10 Functional & Creative Uses for School Artwork

What do you do when the fridge just won’t hold anymore? No, I’m
not talking about food, I’m referring to Artwork! You know, those
cherished pictures every child brings home, insists it’s their favorite
and on the fridge it goes! Can you just throw them away when the
child is not looking? Not in my family.
My dear mother has saved my kindergarten artwork in a box for over
25 years! So how does a mother keep her home organized and still
display and enjoy her children’s artistic efforts? First get them off the
fridge or out of the box and try some of these creative ideas.

 1. Take a picture
Line up the best pictures and craft projects and take a picture! The artwork can be tossed
but you still have a record of them. Photo albums are more accessible to enjoy and much
easier to store than boxes. If you store the pictures in a acid free sheet protector, your
pictures will even outlast the original artwork.

2. Original scrapbook paper
Scan or color copy one of the artwork pictures onto acid free cardstock and use it as a
background paper for a scrapbook page or make a headline for your page by tracing your
letters out of the color copy and cutting them out!

3. Handmade seasonal placemats
Mount several seasonal pictures to a large piece of colored cardstock. Use matching
background paper to coordinate with you other holiday decorations. After having your
child sign and date the back, laminate the placemats for easy cleanup and durability. I used this idea for our cub-scout blue and gold banquet and they were a hit!

4. Create custom art calendars
Purchase inexpensive calendars and glue your child’s artwork to the generic picture.
Matching seasonal pictures with the appropriate month makes a great gift for grandparents
and uses up 12 pictures quickly and creatively!

5. Mailing Envelopes
Everyone mails arts and crafts to extended family, so this time let the kids fold their artwork
into the envelope! Take apart an old envelope to use as a pattern and use a 2" white
label so that the address can be easily found and identified by the post office.

6. Merchandise
Many office supply stores offer services to turn your photo’s into custom mousepads,
mugs, clocks, quilt blocks or t-shirts. Instead of using the child’s photograph, take a picture
of the art to display on the merchandise. Some tile shops will turn your child’s art into
bathroom wall tiles or http//www.jigsawpuzzle.com offers photo puzzles in a variety of
sizes and shapes from a few pieces to many and they are surprisingly affordable! This
often takes 2-4 weeks to get your product back, so plan early if the kids want to do this as
a Christmas gift or unique Mothers Day idea.

7. Frame it
The most obvious idea can also provide a great storage option. Choose a favorite art
piece to frame then as new favorite pictures arrive from school, put the new one over the
old picture.

8. Wrapping paper
Use large artwork for wrapping gifts for giving to grandparents and children’s birthday
parties. Cut out greeting cards to match. This is a great money saving tip too! If you want
paper that has a more retail look www.artfulgiving.com lets you customize your gift wrap
with your own saying or downloaded picture!

9. Decoupage teacher gifts
Adhere art to pillar candles or terracotta planters for a useful and practical gift!

10. Original checkbook covers
Purchase a blank clear checkbook cover or remove the pre-printed insert of an existing
cover to attach your own picture. The important thing is to let your children see that you
are proud of their talent and creative efforts!

EASY TREAT GIFTS FOR KIDS TO GIVE

Giving treats to our family and friends is always a nice touch for birthday, holidays
or just to say thank you.

We have some special recipes that can be made by children with just a little help if they are younger. Teaching children how to make and give gifts is something they will always remember and pass on to their children in the future. These recipes are a wonderful place to start.

