The Great Marshmallow Shoot Out

By Deborah Pace Rowley

One day at summer camp we held the Great Marshmallow Shoot Out. We had already made some PVC pipe shooters that we gave to half the campers. You can learn how to make PVC pipe shooters here. Then the other half made Balloon Cup Shooters and we had a competition to see which launcher worked the best. The kids had so much fun with this activity and Balloon Cup Shooters were so easy to make that I knew that we had to share.

To make a Balloon Cup Shooter all you need as a large round balloon, two plastic cups, some scissors and some mini marshmallows. (Large marshmallows would work great with this shooter too!)

First take two plastic cups and cut off the bottoms. Put the two cups together. You need two cups or the pressure from the stretched balloon will just cause the cup to collapse.

Then take your balloon and tie it closed. Then cut off rounded end. (Don't blow it up first.)

 
Then stretch the balloon around the top (uncut) side of the cups.

That is all there is to it. Now your super Balloon Cup Shooter is ready to go.

To shoot, all you need to do is put a marshmallow or two in the cup and then pull back on the tied balloon and let it go to send the marshmallows flying through the air.

The kids decided that the PVC pipe shooters were easier to aim but the balloon cup shooters had a greater range. Tip" If your balloon cup shooter isn't launching as well as you like, pull the balloon further onto the cups to stretch the balloon a little tighter.

Try making these at your next campout or anytime you have a bunch of kids together (and Dads for that matter) and watch the fun and the marshmallows fly!

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Burning Wood with a Magnifying Glass

By Deborah Pace Rowley

What elementary age boy does not go crazy at the thought of burning something with a magnifying glass? Or girl for that matter!

Harness that enthusiasm in a safe and productive way and create a super simple science experiment at the same time. At summer camp this year, we cut a small branch into circles and drilled a hole in one end.

Then we gave each student their own wood medallion and a magnifying glass and had them sit in the sun. It is challenging at first to focus the sun's rays. You need to get a small focused circle of light to shine on the piece of wood. But once you get the hang of it, you can burn your initials into the wood pretty quickly.

Everyone got excited about trying this project and we talked about the power that can come from a single ray of sun. This led to a discussion about sunburns and sunscreen as well as solar panels and solar energy.

After each student had burned their initials into the wood, they were able to string their medallion on a piece of yarn and add some UV sensitive beads to finish up the necklace. It was a great take-home camp project and lots of fun!

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Hogwarts Summer School Week 1

By Deborah Pace Rowley

The participants of our Hogwarts Summer Fun Challenge have just completed Week 1. Way to go, students! Here are pictures of some of the activities they have completed as part of their Hogwarts courses.

Delivering brownies to the fire station for Charms.

Writing a secret message backwards and reading it in the mirror for Ancient Runes. 

Getting the S to float off the Skittles in Potions. 

Making a windsock for Herbology. 

Thanks for sharing pictures of all those fun activities. Now the moment we have all been waiting for: the House Winner! I took all the scores that were reported for each house, added them together, and then divided by the number of students in that house. And the winner is.....

Their house total was an amazing 18 points! They were followed by Gryffindor at 14, Ravenclaw at 13, and Hufflepuff at 12. The rest of the houses have some catching up to do! Enjoy Week 2 and all the fun activities you can do for Hogwarts Summer School! 

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Parenting Tips: Accountability vs. Control

By Deborah Pace Rowley

Tiff blogged last summer about her summer routine. You can read her great suggestions here. My children are older and I have struggled the last few summers knowing what to do. I have tried different charts and summer reward systems without success.

I realized that I couldn't control every hour of my teenage and young adult children's summer schedule but I was still unhappy with the amount of screen time and lazy behavior that I saw in our home. In May I heard a parenting message on the radio. The commentator was talking about Accountability vs. Control. Control is not part of God's plan but accountability is. We need a good friend or parent to "hold our feet to the fire" so to speak and hold us accountable for the choices that we make.

This resonated with me and a few weeks later, we had a family council where we talked about the principles of accountability vs. control. I told my children that I wasn't going to try to control their behavior this summer, but each week we would meet and they would set goals. Then I would be there to encourage them in their personal goals and hold them accountable for completing them. I posted all of our goals on a cabinet door in our kitchen.

The first week a few goals were set, but I didn't see much progress and no one seemed to be accomplishing them. I didn't nag or say too much. On Thursday at dinner, I mentioned everyone's goals but that was about it.

On Sunday we talked about how we had done and set new goals. The 2nd week passed by with the same result. I knew that I needed to be patient because it takes a while to get everyone to buy in to a program like this so I held my tongue and let everyone lay on the couch for another week.

