Repost from the SHARE- Brookshire's Blog

I love Oobleck!!!


http://brookshires.squarespace.com/blog/2012/6/21/family-matters-oobleck.html

Family Matters:  Oobleck

 

 

by Amy Brocato Pearson | Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 4:46PM

On the last day of school one year, my older son, Curt, came home with a bag of slime.

No, it wasn’t the contents of a long-lost lunch bag, it was, as he explained to me in great detail, oobleck.
I watched him extract the green oobleck from the plastic bag, stretching it the length of his arm as he did so. Then he and his brother, Luke, proceeded to play with the oobleck for two hours.

Named for a slime in a Dr. Seuss book, “Bartholomew and Oobleck,” that had the power to gunk up a whole land, oobleck , besides looking like green gunk, has properties of both solids and liquids. Oobleck wiggles and jiggles like a liquid or jelly, but if you squeeze it in your hand, it will seem like a solid. In the scientific world, oobleck is called a dilatant, a substance that causes another to expand. If you slowly lower your hand into oobleck, it will sink, but it’s much, much harder to remove your hand without taking all the oobleck and its container with you. But in the real world, oobleck is just plain fun and easy to make with ingredients you probably have right in your pantry, perfect for a craft – or science experiment – on a hot summer’s day.

Oobleck

Ingredients:

Corn starch
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Directions:

Mix 1 part water with 1.5 to 2 parts cornstarch. Start with 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cups of cornstarch, then work in more cornstarch if you want a more 'solid' oobleck.

Mix for about 10 minutes to get the right consistency. If you mix oobleck in a plastic bag with a zipper lock, kids can “squish” it to the right consistency.

Mix in a few drops of food coloring if you want colored oobleck.

Try this:

Squeeze or punch the oobleck. The cornstarch particles will not move out of the way quickly, so the oobleck will feel solid.

Mold oobleck in a container, but when you remove the mold, watch the oobleck lose its shape.

{Kids in the Kitchen} Corn Doggies

Luke LOVES corn dogs.

But I'm not such a fan of frozen/processed/deep-fried foods.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in "everything in moderation." I mean, there are moms out there who preach steel-cut oats and serve Pop Tarts.

I just try to get it in balance. I can't serve organic, free-range food every night, but I *can* try to improve upon some favorites.

Tonight we tried self-named "Corn-Doggies." By "self-named," I mean, "Luke-named."

They were a HUGE hit, even if they were mostly boxed and mostly processed.  At least I had a *smidge* more control...

Luke's Corn Doggies

Makes 12 muffins, can easily freeze and reheat.

2 boxes Jiffy-brand cornbread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup of skim milk

12 Jenny-O Turkey Hot Dogs


Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or non-stick cooking spray (I highly recommend paper liners).

Mix together Jiffy cornbread mix, two eggs and 2/3 cup of skim milk.

Beat with a wire whisk until well blended.

 Pour into paper liners into muffin tin.

Even if it's out of focus.

Slice hot dogs into thirds.  Make sure 8-year-old does not agree to having his picture taken executing this step...

Press two hot dog pieces into each cornbread muffin. Again, 8-year-old does not agree to have his picture taken. Use oldest pan you have, because it will look like a Rock Star in said pictures. Not.

Smooth cornbread mix over hot dog pieces.

Bake at 400 for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and pufffed.

Remove from oven.

Let cool.

Serve with ketchup and a side dish.

**DRIVE IN** For Fun

Last night, we went on an ADVENTURE.

The rules of the ADVENTURE are as follows:

1. You do NOT know the destination of said ADVENTURE until arrival.

2. Well, there's really only one rule. But you MUST follow it.

Adventures were born sometime in the summer around the time I was 10 years old. Mom, bless her heart, had all five of us home every day and had to be inventive beyond typical childhood entertainment. So once a week, we went on an adventure.

Refer to Rule No. 1: we never knew the destination of our adventure until we arrived. The anticipation was epic. We'd spend all day trying to guess and very rarely did we actually guess correctly. Mom was creative like that. But I remember no matter what we did, it was always fun.

We've been doing adventures for a few years now. Last night's was one of the BEST. EVER.

First the preparation.

Plenty o' snacks (because it's IMPOSSIBLE to watch a movie without popcorn!)