COCOA BUTTER BALLS
 
2/3 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk or water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar for coating
Blend butter and sugar. Blend cocoa, water and vanilla. Add cocoa mixture to butter mixture
and blend thoroughly. Add oatmeal and blend with hands. Form into ball, 3/4 inch in
diameter. Chill mixture as necessary to make shaping easier. Place additional powdered
sugar in bowl. Drop balls into sugar. Roll to coat. Place on plate; refrigerate until firm,
about one hour. Makes 36 balls.
Chocolate Sugarplums
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water, plus 1 tsp. rum or almond extract
2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup pecans, crushed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Line cookie sheets or trays with waxed paper. Melt chips in microwave, starting with 25
seconds, stirring and going again for 10 seconds each time, then stirring again until
melted. In a medium sized bowl, mix melted chips, confectioners sugar, corn syrup and
water with extract with a wooden spoon. Stir in cookie crumbs and pecans until blended.
Shape by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. (if too crumbly add a tiny amount of water). Roll
in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheets. Store in airtight container.
S’more Mix
2 cups honey graham cereal
1 cup tiny marshmallows
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins, or chocolate covered raisins
Mix all ingredients in a large plastic bag. Tightly close bag and shake well. To give as gifts
divide the mix into small plastic or cellophane bags, and tie with a pretty ribbon and gift
tag.
Maple Squares
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
about 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
Mix the peanut butter and maple syrup until well blended. Add the milk powder, stir well.
Spread the mixture into a loaf pan. Pat it down to make an even layer. Sprinkle the
peanuts over the mixture and press gently. Chill 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch squares. Keep
covered and chilled until you serve. Makes about 32 squares.
Gift Wrapping Your Treats
Once you have made your treats here are several ways you can package them to give
away:
Decorated brown paper lunch sacks with fabric hearts or shapes. Place your treat in a
plastic bag then into your gift bag. Staple shut and add a gift tag.
Place your treats in interesting tins that you can find at thrift stores. Be sure to wash the
tins in hot soapy water first, dry and place waxed paper in the bottom of the tin before you
put in the treats.
Small wicker baskets are great for holding treats. They can be found at craft stores, or
thrift stores. Be sure to wash baskets with a stiff brush in warm, soapy water if they have
been used. Place your treats in a plastic or cellophane bag, tie with bow and place in your
basket. You can also line the basket with tissue or fabric before placing in treats.

SUMMER TIME CRAFTS FOR KIDS

ROCK PAPERWEIGHTS
Give each child a rock that has been washed with soap and dried. Have the children
decorate the rocks with craft paint to create their own unique paperweights.

MASKS

Cut 8 ½ x 11 pieces of paper in half. Give each child a piece of paper and a crayon or
marker. Have each child fold their piece of paper in half and cut a hole that their nose
will fit through. Have them cut a small hole first, then adjust the hole to fit the size of
their nose. Have the children try on their masks and let them try to figure out where
the eyes should go. They can then cut out holes for the eyes. Let the children decorate
their masks with different facial expressions.




JIGSAW PUZZLES
Give each child a piece of cardboard, a picture from a magazine, some scissors, and
some glue. Have the children glue their pictures onto their cardboard. When the glue
is dry, have them cut their cardboard into the shape of jigsaw puzzle pieces. When
they have finished, have them trade puzzles and have a race to see who finishes first.
GRAPH PAPER DRAWINGS
Give each child a sheet of graph paper and a pen or pencil. Have each child draw a
picture on the graph paper using only the lines on the graph paper. Curved lines are
not allowed. Let the children color their creations. Have them share their pictures with
each other when they are done.

COLLAGES
Give each child newspapers, scissors, glue, and notebook paper. Have each child cut
words and sentences from newspaper pages and combine them to create a unique
story. Have them arrange their sentences on the notebook paper and glue them in place.
A theme for the stories can be decided beforehand. Let the children share their stories
with each other.
FLUBBER
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups white school glue
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 teaspoons Borax
Food coloring
Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, glue, and food coloring together. In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/3
cups warm water and Borax together. Pour the glue mixture into the Borax mixture and
take out of bowl to knead until flubber is soft and consistent in form. Store in a zip-lock
bag or tightly sealed container. This stuff is really fun! Enjoy!

