store in an air tight container.