Summer Car Crayons

I can’t get a single thing by my youngest. At four, hell hath no fury like him discovering me throwing anything away, ever. I have to smuggle out crayons like a Mexican drug lord. While I really hate throwing things away that I can re-purpose, I can’t stand to see his tiny little hands cramped up, struggling to make the tiny broken bits of crayons create the perfect little pictures he has in mind. So yes, me, the meanest Mommy in the world, takes them away. Contrary to his belief I don’t actually throw them in the garbage though. I have accumulated quite a stock-pile in my craft bins. When I saw heard about this idea, I just knew that this was the reason I had held onto them. Now, using nothing more than the summer heat as a power source, we now have a whole new batch of fun crayons to create with. At his age, he thought it was magical as we periodically checked on the melting crayons and how they ‘transformed’ from something old and broken into something brand spankin’ new.

For my older boys, I used this as a teaching point and science experiment to help explain how truly hot the inside of a car gets on a typical summer day. When we did this it was only about 85 degrees out, and pretty comfortable outside. However, our car was sitting in direct sunlight and I think they finally saw why their are always ads on tv and the radio about not leaving your children or pets in the car. While comfortable outside, they watched as our car was transformed into a virtual oven.

Before this experiment, especially with the oldest two sons, I would face a chorus of complaints, and ‘but why‘s’ when they had to come into stores with me while I was out running my errands. Since the car crayons, not a single issue. Instead of spending time wasting my breath lecturing them on the potential ‘dangers’ (the eye rolls suggest they typically think I’m just being an over-protective mother), it was so much easier to simply show them.

Summer Car Crayons

• old crayons, papers removed and broken into pieces
• silicone baking mold, or silicone ice tray
• your car
• a hot summer day

 

1. Add a variety of broken crayon bits into the molds. You can combine similar colors, or a mix and see what combinations you end up with.
2. Place mold on a cookie sheet for stability and sit on the dash board of your vehicle.
3. It will take about 2 hours for the crayons to melt all the way. Periodically, come out to check on them and view their progress.
4. When fully melted, use pot holders to carry the cookie tray back inside.
5. You can leave them to cool on their own, or place in the refrigerator to help speed up the cooling process.
6. When completely cool, pop out your new crayons and get coloring.

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5 Minute Ice Cream In A Bag

While Summer doesn’t officially start for a few more days, the summer temps (and humidity) have already invaded central VA. Now that the kids are out of school, they’re ready to spend every waking minute outside in the sun playing, wrestling, fishing, climbing trees, and all the other outdoor activities a boy can think up. On top of making sure they stay hydrated, sometimes they just need a little something extra to take the edge off and help cool down. A quick, easy, sweet, and COLD treat is always a summer-time hit. I love this easy ice cream because it’s so simple they can actually take pride in making their own. The mess is contained and easy to dispose of when they’re done. Science experiment, anyone? This activity is so easy to incorporate, as a little extra sensory play and learning, in your daily routine without the kids actually realizing they’re being ‘schooled’. Everybody wins! This is, without a doubt, one of the kids (and, secretly, mine too) favorite ways to beat the Summer heat.

5 Minute Ice Cream In A Bag

•  1/2 cup whole milk, half and half, or cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp sea salt
• 2 cups of ice
• sandwich sized ziplock bag
• quart sized ziplock bag

Directions

1.  In the sandwich sized ziplocking bag, add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Seal bag tightly.
2. In the quart sized bag, add the ice and salt.
3. Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag and seal tightly.
4. Shake the bag as hard as you can, without popping it open, for 5 minutes or until it reaches the consistency of ice cream.
5. Remove the smaller bag and give it a quick rinse to remove any pieces of salt. Make sure you rinse the opening as well.
6. Open the ice cream and eat it straight out of the bag with a spoon.