GETTING KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: Easy Cheesy Bread Rolls

Hello, everyone! How was your dinner last night? Ours was delicious. We had chicken soup with cheesy bread rolls, which was made with the kids! 

When I told my daughter we were going to bake together, she got so excited. Big smile across her face, jumping and down, shouting, "YEAH YEAH YEAH!" She loves to help. It makes her feel like a big girl. My son didn't really care until we actually started making them. Then, he wanted in on everything. 

We used an extremely basic recipe. These guys are both under four, and there are two of them, so things get real messy and hectic, real quick. I asked my husband to take photos of our endeavor- I love the man, but he seemed to enjoy taking candid photos of my face more than his designated task.

 

 

At least he had fun, right?

For this recipe, we just used a premade raw dough from Basha's. You can honestly use any recipe. I am not going to go all out and say, "Here is my very own made-from-scratch sprinkled with love bread rolls recipe," because it is not that. It's sprinkled with love, but that's all. The point was to get two toddlers excited about cooking, and this certainly helped with that. I have plenty of original recipes, I promise! Those just tend to be desserts. Maybe I'll share them someday. Maybe. If you're good ;)

Anyway, you can also just use crescent roll dough, pizza crush dough, whatever. Our whole house actually really likes Basha's crust dough. It has a great flavor and always bakes nicely chewy and fluffy. My dad uses it for stromboli, and it's amazing. We then just used butter, shredded cheese, garlic powder, rosemary, black pepper, and paprika. No real measuring involved this time. We had to be quick, and we wanted the kids to have fun so they want to get involved more.

First thing we did was melt some butter and spread it around on the pan. I totally misjudged the size of the pan, but it got the job done, and it did provide more room for the kids to work without getting flour all over the table. The large size basically worked as a tray, so that worked in our favor.

 

After that, the kids had fun playing with the dough and rolling it into balls (and yes, they washed their hands first). It was pretty sticky, so we added flour to their hands as well as the bottom of the pan.

 

This part got messy, but they enjoyed it. It is a good sensory experience for little ones, with the powdery flour, the sticky dough, and the slippery butter, if your kids rub their hands in it like mine did. Rolling the dough into balls does help work with their coordination. They really do not have to be perfect, either. This is something for them to make without much room for failure. A successful recipe will encourage them to do more.

 Aferward, my daughter poured on melted butter and my son spread it around with the basting brush. Teamwork, right?

 

He also helped eat the cheese after Luna helped dump it on.

Both of them added seasonings (my son likes to help add seasonings onto things. He'll even dump salt and pepper onto my food when he thinks I need it).

As you can see, they really enjoyed themselves. 

I wasn't able to get a photo of the baked result. They were pretty much eaten as soon as they came out of the oven. My brothers all loved the rolls, and hearing their praises really gave them a confidence boost. Here's an image of them before they were baked, though.

 

Not bad for a couple of toddlers, right?

They came out very fluffed up with a great texture. They were gone pretty darn quickly. The important thing, however, is that the kids got involved. When you're working with little bitty ones, a full on from scratch recipe can be overwhelming, especially if the kids have any sort of spectrum issues. It can be time consuming, and they can get bored easily. This was short enough for them to enjoy the whole process, which leaves them wanting more. A very basic and simple recipe leaves little room for error, which means they won't be discouraged. Over time, they will learn trial and error, but right now, the goal is to get them to enjoy working in the kitchen. They had fun, they contributed, they enjoyed the end results, and they loved the encouragement from their uncles and grandparents. 

What recipes did you first make as a kid? What recipes do you make with your kids now?

FAQ: Common Myths of Homeschooling (and Brutally Honest Answers)

We've all heard them... the annoying questions and comments about homeschooling. Questions like, "How will your kids get the socialization they need to become properly functioning adults?" and, "What makes you think you are qualified to teach?" Comments like, "No one hires homeschooled graduates, employers don't take them seriously!" and even, "Isn't it illegal to keep your kids home all the time?" I've been told, "You have no right to homeschool them. You owe it to your kids to let them decide where they want to go to school." The older generations seem to have some of the worse comments, in my experience. "Kids need to experience drugs and bullies to become stronger adults," (WHAT!?) and, "Keeping your kids home to learn is child abuse," are all things I have seen, heard, and been told. I am going to touch up on some of the most common misconceptions regarding homeschooling parents and kids, because, as you can see, some of the things (pretty much all of the things) people who disagree with the idea of teaching from home say are just plain whack.

