Children's Art & Science Program

My Kickstarter got accepted!

I am trying to achieve my goal of starting an art program for kids focusing in science and nature. This after school program would start in Boulder, CO and help kids create and learn about nature and science, and hopefully spread to other parts of the country. Field trips, science lessons, and many many art projects to enhance children's love for the outdoors and expressing themselves creatively are my main goals. With technological advancements, so many kids these days come home from school and sit in front of a TV or computer screen, with their minds numbed. It is important to get children using their imagination, getting their hands dirty, and exploring the area in which they live.  This program is here to create that excitement and challenge that they are missing in the afternoons. CASP's mission is to have these kids be with other children in the same age group, learning about geology, chemistry, physics, and art in a simple way that will entice them to want to learn and create more! Donations would fund rent for a studio/class space, art supplies, guest speakers, van rental and gas for field trips, and legal certifications and forms that must be processed in the event of opening a business. 

Please help me reach my goal of $5,000 to get the program up and running to begin Summer 2015 for day camp! Learn more here!

Avocado Slicer & De-pitter Invention Review

Holy Guacamole!

This thing is awesome! My boyfriend gave it to me as an early Christmas gift while I was making breakfast on Sunday. Normally I wouldn't accept an early gift, but I asked if it would make breakfast better, and it sure did. Not only is this nifty gadget super functional, I found it fun to use. Maybe I'm just a freak, but I went out and bought a bunch of avocados and am planning on making the best guacamole ever for a party tomorrow night. I have always loved avocado, and even cutting it normally with a knife, but now... now, I better watch myself before I go eating 12 avocados a day. They are delicious, and in moderation good for you, so I must pace myself and feed others because there is no way I can not use this thing everyday. It's awesome!

You can buy it online at Williams-Sonoma for $9.95 or find it on amazon

Apple Rose Tarts

Holiday Baking?

Try a tasty yet beautiful dessert that won't put you in a food coma after dinner!

Ingredients:

4-6 Apples of choice
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour


Instructions: Boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of white sugar. Thinly slice apples and add to saucepan, boil for 3-5 minutes. Cooking time depends or the variety of the apples, but slices should be transparent in the end. While boiling, prepare the dough, flatten and cut into 1-2" by 5" rectangles and drizzle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Let the apple slices cool aa bit in a colander and place on paper towel. Place the slices horizontally while layering slightly over one another until the rectangle is mostly covered. Roll from one end tightly and pinch the dough when you reach the other end to secure the rose. Place on parchment paper or in cupcake liners. Repeat until desired amount are created. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.

Magic Milk

Arts & Crafts: Indoor Fun when the Outdoors Act up.

When the snow won’t stop falling, the rain keeps coming, or the wind won’t slow down, sometimes you have to choose the indoors and get creative. Although you don’t have nature to learn from, there are experiments that and science projects that can teach you other things, like physics and chemistry. Here’s a fun trick that will allow you to see some crazy colors and flows in a way that nature cannot replicate.

Ingredients

• whole milk

• food coloring

• dish soap

• salt 

• oil (vegetable or canola)

Directions

In a wide shallow bowl or deep plate (the shape of the container alters the design, so play around a bit if you’d like). Fill the container ¾ with whole milk. Use the food coloring, 2-4 colors, about 3 drops each, in varying areas of the milk. Following, add a few drops of dish soap, or draw a circle of dish soap, or any other design (different designs will alter reactions). Watch for a few minutes as the colors swirl in various vortexes and flows. You can add more dye for less white in the designs. By adding salt, you will see a reaction in the flow of the colors. Adding oil traps the colors to create color bubbles that don’t mix with the flow. 

              Before Salt                                                                                  After Salt