Hey MRASP! It's Friday and we have a new activity up on the zoom calendar. Courtney is running YOGA today, we also have Poetry with Charlotte and Pokemon Adventure with Josh. Don't forget to sign up! On the Blog we have some great weekend activities including a marble run, special movie night craft, homemade paper, and special friday snack! Let's get started . . .
Cardboard Roll Marble Runs
By Jonathan
Here’s another fun project that uses up all those paper towel and toilet paper cardboard rolls you’ve been left with at home!
Grade Level: K-5
Individual or multiple people: Either
Theme: Project, STEM
Materials:
Cardboard rolls
Masking tape
Scissors
Marbles
Any kind of bowl
Further instructions or accommodations:
The first step is to find some wall space that is okay to tape things onto (a door or large window are other options). Make sure you pick a surface that works with the tape you’re using - your tape should stick to it properly BUT it shouldn’t get marked or damaged in any way when you pull the tape off.
Take all your cardboard rolls and cut them in half length-wise (have an adult help you with this if needed). This will both double the length of cardboard available and make it possible to actually see your marbles as they roll.
Start building your marble run by taping various pieces of cardboard rolls to your chosen surface. Use your imagination and come up with designs for how you want to guide your marbles from the top to the bottom of your marble run.
Test as you build! When I do this at the Hut, I like to test small sections as we’re working. It’s easy for marbles to get stuck or end up going off the track due to design issues, so it’s best to check your work often.
You might be tempted to angle your cardboard pieces a lot so that the marbles will get to the bottom faster, but remember, a little goes a long way. Just a slight angle is all you need - gravity will do the rest. Plus, in my opinion, it’s more fun to make a marble run with at least a few “slower” sections so you have time to watch the marbles roll. Slower runs also make it less likely that your marbles will roll off the track!
If you’re connecting various rolls to make a longer length, make sure the transition between each roll is smooth. Marbles will get stuck pretty easily, even on small bumps! Try not to overlap the pieces and remember to use tape if you need to.
When you get to building the bottom of your run, place a bowl at the exit to catch your marbles - you’ll be glad you did because trying to find stray marbles hiding under couches or furniture is no fun (ask me how I know).
You make your marble runs as fancy and complicated as you want. Once you’ve made one that works, use a timer to see how long it takes for your marble to travel all the way to the bottom. See if you can make a design that takes a marble 30 seconds or more to get through!
Make your own drive-in movie
Crafted By Aaron
This is a great Friday craft, perfect for movie night!
Grade Level: K-3
Individual or multiple people: Multiple
Theme: Project, DIY, Craft
Materials: Cardboard box, Paint, Paint brush, Scissors, Glue, Paper plates, bulldog/binder clips, and newspaper to put down on the table for painting.
Location: A large table where you can paint
Links and resources: https://www.todaysparent.com/family/activities/craft-how-to-make-a-box-car/#gallery/craft-how-to-make-a-box-car/slide-1
Further instructions or accommodations:
Step 1. To make a box car cut a square out of the box you find, and leave a third behind for the hood.
Step 2.Lay out the newspaper and paint four paper plates black and silver for the wheels. Next paint the car in the color of your choice.
Step 3. Once the paint has dried, attach the wheels with glue. Use paint or markers to further decorate your cars.
Step 4. Attach a basket for treats using bulldog clips
Now that you done Enjoy The Show!
DIY Recycled paper
By Jennifer
Age level: Everyone!
Individual or multiple people: Either
Theme: DIY, STEAM
Materials: newspaper, office paper, notebook paper, construction paper (but not shiny magazine paper!) Bowl, Water, Blender, Strainer, hand towel, small decorations, spatula.
Location: Kitchen
Instructions:
Rip your collection of paper into roughly 1-2’’ pieces, place in a bowl and cover with water.
Let sit for 30 mins to several hours so the paper gets soaked.
Pour the waterlogged paper (and water) into a blender- add extra water so its liquid.
Blend the paper until it's an even pulp.
Pour the blended contents into a strainer and let the excess water drain out. Use your hands
to squeeze out as much water as possible.
Turn the strainer upside-down onto a full sheet of paper on top of a folded hand towel. Spread the pulp out evenly- you can add decorations at this point- (glitter, feathers, ribbon, yarn, buttons, etc)
Put another sheet of paper on top (the paper is to keep the pulp from sticking to towel) and another folded hand towel on top.
Press the towels to squeeze out even more water! Then remove towels, and the sheets of paper to reveal your recycled paper!
Let it dry fully for several hours, or a day depending on thickness.
Pizza Skewers
Cooked Up By Courtney
Pizza meets kebabs on the grill. We like to pull the chunks of sausage, bread, and tomatoes off the skewers with our hands, dip them in marinara.
Grade Level: K-5
Individual or multiple people: Multiple
Theme: Cooking
Location: Kitchen
Total: 40 min
Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping
Grated Parmesan, optional
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill grates
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Kosher salt
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 pound pizza dough, cool to the touch
1 pint grape tomatoes (24 to 30)
12 ounces cooked sweet Italian chicken sausage links (about 4 links), sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Special equipment: Eight 12-inch wooden skewers
Directions:
Soak eight 12-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Prepare a grill for medium heat. Cut a 12-inch-square piece of aluminum foil.
Stir together the oil, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
Dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 11 by 6 by 1/4 inches. Using a pizza wheel or a knife, cut the dough into 1-inch strips, then into 1-inch squares. Add the dough squares, tomatoes and sausage to the seasoned oil, and toss gently to coat.
Working quickly to keep the dough from getting warm, thread the skewers, alternating sausage pieces (skewer them through the casings), tomatoes and dough squares (skewer them through opposite sides of each square, keeping them as flat as possible so they cook through). Leave 1/2 inch of the skewer at both ends empty. Each skewer should have 4 pieces each of sausage and dough and about 3 tomatoes.
Grill the skewers, covered, until the tomatoes have dark grill lines and the dough squares have started to puff, 2 to 3 minutes. Put the prepared foil square on the grill, and transfer the skewers onto the foil cooked-side up, so that they are almost touching. Top with the mozzarella, and grill, covered, until the tomatoes are soft, the dough squares have doubled in size and the mozzarella has melted, 3 minutes more.
Divide the skewers among 4 plates. Tear the basil leaves over the tops. Serve with the marinara sauce, for dipping, and pass the Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!
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