Now, keep in mind, I have a pretty big history of switching schools, and school types. Just to give you an idea...

Preschool to third grade: Homechool/charter school, classes three times a week for a few hours.

Fourth grade: All home school.

Fifth grade through sixth grade: Standard public school.

Seventh and eight grade (middle school): Full time charter school/college prep school.

Freshman year: Standard public high school.

Sophomore: Two different standard public high schools, then independent study/charter school where I took classes only a couple days a week for a few hours. That is where I graduated from.

Why so many changes in schooling? Oh, goodness... divorce, moving over and over, student bullies, teacher bullies... It was so bad, that I started going to the independent study program because I was coming home in tears every single day, begging to not have to go back. I went from Honor Roll student to miserable blob, absolutely despising the public school system, fearing her life because of death threats from other students, and because teachers wouldn't take those threats seriously at all. Never mind the on campus rape, students held at gunpoint, teacher taking inappropriate photos of female students, all that year... and this was at once of the highest rated high schools in California. When I started independent study, I was so much happier. Teachers were less overwhelmed, and happier as well! They were all just wonderful. I did all my work on my own at home, except for Spanish and Biology, which I had classes for twice a week for about an hour and a half each. I did have to see a teacher to look over my other main courses once a week for an hour. That was it. I also passed my California High School Exam with some of the highest scores the school had ever seen. I THRIVED. Now, with that said, there were definitely ways the school could have improved. The courses they had available, especially electives, were very minimal. They did work very hard at encouraging the students, and finding their unique skills, as well as forming a bond with the students and working with them to find a curriculum that suited them better. It's certainly a better option than basic public schooling, but I do not feel it's the best option. We all want the best, right?

As I have mentioned, though, many do not feel homeschool is the best. Usually, when you ask them why, it is because of all the negative myths they have heard from other skeptical parents, or even on the news.

I'm gonna sound a little less serious than I usually do here, because people like that make me sassy, and I am going to be totally real with you here.

Anyway, lets look at one of the first things people question when they hear those oh-so-dreadful words, "I am going to homeschool the kids."

1) Kids will not get the socialization they need. This comment is one of the most common ones you will hear, or already do hear. It's also one of the most incorrect ones. There are hundreds of ways to get your kids socialized. Sign them up for a class like martial arts, music, dance, anything. Get them in a sports team. Look for volunteer opportunities for them to do. Set up play dates. Let them make friends at the park. There are usually groups on Facebook for local homeschooling parents, and these groups often organize social functions together. If you can't find one, start one! It's okay if it starts off small. Your kids will benefit more from having a small group of real friends over 35 acquaintances. It also allows the opportunity to bounce off ideas with other parents, find new materials, make friends with the parents, and the kids can greatly benefit from learning how to socialize with others from a wide variety of ages as opposed to strictly kids their age like standard classes do. And, lets be real... are kids who are abusive or socially awkward any better examples of socialized kids? Yes, many bullies have emotional issues going on, and awkward children can be awkward for a variety of reasons, but public school won't always fix that. If these kids are still mean or shy in high school, then obviously, public school didn't fix it. That isn't a convincing argument for public socialization. If your child is well behaved, then you may not want your kids around other misbehaving kids all the time. Honestly, it's stressful for many kids to be part of.

2) You will not have the patience to homeschool them.  This one throws me off a bit. I know of some parents who have been told that, but I also know of a lot of parents who say that about themselves. Now, I am going to rebut that with a question... Patience for what?