TWENTY TOYS YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY

Shops
Save all your empty grocery cartons for a week or so and you’ll soon have a shop any
aspiring grocer would be proud of. Gluing down the flaps makes cereal boxes, jelly packets
etc. look unopened. Clothes, shoes, and toys can all be used as “stock”. Paper bags
and real or play money add to the fun.
Paper balls
When the kids keep arguing suggest that they throw something at each other! Paper balls
are easily scrunched up from torn out magazine pages to make “ammunition”. When it’s
time to tidy up, stand the waste paper basket in the middle of the room and see who can
throw the most in. A rolled up magazine makes a good “bat” too.
Doctors/Nurses
A roll of white toilet tissue makes this game much more fun as Dads, Grans, teddies or
dolls are mummified before your eyes. Plastic medicine spoons and cardboard box hospital
beds for toys are extra props that make the game last longer.
Tubes
Cardboard tubes from kitchen roll or foil make instant telescopes for sailors or pirates, or
tunnels to roll marbles through. Babies love to watch things disappear then reappear out
of the bottom. Don’t leave them alone with the cardboard tube though as they will probably
suck it.
Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes must be about the best free toys you can get hold of. Push in the ends
of large ones to make tunnels and caves to crawl through. Draw on windows and doors
with felt tip pens to make a house, add a flag and portholes for a boat or paper plates and
a steering wheel for a car.
Miniature gardens
The foil trays that pies and prepared foods arrive in make lovely containers for miniature
gardens. The children can enjoy hunting around the park or garden for twigs to make
trees, moss for a lawn, stones to arrange as a rockery or a waterfall. Keep twigs or stones
where you want them with a little blue tack or plasticine. Add toy people or animals and
maybe a little water if the container is watertight. This can be a very creative and enjoyable
exercise if you have children of very different age groups to entertain. A variation is
to use play sand (not builder’s sand - it stains everything yellow) to make a beach scene,
maybe adding shells, stones and a blue paper sea.
Paper puppets
A picture of anything - colourful bird, clown’s face, animal or cartoon character, carefully
cut out by an adult and stuck to the top of a strip of card about five inches long and one
and a half inches wide becomes a very easily made puppet. These give such pleasure
and are so easy to make that you will probably end up with dozens of them. Magazine
pictures can be stuck on to folded card to make theatre set background and wings.
Potato prints
After cutting a potato in half, draw on a simple shape. A triangle, circle or star perhaps.
Cut away the rest of the potato, leaving a shape to dip into paint and print on to paper.
Skittles
Skittles can be improvised from large plastic cola or lemonade bottles. A little sand or
water in the bottom makes them more stable. A good game for learning to count.
Dens
Building a den must be one of the most memorable parts of childhood as we all seem to
recall the bliss of blankets draped over the airing rack in the garden or over the backs of
chairs indoors. Even today’s sophisticated kids seem to find the thought much more exciting
than just erecting the shop bought plastic play house. I think the secret is to give structural
advice about making the thing stay upright, but let the children do as much as possible
themselves. Really large boxes of the type that washing machines and fridges come in
can be had for the asking from the big electrical goods retailers and are useful for rooms
within dens. Indoors, one of the simplest dens can be made by throwing a large sheet or
duvet over a table. Cushions, torches,biscuits and comics or books will all be needed at
the housewarming.
String
Children find a million uses for string, from tying up toy “baddies” to making a washing line
for doll’s clothes. It can be tied to chair legs to make a jump, dipped into paint and twirled
on to paper, plaited, knitted with, made into a parachute or mobile, used as a measuring
aid or for learning how to tie shoelaces and bows. It need never linger in the kitchen
drawer again.
Sewing cards
Stick a picture on to a postcard or draw a simple duck, car or teddy shape. With a bodkin
needle push holes around the outline of your design about one inch apart. Using brightly
coloured wool in the bodkin or a long bootlace, thread in and out of the holes.
Stilts
You need to do a little drilling for this one. Take two strong tins, coffee or clean paint tins
are ideal, and drill a hole about one inch from the top on opposite sides of the tin. Insert a
length of string and knot securely. Check that the handle is at a comfortable length for the
child before knotting the other side. These are always very popular, but never leave young
children alone with them especially near stairs or steps.
Cafes
Children’s tea sets are a handy prop for this game, but a picnic set or microwave
cookware is just as good. Giving the waiter/waitress a little notebook and pencil to take
orders and making a tall white hat from a cylinder of paper for the chef will add realism.
Sit dolls and teddies around as well as willing Aunts and Grannies for extra customers.
Playdough
Mix together two cups of flour, one cup of salt, one cup of water, one tablespoon of oil and
a few drops of food colouring for an easy to make dough that will keep for about three
weeks if you wrap it in polythene and keep it in the fridge. All you have to do is knead the
mixture well. Divide the mixture up first if you have more than one colour available.
Obstacle course
An obstacle course can turn a rainy day into an adventure. Use whatever you have available.
A bench to walk the plank, cushion stepping stones across shark infested seas,
through a cardboard box tunnel, up a chair mountain or through a duvet cave. The wilder
your imagination the more your children will love it.
Easy boats
Recycle your empty margarine cartons. Use them as boats for
the bath or paddling pool. These are so easy that even very
young children can help to make them. Cut out triangular sail
shapes from white or coloured paper. Make a small hole at the
top and bottom of the sail so that you can push through a straw
to make a mast. Let the child fix this to the bottom of a clean
margarine tub with a lump of blue tack or plasticine. They sail
extremely well and will even take a couple of toy people on an
exciting cruise.
Capes
Nurses, kings, queens, Batman, Superman - they all need capes or cloaks. Luckily they
are easy to make by attaching ribbon ties to an oblong of fabric in the colour of your
child’s favourite caped character. Keep an eye on them though as anything tied around
the neck could be dangerous.
Leaf art
Collect leaves and draw around them. This is fun for little ones and an educational tree
identification game for older children. Colour in the details with crayons or paints. The
leaves could then be stuck on to paper collage style or dipped into paint and then pressed
firmly on to paper for a lovely leaf print.

