Not Edible Crystal Snowflakes and Ornaments

What you need:
String, wide mouth jar, white pipe cleaner, borax, boiling water, and pencils.

Take a white pipe cleaner and cut into thirds and twist them to make a snowflake or you can do whatever shape you want. Make sure it with fit into the jar.

Tie a string to one end of the snowflake and tie the other end to the pencil.

Fill Jar with Boiling Water. Add 1 Tablespoon of Borax (It is found on the Laundry soap lane of the store- don't use Boraxo Soap) to the water and stir until it dissolves. Add the rest of the Borax. You need 3 tablespoons to every 1 cup of water. You can also add food coloring to the water, if you want colored snowflakes. I personally like the plain old white.

Hang the pencil over the jar, with the pipe cleaner completeley covered in the water, but not touching sides or bottom of jar.

Let sit over night.

Borax is soap, so remember not to keep low for a child to drink. I still have mine that I did years ago on my Christmas tree. Over the years the crystals have changed a little, but it still looks pretty cool on my tree.

Crystal Fun!

Rock Candy To Eat!

Needs:
1 Cup of boiling water
3 Cups White Sugar
Jar
Pencil
wool or cotton Yarn
Food Coloring
Flavoring

Instructions:
Tie the yarn to the pencil. Set the pencil on top of the jar and see if it will hang without touching the sides or the bottom, but almost to the bottom. Boil water. Stir in sugar a spoonful at a time. Keep adding sugar until it starts to collect at the bottom of the jar and doesn't dissolve while stirring. This is called Saturated. You can't have too much or too little or it won't grow crystals on your yarn. Add food coloring of the color you want and flavoring. Pour into the glass jar and don't let any dissolved sugar into the jar. Hang the string again in the jar. Put it where no one can mess with it. Put a paper towel over the top so nothing gets into it. After one day you should see it start to grow. Let them grow until they stop or it is the size you want, about 4-7 days. When sugar crust comes at the top of the jar, then remove it and eat. If it forms on sides and bottom, but not on your string, remove string carefully, reboil and cool like you did before. Pour into a clean glass jar and replace the string. When done Allow to dry and then eat.

A New Tradition!

We got an early Christmas present from my Sister-in-law, Nicole and her family. It is an elf that comes with a story. After you read the story, he hides all month long in high places in your house. The kids are never to touch the elf. Anyway my younger kids Love it, and my older child loves to hide the elf. It has made for lots of seeking the elf, lots of laughing, and lots of fun. If you are interested, then click on the website about it, below.



http://www.popinkins.com/

Christmas Ideas!

My neighbor asked me to post this, but I realized I had already done this. So I thought I would recap a little and then tell you to go look under labels under Christmas for more ideas and you can see what I wrote about this.



Anyway I am a cub scout leader and for one of our Christmas activities, we made green and red paper chains. at the top was a big star with the words, "I am trying to be like Jesus". On the inside of each chain was something that they could do, to make them like Jesus and more focused on him during the Christmas season. Examples you can find in the past posting.



After we got them completed, I read the book I believe in Santa Claus, by Diane G. Adamson. It is first all about Santa. Ex. he comes at night, he wears red, he loves little children etc. Then it switches and talks about Jesus Ex. he comes at night, he wore red, he loves little children etc. After reading the book I talked to them about how it can be confusing when at school you only talk about Christmas and Santa coming, but at Church you only talk about the birth of Christ. But I said that this book helps us realize that Santa is trying to be just like Jesus and he is a symbol of Christmas. When we think of Santa, we can think of Jesus, just like when we see a Christmas light we can be reminded of the star that came the night Jesus was born.

Then I took the chain and said that the outside is a countdown until Santa comes, but the inside is a countdown until Jesus was born. By doing nice things for others and trying to be like Jesus, we can honor Jesus and give him a gift that he would love by serving others.

Anyway I had this little boy (I forgot to tell his Mom this part), that openly scoffed when I said we were going to read a book called, I believe in Santa Claus. He didn't say anything, but his face told me, that he was not a believer. He also thought making chains was something a preschooler would do. But after I read the book, his little chain seemed much more important, and his face said a different story, than before I read the book.

He went home and has been so excited about Trying to be like Jesus everyday. His Mom called me to tell me, what a great idea it was, and how much he looks forward to doing it everyday. I usually get no comments, and it was really nice to hear how much she like it. She asked me to post it, so now I have. Merry Christmas!