Here is the thing about that. If you see homeschooling as strictly giving worksheets and textbooks, basically what public schools do, and you don't see your child being able to focus on those, and you will drive yourself crazy trying to get them to do their homework... then yeah, no patience for that. We are not meant to conform. Conforming makes things difficult. That is not what homeschooling is about. It's not supposed to be like public school. It's not supposed to be about forcing your kids to do homework, obeying teachers, conforming to strict schedules... Especially if they are young kids. Kids pay attention better if they are having fun and are frequently allowed to play, and be creative. What is there to be "patient" about with your kids playing and learning? If it's because they are loud and obnoxious, well, guess what? Your teacher will have even less patience. If you don't have patience for teaching your own child, why do you think someone with a group of 30+ they have never met before will have more? Do you have patience for frequent calls from their teachers or principle because they didn't follow their rules, or were late, or skipped, or wore shorts a tad too small, or weren't paying attention? Do you have the patience to try and hunt down the issues based on what third parties are telling you? Do you have the patience to deal with a child who is failing school because they feel unmotivated? Do you have the patience to deal with making sure a bully actually gets punished and made to stop bullying your kid? Do you have patience for arbitrary rules?

Please, remember... many teachers go into the job with the purest intentions of shaping the kids for the future. However, they get a lot of the students with parents who feel like they do not have the patience to teach, and they get 30 of them, at least, at once. These teachers get overwhelmed, and when they do, so do the kids, and when they both get overwhelmed, so do you, because you have to deal with the aftermath. You are the parent. You are the one who knows your kids. If you are using entertaining and interactive methods that you and your child are enjoying together, then you will not have to find a ton of patience. That is one of the biggest benefits to homeschool.

3) You cannot afford to homeschool. Now, I understand, there are exceptions to this. Not everyone has a decent source of income because times are tough. Single parents do not always have strong family support to watch kids while they work, and daycare is freaking expensive. However, there are alternatives to look into and consider. One of the benefits to homeschooling is that it all works on your schedule. You do not have to be an 8-3 schooling family. You don't have to have a particular schedule at all! If you are a married homeschooling couple, if possible (and if needed), one of you work a night shift job. If you feel like that may be too overwhelming, there is no shame in breaking the educational times into different times so that one parent can work while the other is with the kids, then trade off. There may be less "family time," but having your kids in school plus doing homework from 8-5 doesn't exactly leave room for family time, either. As far as single parents go, I cannot give 100% surefire advice on that. My mother, with four kids, cleaned houses and sold on eBay for a living, using by grandmother as a babysitter, when needed. Some parents are taking to sewing, baking, and catering as a profession. There are options, but since every situation is drastically different, it's up to you to do the math and see what works. I have met mothers who send their kids with another homeschooling parent and work out a payment deal with them. It's usually possible to find a way to homeschool on low income, you just have to figure out what you are willing to do and know what is possible (and again, every situation is different, so if you really do not feel it is possible, that's okay. Don't risk losing your house or something).

 4) They need to be on a specific set schedule because the real world has schedules. *ahem* WRONGWRONGWRONGWRONGWRONGWRONGWRONGWRONGWRONG. Public school and full time jobs have set schedules. Your kid isn't in public school, so there goes half your problem. Your kid probably won't even have a full time job until they're well into college age, so there goes the other half. Colleges don't even have ones that strict as many allow you to choose what time of day you study, or even just let you view lessons online when you can. What schedules are we talking about? When your teen or young adult gets his or her first job, it's most likely going to be part time, and finding a part time job with a solid schedule is an uncommon blessing. They are usually, "We'll fit you in when needed," or, "It's a slow day, you can go home," OR, "We're understaffed and really busy, can you be here in twenty minutes?" Heck, your work schedule can change! Do not get your kids used to a particular schedule, unless they honestly do thrive on one. Some kids, especially ones with ADHD, Asperger's, etc do function better on a schedule, which is fine! However, what often happens is that if something unexpected happens, they can get overwhelmed. That's something that is quite based on the individual, though, which is great about homeschooling! Some kids need a "10:00 is when I study history, 11:00 is science, etc" type thing because it helps them stay on track and not forget anything. Others, like myself, do best with, "Well, these are my tasks and goals, I feel really curious about this particular thing right now, so I am going to focus on that because I am motivated and can retain the information better." The only real schedule the world has is night and day. The weather has no true schedule it follows, nor traffic, nor illness... anything can happen at any time, and it helps to be prepared to deal with random things being thrown at you so you know how to work around them. The methods are all up to you, based on how your child learns and functions, which can only be done by homeschooling.

