Category: Play/fun

Maple Sugar

Boiling the syrup downWe made Maple sugar today! First we made Maple syrup (a couple of days ago). We did two batches of maple syrup. The 2nd one we turned into sugar.

Today we boiled it to when you put in in water it turns into hard taffy (250 – 255 deg f). Then we poored it on a cooky pan and mix fast ! (it hardens and sugaratizes quick. )

Shifting the big pieces outWe ground it up to make it smaller. Because it won’t be as hard to eat 8)Candy from pan bottom

We made sugar insted of candy, becus I wonted to. If we wanted candy, we would not boil it as long.

It is fun, but it is hard work. It tastes like maple syrup mixed with sugar! I love the taste! The work is fun, it is sort of worth it. If I had to do this all the time for most of my sugar, I would plant a lot of Maples.

I need help finding designs for boilers becus we want to try it outside next year!Ground sugar

Lumpy Maple candy

P.S We got 2 1/2 cups of sugar!

Minus what we ate 😉

 

Ice Candles

Audrey says today is “Leap Year Day!” It is special because it only comes once every four years. Grandpa says that “girls can ask if a boy will marry her”. But why on Leap Year Day only? Why, can you tell me?

A couple of days ago we made ice candles. It is easy to make ice candles.Candle

We got a bucket and a disposable plastic cup. We filled the bucket one third full of water. Then we put some rocks in the cup and made sure it sunk to the bottom of the container. The cup has to have the bottom of it at the bottom of the bucket so that it can come out easier.

Momma’s favoritePut them outside, or you can cheat and put them in the freezer. Wait until they are solid ice. Take them out. If you can’t take the cup out, put some hot water in the cup and it should come out immediately. (Don’t dump the cold water on the front steps because it will get icey!)

Then you can put votive or tea light candles in the ice candle hole and burn them outside on snow or the cold ground.

They are beautiful!

Candle line up!

Pinewood Derby

I worked hard on my Pinewood Derby car. I had to make my car and Daddy helped me. I cut out the car design. I put weights in it and sanded it. I painted it with tape on it. When I took the tape off, there was a place where there is not paint. I put the numbers on (13, because “M” is the 13th letter) and then made it shine by spraying more paint on it. It was fun. Don’t you think it looks nice?

My winning car

I raced on Saturday. The first thing I had to do was the weigh in. They weighed and measured and tested the wheels. The car has to be under 7 inches and weigh 5 ounces or less. Mine was 4.9 ounces! It was perfect with a dime, but adding the tape would, oops!, make it go over.Balance

Measuring

Weighing in

Part of my cheering committee

The people who came to watch my race was Oma, Opa, Grandma, Grandpa, Momma, Daddy, Esther, Andrea, Audrey, Georgie and Adrian. Georgie likes race cars so he “when can I watch the race?!” He gets to watch his daddy race cars, but these were different.First place!

I raced my first race very well. The back on my car jiggled and bounced off the track. Then it slowed me down. My second race I lost by a little bit. The third one I lost by a lot. The other guy’s car was better than mine because the wheels on mine gone angled and the wheels hadSecond place contact with the head of the axle 100% of the time. It slowed me down!

Next year, I am going to put some more friction on it. I have to research how. We think it was too finely tuned and the track was not fine enough. When it bumped, my car jiggled, jiggled, jiggling down the track.

Boy and carI feel proud of my car. I worked so hard on it. I feel mixed emotions about if I am sad or if I am glad that I did not win. They have to confiscate your car if you win, because there’s another race they go to. It would have been fun to race in the second race. So they did not have to confiscate my car and I can play with it.

I know what color I am going to do next year. If I had won, it would have been green next year. But, since I did not win, I am keeping my blues. I am not giving up on blues until I win. The only difference next year, is the stripe will be different and a different car design.

Stay tuned next year, for next year’s race!

What to do with an Old Box.

Momma let us have a box from Grandpa.  Momma said to make something out of it.

Here’s how to make a sleigh.

  1. Cut off all the flaps except for one. Make sure it is one of the thinner ones or it won’t look like a sleigh.
  2. On the front end, near the flap cut two doors. The cut off sides should be as big as your two palms making a V.
  3. Decorate the box.
  4. Make “presents” and put them in the sleigh.
  5. Put a rocking horse (maybe) to pull the sleigh.
  6. Have fun.
  7. Have lots of fun!

    Santa’s sleigh

    Have a Merry Christmas!