Plenty o' drinks! (because a boy can have a soda on a Saturday night and because popcorn makes you THIRSTY!)

And plenty o' blankets. Because you'll never know when East Texas temperatures drop from a balmy 72 to 48 in a matter of mere minutes. PLUS you have to be nice and cozy to watch a movie at a drive in. (OOPS, did I just break Rule No. 1???)

In addition to NEVER TELLING the location of an adventure, it's kind of fun to do things to throw your kids off the scent of your true destination. For example, stop and fill up your gas tank, because then they think you're driving really, really, REALLY far away. Go to the bank ATM for cash, because then they think it's going to cost *exactly the $40 fast cash you just withdrew (even if it didn't).

On the way to the adventure, stop and get pizza (because popcorn isn't enough for an epic drive-in picnic!)

And let the boys play the $.25 rubber ball game...because let's face it, to 8-and-9-year old boys, that's practically an adventure in itself.

On the way to your adventure, point out misleading road signs.

And watch the anticipation heighten.

 

And when you pull in, watch their faces closely for the amazement and happiness (provided  you haven't taken them to the planetarium AGAIN, which they thought was a cool adventure the first three times...)

Set up at the Sky Vue drive-in takes a few minutes. It's best to get there early for a front-row parking spot. Back in, of course, so you can screen the movie from the comfort of your trunk.

Spread out the picnic.

And get ready for the dancing...WAIT WHAT? I don't know about you guys, but when the oldies are cranking over the drive-in sound system, you kinda wanta dance. And Luke was breakin' bad to Johnny Be Good. So I HAD to join him.

When it's finally time for the movie, at approximately 7:05 p.m. (check listings as start time is based on the amount of darkness), settle into your trunk (at times like this I miss my Nissan Pathfinder).

We watched Hugh Jackman Reel Steel on the HUGE screen right in front of us!

One of the best things about a drive-in is that you don't really have to sit still or be *that* quiet. You can sit, lay or cuddle.

And best of all, you can fall asleep in the nest of blankets in your car.

(Which they both did at different times)

But really, there was nothing better than being in the night air, watching Hugh Jackman a movie and enjoying each other.

A DREAM Come True

Those of you who know me...or who follow my Facebook posts...know that Curt is obsessed very, very interested in helicopters.

It only makes sense. His very first fascination with an object was with fans. Ceiling fans, box fans, anything that spun, really. So his die hard interest in helicopters as of late is just a graduation from ceiling fans to rotors, really.

This summer Curt has been DETERMINED to fly a helicopter.

Today, thanks to a colleague and friend, David White, Curt was able to spend about an hour crawling all over the Trinity Mother Frances Flight for Life helicopter with Flight Nurse Trey Moses. We didn't get to fly in it, for insurance and safety issues, but Trey, a longtime flight nurse, let Curt (and Luke), examine every inch of the almost-brand-new helicopter.

Curt. Was. In Heaven.

The awe in his eyes when we arrived on the helipad  was astounding.

He immediately climbed into the pilot's seat and began the virtual take-off in his mind.

He knew all the instruments:

The Cyclic Helicopter Controls:

Fuses and instrumentation:

Anti-Torque pedals: 

The Collective:

See all the things you can learn on YouTube?

Since it was a medical helicopter, the rear of the machine was just as fascinating. The helicopter flies with a crew of four: a pilot, flight technician, and two nurses. The patient and the nurses ride here:

Luke had to get in on the action, of course:

Curt peppered Trey with a barrage of questions; Trey answered all most of them, and managed to make me belly laugh in the process. WINNING.

The boys went over EVERY. SINGLE. INCH.  of that helicopter. We learned that it can fly 140 mph. That they can transport one, or two, patients, plus a parent if the transport is a child, to hospitals all over the region. Children generally are flown to Dallas if they're on the west side of Tyler) or Shreveport (to the east). Burn patients are also transported to Metroplex hospitals.

Lately, they've been flying a higher volume of rescue flights. Lots of child drownings this summer. And now that school is in session: pedestrian vs. car. (GET OFF THE PHONE).

Curt went over ever inch inside the helicoptor:

And asked LOTS of questions.

Luke got in on game:

It was  SO. MUCH. FUN.

Trey took our picture.


Then we took his:

 

It was AWESOME.

And I am HAPPY!