5) Homeschooling is illegal. Yeah, no. Granted, every state has different laws, and some are more strict than others, but illegal? No. Maybe if you live in Germany, but not if you live in the U.S. However, as mentioned, every state is different with their laws. Some states do (unfortunately) make you follow a very strict curriculum and gain approval by the state (blugh), but others, like where I live, have very few regulations (yay, Arizona!). I most certainly do not know all the individual state laws, so you will have to look them up. I know here, you have to fill out a very basic form that basically just says, "Yeah, I am homeschooling" when they hit age six. As long as you teach them something that counts as math, science, social studies, history, and English arts, you're good. There are no particular guidelines as to what defines those since there are thousands of things that can be defined as any number of those subjects. When your child graduates, you can have an official, certified diploma printed out, either a normal sized one for $30, or a "pocket" one for your wallet (great for showing at job interviews) for $10. It is that easy. That's Arizona law, though! Be sure to look up by county, since they can vary.

6) It is child abuse to keep your kid home all day. Sorry, I think it's worse to send my kids somewhere where they are subjected to bullies, made to feel stupid because they failed a test that really will not matter in the future, or feel like a loser because cliques don't want to talk to them because they are different. I think it's worse to force my kid to study what the world wants them to study instead of what makes them happy and confident. It is worse to make your kid feel like their struggles are always their fault and they deserve it instead of realizing that they simply have different needs. 

7) Your child has every right to choose where they want to be schooled.  Look, I get it. You want your kids to make decisions for themselves. Learn from consequence, be more confident, etc. I see where you are coming from, but here is the thing... kids are still kids. Yes, their voice matters. Yes, they should be encouraged to make decisions... but here is the thing. They should be encouraged to make educated decisions. A four-year-old is not going to have enough understanding of life to make a truly informed decision on schooling options. If I let my daughter choose, she would eat nothing but cookies all day. She is just about four. It does not matter how much I tell her, "That is bad for you, you will get sick, and you need to brush your teeth," because she does not understand the trials of obesity and tooth decay, she's a child. I have to put my foot down. I will continue to have to put my foot down with different things as they get older. That is okay to do. I repeat, that is okay to do. You are their parent. Even older kids will have difficulties because they often do not know what they even want to focus on, especially in places that teach only a handful of subjects. It is literally your job to protect them because they are too young and inexperienced to fully understand why you decide to homeschool them. That is why you hold their hand when you cross the street, whether they like it or not. That is why you give them medicine when they need it, if they like the taste or not. You may think those are extreme comparisons, but they aren't, because we are talking about how your child will be able to handle adulthood. That is a huge thing. That is the most important thing they need to learn. I cannot stress that enough. Do I think you should decide everything they learn? No. That is why I support homeschooling and unschooling, because they can choose the subjects themselves. I liked writing educational essays. I did not like writing poetry. I still hate poetry. I am almost 25 and still do not use poetry. Why was I forced to learn poetry for so many years!? My interests were ancient history, cryptozoology, astronomy, things like that. X-Files stuff. Those things have actually been my interest since about age six. I sometimes slacked in school because I was too busy reading about UFOs and genetic engineering (I kid you not) instead of studying about Shakespeare. Those things made me happy. I don't friggin use Shakespeare in my life. I felt dumb for failing tests on Hamlet, and made to feel dumb by teachers and finals, yet I knew more about the M-Theory than probably any other student (or even many teachers) in school, but that didn't matter. Screw me for not having an interest in an overly dramatic teen drama from hundreds of years ago. 

Anyway, introduce your kids to different things, but do not take away their interests they naturally have. Encourage those. Heck, if it's that important to you that they learn all about something in particular, encourage them to look up any connections between their interest and the lesson you want. Columbus got way more interesting after I found out he reported a UFO sighting, I can tell you that much. It also helped me learn that public school is teaching very incorrect things about him. You can still allow your kids to make decisions on what they want to learn. That is still giving them power. After all, home resources have more subjects it can teach you than public school does. Another thing... your child will not have the power to say no in public school. They will have to learn, say, read, eat, and even wear what they are told to wear. They will not have power of choice at public school like they will at home, as long as you allow it. Public school teaches to follow authority (no matter what), schedules, and trends. That is not freedom of choice.

8) They will not be able to learn real political issues from home. Um, it's illegal in some areas for teachers to discuss political issues because it is too easy for them to slip political bias in their lessons. Allow your child to research issues from home, listen to the stories of different sides, and formulate conclusions. Do you really want a stranger giving an unsupervised political bias anyway?

