toucanBox

Make personalized homemade Christmas cards for teachers, family, and friends. Use fingerprint art to make candy canes, reindeer, and snowman. You can also add wiggly eyes, ribbons, glitter, and other decorative materials to your card.

Here are some ideas:

(Remember to let the paint dry before adding other decorations with felt pen, glitter, ribbons etc.)

1 - Wreath

2 - Candy cane

3 - Christmas Tree

4 - Snowmen

Learn how to make a barometer with things around your house! The final product will allow you to measure the atmospheric pressure.

Things you need:

• Wide mouthed Jar e.g. pasta sauce jar or mayonnaise
• Straw
• Balloon
• Scissors
• Glue
• Folder
• Pencil
• ruler
• Clear tape

Directions:

• Cut the balloon in half

• Cover the mouth of the jar with the balloon and secure with a rubber band to make an airtight rubber lid.

• Position the straw horizontally on the rubber lid and secure with tape. 1/4 of the straw should sit on the rubber lid. See the image below.

• Place the jar near the paper and mark the height of the tip of the straw on the paper each day.

• Compare the markings with the previous days.

How does the homemade barometer work?

As weather patterns shift, the air pressure around the jar also changes, while the pressure inside it remains the same. As the pressure outside increases, the balloon is pushed down, forcing the straw up. As the pressure outside falls, the balloon swells, sending the straw down.

*All ages can help keep track of the air pressure from day to day by making a graph to track the changes.

Meringue is a type of dessert that is light, airy, and sweet, and made from whipped egg whites and sugar. Meringues are often flavoured with vanilla and a small amount of almond or coconut. Enjoy making and eating these scrumptious treats with your little ones!

Ingredients:

• 4 medium egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
• 225g caster sugar

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 140 C Put egg whites in a large bowl, and start whisking, preferably using an electric beater.
• Add sugar 3 tablespoons at a time and quickly whisk in after each addition. Continue to whisk until mixture is thick.
• On a baking sheet put spoonful of the mixture, leaving gaps between to allow room for expantion.
• Put in the oven on a low shelf and bake for 45-60 minutes or until crisp on the outside.
• Turn off the oven and leave them to cool with the door open for 30 minutes, to cook the insides further.

Remove from oven, and serve as they are, or with cream and fresh fruit.

An anemometer is a device used to determine wind speed. The instructions below will guide you through the process of making a simple anemometer at home using basic house hold products.

Materials:

• Corrugated cardboard
• Small paper cups
• Pencil with an eraser end
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Pushpin
• Modeling clay
• Ruler

Instructions:

• Start by cutting equal size cardboard strips. Use pencil and ruler to guide you.

• Cut off the rims of four paper cups.

• Colour one of the paper cups with permanent marker so you can easily identify start/end of each rotation.

• Staple the cardboard to form a cross.

• Draw an ‘x’ in the middle of the cardboard to find the exact center.

• Staple cup at the end of each strip (facing the same way).

• Push the pin through the center of the cross and into the eraser of the pencil.

• Create base for it out of modeling clay and stick the anemometer outside.

How to check the speed of the wind…

Count the number of times the coloured cup passes you in one minute. You could measure at different times of the day and compare the results.

Create a tornado at home with basic household items!

Materials:

• Glass jar (we used a large mayonnaise jar)
• Cold water (3/4 quarter)
• Liquid dish detergent (we strongly recommend ecover detergent for this activity)
• Butter knife
• Food color and glitter (optional )

Instructions:

• Begin by rinsing the jar thoroughly and removing the labels.
• Fill the jar with water and add a squeeze of ecover liquid soap.
• For added fun you can add food colour and glitter.

• Use a butter knife and stir the water around quickly and watch tornado form.

Tips:

• In addition to the this project, read the book ‘Barn Storm’ which is about tornado hitting a farm.

This month we included a few questions about bugs on the instruction sheets in your toucanBox. Read below to find the answers and visit the links we’ve included if you want to learn more.

What do butterflies eat?

• Actually butterflies don’t eat…they drink! Butterflies have a long tube in their mouth that is just like a straw. This tube is called a proboscis. Butterflies mostly drink nectar from flowers but they also feed on tree sap, pollen, or rotting fruit. Use a straw and drink your juice through your homemade proboscis today. What’s the difference between a moth and a butterfly?
• Most butterflies are active during the day while most moths are active at night.
• Butterflies have slim, hairless bodies while most moths have plump, fuzzy bodies.
• Butterflies have long, slim antenna while moths have feathery antenna.
• Butterflies often have very bright coloured wings while a moth often has dull, dark coloured wings. Where to butterflies go in the winter?
• Most butterflies cannot survive the cold weather of winter so they must travel to warmer places. Monarch butterflies migrate from cold weather climates to the warmer climates of Mexico.
  Butterflies and other insects have exoskeletons…what does this mean?
• Butterflies and other insects have their skeleton on the outside of their bodies. This exoskeleton protects insects and keeps moisture inside their body so they don’t dry out.

Learn more at http://www.thebutterflysite.com/facts.shtml#funfacts

Insects and arachnids are different…how can you tell the difference? Insects have - Three body parts, head, abdomen, and thorax - Six legs - Two antenna Arachnids have - Two body parts, head and thorax - Eight legs - No antenna

How do bees, butterflies, and worms help a garden grow?