Make a puzzle
Stick a favourite picture on to card and allow to dry with a heavy book on top. Cut into
pieces, how many depending on the age of the child, for an almost instant and personal
puzzle.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Find some ducks to feed:
Feeding ducks is fun and therapeutic! Take some old crusts of bread, tear them up into
tiny pieces, and see if you can give each and every duck their fair share!
Have a doughnut-eating contest:
Using ring doughnuts, tie the doughnuts loosely with kitchen string and suspend in the
garden from a washing line or low branch. With your hands behind your back, line up in
front of a doughnut, and start the race! You will need plenty of damp towels for clean-up
time afterwards!
Paint the patio with chalk:
Get out the coloured chalk and create some art on the patio or pavement. Warn younger
children that the paintings will wash off soon or they may be dismayed when their great
creations disappear!
Practice your throwing and catching:
You can almost never have enough catching practice! Use balls and bean bags. Throw
over-arm and under-arm. Throw to and fro, around in a circle, at a target, against a wall,
and up in the air!
There are lots of throwing and catching games you can play too. What about pig in the
middle, if there are three of you? Or, if you have plenty of people and space, try this one:
Stand in a ring with one person in the middle. He throws a bean bag as high as he can
into the air, and while it is in the air all the other players run as far as they can away from
him. When the bean bag lands he shouts “stop!” and all players must freeze. He then runs
to where the bean bag lands, picks it up, and tries to throw it at one of the players. If he
can reach someone and the bean bag hits them, they must be the next in the middle.
Play with water:
Dress in swim-suits and fill up the paddling pool or any large plastic containers you have –
the more the merrier! Set the sprinkler going and get out all the water-pistols you can find.
Have fun! Don’t forget to supervise little children at all times if there is water about.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES

Sort through the toy cupboard:
It’s surprising how much fun this can be! Get everyone together and aim to clear one shelf
or drawer. You will probably find that old treasures are rediscovered, odd pieces can be
thrown away, and some things will be ready to be passed down or sold. If you are not sure
whether to get rid of some of the toys, try packing them away in a box and hiding them in a
dark corner of the cupboard for a few months. When they come out again they will either
cause a sensation or not, which will make it easy to decide!
 