9) They will not learn about other cultures and lifestyles at home. Considering that it's actually very frowned upon for students of various faiths to practice their faiths in school, I feel okay saying that school is not the way to learn about different cultures. Many kids are shamed for their beliefs. I was, and I know I am by far not the only one. Teachers shamed me hardcore for not making Christmas cards for teachers I never met. Text books often give drastic misrepresentations of religion, and can no way cover all sects and beliefs. Many want religion kept out of school anyway. There are many different resources for learning about various cultures. Cookbooks, movies, games, inventions, clothing, music, stories, festivals, museums, jewelry, friendship... these can all be used to teach different cultures. It's also way more fun to learn that way instead of reading poor summaries of a handful of lifestyles.

10) No one hires homeschool graduates. Very untrue. Homeschooled kids statistically graduate earlier and do better in college. They are actually quite sought after! They often have a stronger sense of responsibility and taking initiative since they are encouraged to self educate.

11) You are not qualified to homeschool. You know what teachers use? Curriculum given to them. Guidelines given to them. Answer sheets given to them. They do not come up with every single lesson plan from scratch, in most cases. Heck, it's against the law for them to do that, often times, because they have a strict set of lessons they have to give. Every state varies, but in general, teachers have support systems and are told what to teach. You can find support and answer sheets just as well as they can (and yes, I know many do come up with extra ways of teaching, but that is also something you can do!). There is a huge range of support out there, just like there is for teachers. And really, if you feel like the public school failed you, why have so much faith they will be better for your kids? Especially in a generation that people claim is far more spoiled and lazy than before? 

Trust me, I have so much more I can say on pretty much all these subjects, but that will be very lengthy. Over time, I will elaborate in detail more on the individual subjects in different posts. My goal is to help you understand that you can do this. It's not as bad as it sounds. 

What comments have you been told when you expressed your desire to homeschool? What was your answer?

KIDS SHOW REVIEW: Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Counting On Lemonade

 Good day, everyone! This post is going to be a review that focuses on an educational children's show from the Leapfrog company, "Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Counting on Lemonade." I understand a lot of parents do not wish to give their kids television, or at least wish to keep it to a minimum. However, I also understand that some kids learn better through shows, especially if they are still learning to read. If you are looking for a good, clean show that actually teaches for the times you do want or need to give the kids something to watch, this is a good option.

This is currently available on Netflix, however, Netflix changes its instant watch options frequently. If you do not want to take the risk of it being taken down, or if you do not have Netflix or the instant watch feature, you can purchase the DVD and Digital set on Amazon for $8 with Prime.

The show is 35 minutes long. As you can see on the box image above, it says it teaches counting to 20, addition, and subtraction. Now, to be honest, I get very skeptical about kid shows. So many of them claim to be educational, but I honestly feel like many really just dumb down kids. There is a difference between being simple for kids to understand, and making it so mind-numbingly easy that it takes away the critical thinking and common sense. Teaching things like critical thinking, logic, noticing patterns, etc are just as critical, because those are things they will need their entire lives, and they will make learning future subjects so much easier. Not to mention, the differences between teaching how to use math and logic, and simply teaching memorization. This is why I am extremely picky about which "educational" shows my kids watch. With that said, I do feel that this show is beneficial to kids, and for more reasons than just teaching what it claims to teach.

The basic premise of this show is that a set of twins, Tad and Lily, feel their library options are lacking. They decide to sell lemonade to raise money to buy books for the library. During their endeavor, they learn how to count to twenty, how to add and subtract, and more, all by making lemonade to sell. Not by books, but by working with friends and family.

Now, I have to say... this actually really makes me happy to see. It has many messages about learning by doing and getting hands on. This episode even states that math is part of every day life, by using examples such as seeing five squirrels at a park, until one runs away, then you see four, which is subtraction. They create their own lemonade recipe by counting lemons, cups of water, and cups of sugar, then by multiplying that recipe by two to create a bigger amount. After they create a recipe everyone enjoys, they work together to make a stand that represents what they are selling by using items that are bright yellow, like lemons. While selling their lemonade, they also teach about charging more for bigger sizes and giving change.

