Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Balloon Ice Shenanigans

One of my 7th graders this past school year made "frozen marbles" as part of her genius hour project... and I saw the same idea here on Pinterest.
This one had two earwigs in it... my nephew thought that was a hoot!
This time, instead of just making the frozen marbles, I decided to create a game so that my niece and nephew and I could play on the cul de sac while waiting for the fireworks to begin. Here are the directions for...

BALLOON ICE SHENANIGANS


You will need:
            frozen water balloons (frozen marble)                    chalk
            big, open pavement or vacant street                        a way to keep score
            (optional – gloves)

Goal:
            Be the first player to accumulate exactly 20 points by rolling or sliding a frozen marble across pavement that is marked with various points.

Preparation:
            Freeze water balloons. Pull off the latex, and store in a cooler at the time of play.
            Create a playing “board” of some sort using chalk on the pavement. (Suggestions below.)

How to Play:
            Decide on a scorekeeper. Each person chooses one piece of balloon ice from the cooler. This will be his/her game piece for the game. The youngest player takes his turn first. He must first declare if he is going to add points or deduct points from his score. (For the first few turns, everyone will be adding points in order to get to 20. Later in the game, players may decide to deduct points in order to accumulate exactly 20 points.) The scorekeeper will write either a “+” or a “-“ underneath his name, depending on his decision. He must then place the balloon ice on the ground, and roll or slide it forward, aiming for a number on the “board.” At this time, the player chooses to either leave his piece on the board, or take it away. If he takes it off the board, the scorekeeper writes down his score. If he leaves it, it may be knocked to a different location, depending on the next player(s). When all players have had a turn, the scorekeeper should have a new score for each. Continue playing until one player accumulates exactly 20 points.

Rules:
            Your balloon ice must be either in your hands or on the ground under your supervision.
            Every player begins with zero points. It is possible to go up in points or down, even into negative numbers.
            You MAY shape your ice – either in your hands or on the ground. Keep in mind –you will keep this one piece of ice until someone reaches 20 points.
            If your ice balloon lands on a line, you must count the higher number.
            If you touch someone else’s balloon ice, deduct 5 points from your score.
            If, on your turn, a balloon ice (yours or the one you hit) touches any part of a vehicle or a person, you are eliminated from that game and must return your ice.
            If your ice breaks, you may forfeit or continue the game, using a broken portion of your piece.
            If your ice breaks during a slide/roll, you may either use both scores, or only one. If you use only one, be sure to take away the piece you will no longer use.
            After each game, you may either keep your ice balloon, or TRADE for a new piece from the cooler or a willing player.

Possible game boards à
 We used the one below, because it "looks more like fireworks..." :)

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Easter Egg Pointillism

I saw these beautifully done, simple looking egg designs on Pinterest... Could I do this?


YES. Yes I can!

Time Length:
     Three minutes an egg

Difficulties: 
     Not having template stickers. I found images online and just used my eyes!
     Not knowing what animals to give what family members.

What made it easier:
     Simple designs.
     Being able to make the designs more exact - you can always make them smaller using the Sharpie.


2024 update:
I tried to put a teeny strip of painter's tape on the eggs before putting them in the color... I wanted to make smiling eggs. 
What made it easier:
     Put the tape on when the eggs are ROOM temperature. Hold it on for a minute or more bit before putting it in the dye.
And... here are some my cousin Cathe made this year!




Easter Centerpiece

 I saw this beauty on Pinterest, and just had to try a version of it...




Time Length:
     What took time was finding the glass containers. (Still I feel I have the wrong sizes...)
     10 minutes to set up

Difficulties: 
     Having jelly beans fall across the counter and onto the floor.
     Squishing the peeps in between the glass. They really are too small.
     I don't like how the jelly beans are all different colors. The original was much prettier. Of course, the gerber daisies used in the original were much prettier, as well.

What made it easier:
     Simple flowers.
     A family that understands I like to try new things.
     I loved using left over flowers for the bathroom, too...

These are in an old salad olive jar.

Easter Bunny Cake

So when you see a bunny cake that looks as simple as this one I saw on Pinterest, you've just got to try it!

 You'll need two of these...

Cut one so it looks like a baseball - these will be the ears and bow tie.

 It fits perfectly on the homemade tray - 25 X 12 inches.

 Oh, no... SO MUCH CUT cake to frost!

 My love showing me how he'd frost the cut portion of the cake...

Without a mouth..

 The finished product!

Time Length:
    Typical baking time, and then an hour... just to frost!

Difficulties: 
     How the HECK do cake companies frost CUT cake?? I had to load on the frosting, then put another layer over that. (This made substituting applesauce for oil in the cake recipe a joke...) I checked on YouTube and found a few videos, but none on how to frost CUT cake. I found out later that I could freeze the cake for a bit... 
     Making a tray for the cake to go on. 

What made it easier:
     New round pans.
     Flour over the sprayed oil on the pans - they popped out without a hitch.
     The fact that my love had a strong piece of box to cut the tray and cover with foil.
     My love helping me stay patient - and showing how he'd frost the sides (put on a LOT, and place it there with a spatula).
     Getting more frosting, so I wasn't afraid of using it all.
     The fact that I really wanted to surprise my family with this cake. That was motivating.