Have a pillow fight:
Make sure you use old pillows and don’t use feathers if someone in the house is allergic
to them, though!
Make a story tape:
Grab that tape recorder and a blank cassette, find a story you enjoy, and make your own
story tape! Each child can read for a while, or can take on the part of a particular character.
Make the appropriate noises too! You will probably have to practice a few times to get
the hang of it, and be prepared for lots and lots of giggles! Tip: a home-made story tape
makes a great present for a child who has to go to hospital or is bedridden for a time.

Record the sounds around you:
Get out the tape recorder and make a project out of recording everyday sounds. Try water
running in the bath, someone ringing the bell and opening the door, flushing the toilet! It
certainly makes you think about things a little differently than usual! Suggest that some
friends or neighbours do the same thing and then get together to see if you can identify
each other’s sounds!
Have a jigsaw afternoon:
Get out all your jigsaws and invite some friends around with theirs too! Clear plenty of
space and have a marathon jigsaw session! Some libraries have jigsaws you can borrow
too, and you can often find jigsaws for sale very cheaply at charity shops (thrift stores) and
car boot sales (garage sales). Tip: if you buy your jigsaws second-hand and the box has
seen better days, cut out the picture and store it in a ziploc bag with all the pieces.
Have a mammoth junk modelling session with friends:
Invite a few families around and ask them to bring their craft-cupboard junk with them –
boxes, containers, and other bits and pieces. You provide glue, sticky-tape, scissors, and
encouragement. You could make houses, or creatures, or boats, or modern art – or you
could all combine together to make one giant model!
Play card games:
Get out some old playing cards and have a game! Try snap or racing demon or beggar my
neighbour – all traditional games which are just lots of fun! If you need more inspiration
we have a new e-book coming out soon – Card Games for Kids – check back at
www.ActivityVillagePublications.co.uk or subscribe to our free weekly newsletter
(www.activityvillage.co.uk/free_newsletter.htm) to be informed when it is released.
Make a fishing game:
Cut fish shapes out of cardboard or craft foam and attach a paper clip to each “nose”.
Make fishing rods out of garden canes and string, and tie a small magnet to each end.
See how many fish you can catch! Older kids can write a number on the underneath of
each fish which will be their score when they catch it.
Play sardines:
You will need a group of children for this – mixed ages works best. One child goes to hide
and the others split up to search for him. When they find him, they must try to hide in the
same place with him! Warning - this game results in much giggling!

Play dice:
There are many excellent dice games which can be played by kids together, needing very
little apart from the dice and paper and pencil for scoring. To get you started why not
download a free game from our e-book, Dice Games for Little Kids? You will find it at
Activity Village Publications (www.activityvillagepublications.co.uk).
Alphabetical order game:
You need a quizmaster for this game, and some willing contestants with pencil and paper
at the ready! The quizmaster calls out a selection of words and the contestants rush to put
them into alphabetical order. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Days of the week
Months of the year
A selection of animals, colours, kitchen equipment etc
Numbers 1 to 10
Bowling:
Save empty plastic soda bottles until you have 10. Line them up and see how many you
can knock down again with a tennis ball!
Blow football:
Can you find a table-tennis ball and a large flat table? Have a game of blow football! Find
a friend, put the ball in the middle, and stand at opposite edges of the table. Now blow!
See who can get the ball to fall over the other player’s edge most often and declare them
the winner!
Battleships:
Battleships is a traditional game for two players, who will each need a paper and pencil.
First draw a grid about 8 squares tall and wide. Label the grid with the numbers 1 to 8
along the bottom and letters A to H along the sides. Make sure that each player’s grid is
the same! Then, making sure that the other player cannot see what you are doing, mark
“your fleet” onto your grid. An aircraft carrier is five squares in one straight line; a battleship
four squares in one straight line, a cruiser three squares in one straight line. Each
fleet should also have two destroyers (two adjacent squares) and two submarines (single
squares). Now try to find your opponent’s fleet by calling out a position on the grid (eg D4
or H8). He must tell you whether you have a “hit” or a “miss”, or if you have sunk a craft
(and if so, which craft it is). The first player to sink his opponent’s fleet is the winner.
If you would prefer not to draw your own grids each time, you can find
a free printable version of Battleships at Activity Village, here:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/battleships.htm