Now, with that said, they do not use actual currency. They just go by the amount of coins. A small costs one coin, a medium costs two, a large costs three.While this can get kids excited about making money, this is certainly not a show meant to teach kids how to be little entrepreneurs.

When they teach addition and subtraction, they don't just say, "1 + 1 = 2," and so forth. They show the characters counting with fingers, they teach how to use logic and patterns to see how addition and subtraction are opposites of each other, and how X + Y is the same as Y + X. They go into simple, yet detailed explanations, often with songs (which must be fun because my son tries to sing them).

On top of their goal of teaching math, they briefly, but frequently, touch up on other things, such as using coordinating colors on their stand, a quick spelling lesson, and moments of sharing and forgiveness. They even have a scene where the twins hold the robot's hand to cross the street, carefully.

Now, lets look at one more thing... the "hidden" messages. I believe most parents feel like certain shows risk teaching kids inappropriate behaviors, whether the show "meant" to or not. *cough Caillou *cough* So, does this show have any extra lessons that kids can pick up on? What is there to learn from reading between the lines?

Honestly, I can't really think of anything bad. While these kids are technically selling things without permission by parents, parents are not shown. Instead, they are supervised by who I think is the twins' older brother who seems to be maybe of young teen age, and by an adult robot. While some may see this as a down side since parents should be involved whenever possible, the older brother, Leap, is heavily involved with their actions and both encourages and guides them through their goals. He allows them to ask questions, think of a solution, and assist if they need it. Personally, I think that is a good way to teach kids. An example is when the twins were expressing their frustrations about the library not having what they were looking for, he suggested they donate books, but the twin Tad was the one who thought of the idea to sell lemonade.

Now, for my favorite "hidden" message...

I strongly believe in solving community problems on your own. We can either sign petitions hoping that politicians will listen someday and maybe force taxpayers to fund things whether they agree with it or not, or we can encourage people to band together to fix issues willingly and from the heart. They did not start a rally or a petition to get more funding, they spent some time making their own lemonade to sell to happy customers, then bought the books themselves. Even better, at the end, they received extra books by people who were inspired by their thoughtful actions.

Now, of course, not all attempts have happy endings like this, but many do. There are hundreds of people local to you who would be more than happy to donate for a good cause, especially if it's started by kids honestly trying to help others. Donating books may seem small, but it actually can be a huge blessing, especially for other home schooling kids and parents.

So, in summary, what is there to be learned from this show?

•Counting from 1 to 20
•Various, simple ways to remember how to add and subtract.
•That math can not only be used in every day things, but also learned from everyday things.
•If you can help, do it, because others will appreciate it and often be inspired to help, too.
•Helping can be fun, especially with supportive friends and family.
•Helping your community is not only rewarding to society, but also rewarding for yourself, since meeting your goal is a great feeling.
•If you are an older sibling, your younger siblings will greatly benefit and appreciate your time to encourage and assist them.
•A quick reminder to take someone's hand when crossing the street and look both ways.
•If someone young accidentally messes something up, forgive them, and allow them to try to help fix the situation.
•Many valuable lessons can be learned by hands on experiences.
•Teamwork can be powerful!

 What coordinating lessons and experiences can you create?

•Work together to create your own lemonade recipe! Experiment with using extra fruits for different flavors. Create recipes by adding and subtracting amounts of ingredients. Teach fractions by adding and subtracting halves, quarter cups, etc. Multiply and divide to create bigger and smaller batches.
•Look for ways to help your community. Contact your local library, animal shelter, art classes, and others to see what kinds of things they need. Next time you are at the store, help them track down what different things cost so they can get an idea of how much they need to raise. Or, you can even help them donate things they do not need anymore to a local shelter. Another option is to make drinks or snacks to an organization that already focuses on aiding others as a way to say thank you.
•Contact local organizations and see about working with them to run a local bake sale to raise money for things needed. Lemonade will work, too, especially in warmer seasons, but you will want variety for that sort of thing. Allow them to design their own signs, so they learn about coordinating images and colors with their products, and what attracts customers.
•Play pretend. There is nothing wrong with simply pretending to run a lemonade stand, especially if you do not have readily available transportation, or if your kids are too little to really get involved with the community yet. They can still greatly benefit from playing lemonade stand by practicing serving customers, learning how to give change, learning how to price things, designing signs, and building stands. In fact, practice play would be great to do for a while before attempting the real thing. Allow them to practice taking orders and feeling comfortable with socializing with customers. These are skills they will use in the real world for the rest of their lives.