The 3rd Sunday we happened to have our nephew Ky visiting. My children encouraged Ky to set some goals too. I responded, "But I am not Ky's mom. What am I going to do if Ky doesn't accomplish his goals?" My children wisely noted, "But you don't do anything to us when we don't accomplish our goals!" So THEY decided that they needed a consequence. They chose to pay me $1 for every goal that they didn't accomplish.

I was excited and anxiously watched for the progress the next week. I earned $10 that next Sunday. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. Even if they still laid on the couch, I could earn some pocket money in the process! But slowly, a little bit at a time, things began to change.

This past week one of my daughters and my son bought a Rosetta Stone language program together and on their own initiative they have decided to learn Spanish. My son has started taking piano lessons from his older sister. One daughter has decided not to eat sweets this summer and is running every day. Another daughter has decided that she is going to stay off the Internet and use her time for more productive things.

I have been amazed at the goals that they have set on their own and the things that they are accomplishing because they want to, not because Mom is making them. So far, I am thrilled with how our accountability vs. control experiment is going and I wanted to share it with you. If you have older children try this idea, maybe it will work for you!

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Yummy Chocolate Bran Muffins

By Deborah Pace Rowley

Chocolate Bran Muffins are a staple in my family's diet. I discovered them 10 years ago and make them almost weekly. They are yummy, delicious, and healthy and my kids gobble them up. But the main reason that I make them so often is that they help to keep my kids digestive systems functioning regularly (if you know what I mean!) If you are looking for an easy way to add some fiber into your family diet, you need to give these a try.

This recipe was originally a weight watcher's recipe that had only two points. (An added bonus!) You will love how simple and easy these muffins are to make with only 3 ingredients. I can even throw them together on a busy morning before we all head off to school.

You need:
Water
Baking Powder
All-Bran Original Cereal
and
Krusteaz Fat-Free Brownie Mix (any brand of Non-Fat or Fat-Free Brownie Mix will work. I have tried the low-fat mixes before and they have a slightly different texture that didn't work as well.)

In a bowl, mix 3 Cups of All-Bran Cereal with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Baking Powder. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water over the whole thing and let it soak for about 5 minutes.
After the All-Bran is finished soaking, add in the dry Fat-Free Brownie Mix. In the beginning it is really dry and you will wonder if you have done something wrong. Keep stirring and it will all get mixed in and moist eventually.

Then scoop the thick batter into muffin cups that you have sprayed with Cooking Spray. I have the regular size muffin tins and this makes 18 medium sized muffins. Bake at 375 for approximately 15 minutes.

That is all there is!
Serve with some milk and fruit and enjoy the long-lasting benefits!

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{DIY} Paper Bag Souvenir Scrapbook

By Deborah Pace Rowley

My daughter Shannon created this darling Souvenir Scrapbook for her friend Abbi who is going on a trip around Europe with her grandparents. She made it out of some paper bags, some lace, and two buckles from Hobby Lobby. I think this project cost her about $5.00!

She wanted Abbi to have someplace to collect all the small souvenirs from her trip that would otherwise get lost along the way. Each paper bag had an image of what she was to collect in that paper bag.

This bag is to hold pressed flowers from some beautiful Italian field or Swiss mountainside.

This bag is for pocket-sized maps that she collects along the way. 

This bag is for the tickets stubs from plays or concerts that she attends. 

This bag is for menus from quaint sidewalk cafes and restaurants. 

The key is for hotel key cards or some other type of souvenir from her hotels. 

This bag can hold any little treasures that Abbi finds on her adventure. 

This is my favorite bag. Shannon included some confetti for Abbi to throw off the Eiffel Tower. Then she can add her own souvenir from this iconic landmark to the bag. 

There are a few other pages that I didn't include here and then the front cover says Europe 2013.

To create this book, Shannon simply cut the bottoms off 10 paper bags. Then she choose black and white images online and ran each paper bag through our printer. She tested the placement of the image on a white piece of paper first and then taped the paper bag directly above the image and ran the piece of paper through the printer again. She didn't have any problem with the printer jamming or getting hung up on the paper bags. 

Once all the images were printed, she glued the cut sides together with a hot glue gun. Then she added ribbon and lace to hold the whole book together. Both the buckles and black lace she picked up at Hobby Lobby. 

The lace was perfect because it had the holes she needed to stick the buckles through. And the package of buckles came with their own brads to secure them to the book. I thought this was such an original and fun gift idea. Imagine the possibilities!

A souvenir scrapbook the kids could add to on vacation...

Or that a senior could compile on a college road trip...

How about a souvenir scrapbook a child could create to make his or her stay at Grandma's and Grandpa's house even more memorable.

Or a souvenir scrapbook a family could create of their old house before they move... or their new house once they arrive. 

What type of things would you collect in a souvenir scrapbook for a brand new baby?

Or what items would you cherish in a souvenir scrapbook from your wedding day? 

I guess the real question is, Where will your next paper bags take you?  

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