Learn to knit:
Knitting is great fun for all kids – boys and girls – and if you stick to simple stitches is easy
to learn too. It takes very little time to make a scarf for a favourite Action Man or Barbie or
teddy, and not much more to make a blanket for a doll’s cot or a sleeping bag for a toy
which wants to go on a sleep-over or camping trip! The best way to learn to knit is to find
someone to teach you – and grandmothers are always a good place to start! If you can’t
find someone easily, then have a look at this website instead:
http://www.learntoknit.com/instructions_kn.php3
Make a map of the neighbourhood:
Have you ever tried making a map? You have to imagine that you are a bird flying high in
the sky and looking down – what would your neighbourhood look like from up there? See
if you can draw what the bird would see. Mark your house and your garden, and perhaps
your neighbours’ houses too. Where does the road go?
If you find it too difficult to draw your neighbourhood, try
drawing a plan of the room you are in instead. You don’t have
to imagine being a bird now – just pretend you are stuck to the
ceiling by the back of your trousers and while you are up
there, take note of what you see! First draw the outline of the
room, then use rectangles, squares and circles to represent
the furniture and rugs. Where are the doors and windows?
Mark these too. You can try doing this with a friend: each draw
your own plan and then compare notes to see if you agree!

Make pasta necklaces:
Colour some macaroni or other tube-like pasta by putting it into a ziplock bag with a few
drops of food colouring and a few drops of rubbing alcohol or surgical spirit (with adult
supervision please). Pour it out onto a baking sheet and leave to dry. Make several colours
if you can. Thread the pasta onto string to make necklaces.

Make balloon people:
Blow up balloons – not too much! Put the fastened-off bit at the top, then use felt-tip pens
to draw on features, and stick on paper legs and hands if you wish. Attach short lengths of
cotton (thread) and tie your balloon people up in a row to make a cheerful display that
everyone will love!

FIREPROOF BALLOONS

Balloons are rather fragile things. You know that they must be kept away from sharp objects. The also need to be kept away from flames. A fire can weaken the rubber and cause it to burst. However, in this experiment you will find out how you can hold a balloon directly in a flame without breaking the balloon.

For this experiment you will need:

• two round balloons, not inflated
• several matches
• water

Inflate one of the balloons and tie it closed. Place 60 milliliters (¼ cup) of water in the other balloon, and then inflate it and tie it shut.

Light a match and hold it under the first balloon. Allow the flame to touch the balloon. What happens? The balloon breaks, perhaps even before the flame touches it.

Light another match. Hold it directly under the water in the second balloon. Allow the flame to touch the balloon. What happens with this balloon? The balloon doesn't break. You may even see a black patch of soot form on the outside of the balloon above the flame.

Why does the balloon with no water break in the flame? The flame heats whatever is placed in it. It heats the rubber of both balloons. The rubber of the balloon without water becomes so hot, that it becomes too weak to resist the pressure of the air inside the balloon.

How does the balloon with water in it resist breaking in the flame? When water inside the balloon is placed in the flame, the water absorbs most of the heat from the flame. Then, the rubber of the balloon does not become very hot. Because the rubber does not become hot, it does not weaken, and the balloon does not break.