In general, this show does have many beneficial lessons for kids of many ages, especially if you assist them and get them involved with hands on experiences.

You can find the DVD on Amazon here.

DIY PROJECT: Melt and Pour Goat Milk Soap

Hello, everyone! Turns out, today is Easter. My family does not really celebrate most holidays, so we didn't do any egg dipping, hunting, or anything bunny-related. We did, however, make some simple springy soaps today. 

Now, there is nothing super duper fancy or different about these soaps than what you may have done before. These are just simple melt and pour soaps. However, these are an excellent craft for kids of any age three and up to do! But, if doing this with little bitty ones, be sure they are able to understand to not touch any of the containers that hold the melted soap, because they are hot. I did this today with my two kids, ages 2 1/2 and almost 4. My 4-year-old daughter did a great job following directions and being sure not to touch anything I told her was hot. She knows hot = ouchie. My son, well... he was impatient. He loves to stir things and play with colors, so he was overly eager about using my food coloring. He also loves to mix things. It makes him feel like a big boy, so being told, "We need to stop mixing," just devastates him. It's awful to hear, I know. But, those are my kids. Every child is different. You have to make the call on if your kids can handle the project.

To make the soaps, we started with the absolute basics: Pour and melt soap base, peppermint essential oil, silicone molds, and food coloring. You can add extra things (I actually did mix in some cocoa powder into one of them), but for your first time, especially if you have really little ones or multiple kids, you might just want to start off simple.

 

This is the soap base I used, Goats milk Glycerin Soap Base- 2 Pound by Soap Expressions. 2 pounds for about $10, shipped with Prime. I used three out of eight rows (going horizontally) and we got five bars of soap. In total, depending on your mold size, this should make about 8-12 bars. That can change, too, depending on what sort of things you add in that can take more space, like coffee beans, flowers, or even plastic toys. 

Just cut them up into cubes in a microwave-safe bowl. It took about two minutes for them to get thoroughly melted, melted at one minute at a time. They do harden back up fairly quickly, but you can remelt them with no issue. 

Now, do take note, this stuff does have a funny smell. In my experience, though, pretty much all melt and pour soaps smell funny. Be sure to have some sort of essential oil to make these smell the way you want. We used NOW Foods Peppermint Oil (Liquid), 4 oz for these ones. It takes a few drops per bar, I'd say, but just add it in one or two drops at a time until is smells how you want it to smell. 

You can also add food coloring to this. I used a single drop of concentrated Ameri-Color food gels, found on Amazon. That blue swirl was later added by my daughter. You can use any food coloring. Don't use too much, or the lather will be too colorful and can tint your hands. 

My daughter decided to go with purple, and she chose a flower mold. You can make them solid colors, or you can make multiple small containers of different colors and swirl them, or layer them in the mold. Be sure to add your oils into the soaps BEFORE you swirl or layer, and before you put them in the mold. After that, you just wait and let them cool down. That's it. If you layer them, you will have to let each color cool down in the mold before adding the next layer on top, or they will mix together.

Now, I got my molds in various places. I actually have a pretty huge silicone mold collection. I love them. They are so versatile, easy to use, and come in almost any shape you can think of. The ones I used today were a sunflower one that my mother had bought for me from a garage sale, and a woodsy one from World Market. It's normally $6, but I purchased it for $3 during a sale. You can find these all over- Walmart, Amazon, Target, eBay, AliExpress... usually, they are very cheap. They can cost about $10 each on Amazon with Prime. I typically buy from China sellers on eBay, which brings them at only about $3 per mold, give or take. That does take longer to arrive, though.

Now, I know... It is a very simple task. Not much rocket science behind it. So, how does it benefit your child? Lets count the ways.

1) It allows experimentation with color. They get to see first hand how colors mix into new ones. 

2) It's a marketable skill. If they enjoy this, encourage it! Quality soaps can be sold online. As they grow older, they can learn more and more about which oils and add ins to use and what they do. Eventually, they can even learn how to make high-quality soaps from scratch. It's a product that can grow with them, so they can make money in the future as a side job or main source of income, if they choose.

