Eggshell Mosaics

Eggshell Mosaic Helps....

When we did the eggshell mosaic many years ago, we simply let the eggshells sit in a sinkful of water that had a squirt of regular old dish soap in it! There - how's that for a formal and complicated procedure! You don't really have to "wash" them each individually if you toss them into sudsy water right away. Let them soak for a while in rinse water too, then spread them out onto a towel to air dry. Store them in an open tupperware container - or in an open shoebox so that you can add to your stash as you clean and dry more on other days. Don't worry too much about cracking them, because they will need to be around the size of a pinto bean for this
project anyway - only they won't have regular shapes - that's what makes the project so cool-looking when it is finished - each piece sort of has it's own unique shape, but together, they make a whole design! If you don't soak the shells the same day, the egg dries on the shell and it is harder to remove, but each person will have to do what is more convenient for them. We did this project in the winter, so Ryan's mosaic is an outside scene of an evergreen tree with snow falling lightly around it - it's beautiful.

Hope this helps!

Dorian

Roman Activities

We got together with a few friends and did some hands-on activties as well as a toga party at the end.

I recommend getting the Classical Kids Activity Book and Make it Work Rome for ideas and directions.

We made togas and stolas (from a sheet), sandals (from fake chamois), paper mache helmets (came out awesome), standards (cardboard tube, small paper plates and foil), jewelry- coin rings (pipe cleaner and a penny)and silver arm bands (poster board strip and foli) and wreaths for the head (florist wire and artificial leaves). We made mosaics, clay jars (with red self-hardening clay). We made catapults (cardboard box, masking tape, a plastic spoon and mini-marshmallows) and aquaducts (cardboard tubes cut in half and blocks). Some made
paper mache elephants (Hannibal). We made theater masks from paper mache and cheese cloth. We made a paper arch to go over a door way, sponged painted it with poster paints.

The children chose Roman names, wrote skits and at the toga party, acted them out. The two older girls acted a new reporters and the other children acted. They did a gladiator fight skit, chariots races with crashes on the road, and a fashion show.

Hope this encourages and spurs a few of you on.

Make you own Volcano

*** MAKE YOUR OWN VOLCANO ***
Create an erupting volcano with clay, baking soda, and vinegar.

Make Your Own Volcano:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/crafts/nature/volcano/