• Bee and butterflies are pollinators. They carry pollen from one plant to another boosting flower and seed production so that we have new plants growing every year.

• Worms increase the amount of air and water in the soil. They also breakdown leaves and grass into food that plants can use to grow. Worms in your garden is a sign that you have healthy soil for growing plants.

Learn more about bugs at http://www.buglife.org.uk/

Remember remember, the 5th of November: Make your own ‘scratch off’ Fireworks for the Guy Fawkes Night!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Crayons (not washable)
• Black paint
• Paint brush
• Dish liquid
• Thick paper

Instructions:

• Colour the white paper with crayons (tip : use different colours)
• Pour black paint in a small container and add a drop of dish liquid

• Paint it over the crayon layer and let it dry completely

• Then start scratching your fireworks the way you want!

Transform milk bottles into inexpensive Halloween ghost lanterns! These are excellent to display indoors or outdoors.

Things you’ll need:

• Milk cartons (as many as you want)
• Black marker – we used a sharpie pen.
• Scissors
• Candle (real or electric)

Instructions:

• Thoroughly clean the bottle and remove all the labels.
• Place them upside down for at least five minutes so the water can drain out.
• Draw an outline of the ghost face on the front of the jug with black marker (Tip: Leave the caps on while you do this so the jugs don’t dent.).
• Draw and colour the eyes and mouth.

• A grown-up will need to cut rectangle out of the back of the milk jug below the handle with a craft knife.
• Insert a candle via the hole cut in the back of the jug and arrange the ghosts near each other.

Make these fun ghosts as trick o’ treat hand out, party favours, or just for fun! These are fun to make, even for smaller kids!

Instructions:

• Place a tissue paper over the lollipop.
• Take a piece of ribbon (approx. 8 inch) and wrap it around the base of the lollipop. Then tie and double knot it. For little ones who cannot tie considering using orange and black pipe cleaners they can twist on.
• You may want to cut out the loose ends.
• Draw eyes with black marker or stick on wiggly eyes.

Serve this delicious milkshake to your creepy little crawlers on Halloween!

Ingredients:

• Fresh milk (500 ml)
• Melted plain OR dark chocolate (2 cubes)
• Vanilla ice cream (5 big scoops)
• Whipped cream
• Vanilla essence
• Paint brush
• Orange straws (optional)

Instructions:

• Melt chocolate cubes.

• With your paintbrush, apply melted chocolate outside your glass to create ghost expressions.
• Blend milk, ice cream, vanilla till well combined.
• Add whipped cream to the top of your ghost.

Tips: - Drizzle some strawberry topping for a “bloody” effect. - Use different shaped glasses.

Pumpkins are the most common icon of Halloween! Here’s a perfect way to give your kids an opportunity to create various pumpkins for Halloween this year. These are really easy to make can be great decorations for your door. Make several with different faces and hang all over the entrance to give trick-o- treaters a good scare!

Things you need:

• Paper plates (If you don’t have paper plates, don’t worry! Just take a regular plate and trace it onto a piece of cardboard - old cereal boxes work great!)
• Scissors & glue
• Craft foam or construction paper (green & black)
• Paint brush
• String (optional)
• Orange paint

Instructions:

• Paint the back of the paper plate orange and let it dry
• Draw and cut out facial shapes from the black craft foam (triangles for eyes and nose and a mouth with missing teeth)
• Cut out two leaves from the green craft foam. You can also poke a green pipe cleaner on the top and curl it form a pumpkin vine

Hang your pumpkin over the entrance on Halloween

Clementine Jack-O-Lanterns

Transform these thin-skinned clementines into teeny tiny jack-o-lanterns for Halloween!

Ingredients:

• Clementines
• Cloves
• Pin (optional)
• pencil

Instructions:

• Pencil various face details onto the clementine.
• Pierce the skin of clementine with the pointed part of the clove and push down into the clementine. If your child finds it hard to push the clove through the skin use a pushpin to pre-poke holes for the cloves.
• Keep piercing and make individual faces on the clementines.

Buzz around with this amazing bee craft!

The texture of bubble wrap is the perfect way to recreate a beehive at home. This craft is a fantastic way to have fun and to educate kids about bees and their unique habitat!

Note: You’ll be busy as bee making this fun project!

Instructions:

• Paint the bubble wrap yellow.

• Add a little bit of orange on top of yellow paint.

• Place a sheet of white paper on top of the bubble wrap and gently rub to transfer the paint. Gently peel the paper off the bubble wrap and turn it right side up on the table to dry.

Add some bees:

• Dip your thumb or finger in yellow paint and stamp it around the beehive (as shown in the picture below)
• Use either the black marker or paint to fill in the details on your honey bees!

** TOILET PAPER BEE HIVE**

We were so impressed with this awesome beehive craft that we just had to pass it on. Learn about bees, repurpose a few empty cardboard rolls, and discover that a hexagon has six sides with this brilliant craft by Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.

Things you’ll need:

• toilet paper rolls
• ruler, pencil
• scissors
• glue
• paper clips

See the website for instructions:

Click here to view the website