3) It's a science lesson. Which soap base makes your skin feel softer- the plain glycerine, the goat milk base, or the honey base? What happens if you mix them? What do the different oils do for your skin? Why does the goat milk soften skin? What oils smell good when mixed together? These are all things you can research together, and experiment with. When they grow older (I would suggest at least age 12 because doing this from scratch can be dangerous, if you are not careful), you can all learn how to make these from different oils and lye. These will give you higher-quality soaps, but you do have to be extremely careful. Lye is in every soap out there except glycerine bases like this, but in its pure form, it can badly burn your skin. However, thousands of people do it all over the world just fine. You just need to take the proper precautions.

4) It's a great sensory and stimulation project. On top of the colors alone being fun to use (and of course, if you do not feel comfortable with food dyes, you can use natural ingredients and food colorings like beet powder), you can also add things nice to the touch. Coffee beans and oats are great for the skin as well as give texture to the soap. Just make sure they are small enough to go down the drain. Salt gives an exfoliating texture. Flower petals add a touch of natural color and are delicate on the skin.

5) You can make it a lesson in natural medicine. Have your kids smell the different oils and discuss how they make them feel. Which ones make them feel relaxed? Which ones make them feel rejuvenated? Which ones are healthiest for the skin? Let them pick out a scent, and research together and experiment with what else the oils can be used for. For instance, peppermint is also great for curing headaches and easing nausea, when sniffed. You can even use herbs and flower petals, as long as they are safe for the skin.

6) Show them how to make a home business with it. If this is something they enjoy, and keep asking over and over to do, show them how to sell some to earn money to buy more supplies. After all, the costs can get hefty. Research together what colors go with what smells- orange with orange, green with mint, yellow with lemon, etc. Also take time to associate shapes, colors, and ingredients with the seasons. Molds that make sunflower shapes would be great for spring or summer, and you can make them in citrus scents to match their yellow color. Learn about what soaps will appeal most to men, women, boys, and girls. Teach them to add and subtract supplies, profits, and if applicable, selling fees. It generally costs about a dollar per bar, on estimate, so figure out a profit margin you would like to help them make, and advertise away to friends and family, even neighbors. If you wish, you can even teach them about paying "employees." 

7) It encourages hygiene. Kids love using what they make themselves. They're going to love using their own soaps in the tub! Pair this with a lesson on germs and avoiding getting sick.

8) They make adorable gifts. You can make ones with more woodsy scents for Dad and Grandpa, pretty floral ones for Grandma, or fruity ones for friends- whatever they would like best! It's a gift that is completely custom made for them by the little loved ones in their life, and they can actually use them. They take thought, time, and love to make, which makes them even more special. I already have one grandma asking for some!

9) It's a great family bonding project. You all get to make something usable and enjoyable. They're pretty, functional, smell good... and hard to mess up. You may have a bit of dishes left over, but at least they are dirtied with soaps! 

10) It's great for all ages, boy and girl. Really, kids of all ages and genders can have fun with this. Just because it's a "spa item" doesn't mean it has to be all about pink, glitter and flowers, unless that's what your boys like. There are plenty of more "masculine" scents out there to use. Heck, if they are skeptical teen boys, encourage them to use scents that girls like on men, if that's what it takes. And come on... what girl would not swoon if a guy took time to make them pretty soaps? Buy an alphabet mold and help him make hand sized soaps that make a sweet message. Use your imagination!

10) It teaches patience. You do have to wait for them to cool down, after all! Good things come to those who wait- a lesson we all have to learn.

11) It's a confidence booster. Kids will be so proud of these! My son has been carrying his soaps for two hours now... sheesh.

Honestly, you can't really go wrong with this project. It's a lot more educational than people realize. 

Seriously, look how cute these are. Not bad for a couple kids under four.

Another neat thing, very little of the product goes to waste. It just peels right off the spatulas and bowls.

No joke, it just peeled right off. That made clean up so much easier. I just rolled it up into a ball, heated it for ten seconds, and smooshed it into a mold.

So, overall, this is a great thing to do with kids. You can even make a gift out of it and buy your kids extras like glitter, toys, and more to add in and have a big soap making day. Have fun!

In case you are wondering, here are links to what I used.