Water is a particularly good absorber of heat. It takes a lot of heat to change the temperature of water. It takes ten times as much heat to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1C than it does to raise the temperature of 1 gram of iron by the same amount. This is why it takes so long to bring a teakettle of water to the boil. On the other hand, when water cools, it releases a great deal of heat. This is why areas near oceans or other large bodies of water do not get as cold in winter as areas at the same latitude further inland.

EGG IN A BOTTLE

Here's an amazing way to get a hard-boiled egg into a bottle, even though the mouth of the bottle is smaller than the egg! What's more, you don't even need to touch the egg to get it to go in!
For this experiment you will need:
    • a hard-boiled egg
    • a glass bottle with a mouth just slightly smaller than the egg (a fruit-drink bottle works well)
    • a 8-cm by 8-cm (3-inch by 3-inch) piece of newspaper
    • a match
Remove the shell from the egg. Set the egg on the mouth of the bottle to see that the egg does not fit through the mouth.
Fold the piece of newspaper into a strip that can be dropped into the bottle, about 1 cm by 8 cm.
Light the match and use it to ignite the folded strip of paper. Remove the egg from the mouth of the bottle and drop the burning strip of paper into the bottle. Before the fire goes out, set the egg back onto the mouth of the bottle. Within a few seconds the egg will squeeze through the mouth and into the bottle.
As it entered the bottle, the egg may have broken into pieces. This happens when the diameter of the egg is more than about 0.5 cm (about 3/16 inch) larger than the diameter of the bottle's opening. A medium or small egg may be small enough to enter the bottle without breaking. Also, rubbing some cooking oil onto the mouth of the bottle will make it easier for the egg to slide into the bottle without breaking.
A similar effect can be produced using a water-filled balloon in place of an egg. Just pour water into a round balloon to fill it without stretching it, then tie it shut. When the filled balloon is the size of an egg, it can be used in the same way as the hard-boiled egg.
Why does the egg slide into the bottle, even though no one is pushing it? Because the pressure of the air is pushing it. Before the burning paper was put into the bottle, the pressure of the air inside the bottle was the same as outside the bottle. The burning paper, however, heats the air inside the bottle. This causes the air inside to expand. When the egg is placed on top of the bottle, it seals the bottle, and the fire eventually goes out. When the fire goes out, the air inside the bottle cools. As it cools, the air contracts, and the pressure of the air inside the bottle becomes less than the pressure outside. Then, the higher outside pressure pushes the egg into the bottle!

FIZZING AND FOAMING

With just a few household chemicals you can turn a glass of colored liquid into a froth that overflows its container.

For this experiment you will need:

• 15 cm³ (1 tablespoon) of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• 15 cm³ (1 tablespoon) of laundry detergent
• about 180 milliliters (3/4 cup) of water
• about 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) of vinegar
• several drops of food coloring (optional)
• a 400-milliliter (12-ounce) drinking glass
• a waterproof (plastic or metal) tray
• a teaspoon

Place the drinking glass on the tray. Put 15 cm³ baking soda and 15 cm³  laundry detergent to the glass. Add 180 mL of water and a few drops of optional food coloring. Gently stir the mixture to mix the contents of the glass. To display and observe the fizzing and foaming, quickly pour the vinegar into the glass. The mixture will foam up and over the top of the glass, covering the tray with a froth of tiny bubbles.

To produce a color change when the vinegar is added to the mixture in the glass, you can substitute some red cabbage juice for the optional food coloring. The experiment titled "Exploring Acids and Bases with Red Cabbage" gives instructions on how to prepare some red cabbage juice. With red cabbage juice, the mixture will chage color from blue-green before adding vinegar to red-orange after the vinegar is added. For a different color change, try grape juice.

In this experiment, the fizz is produced by a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda and vinegar react, and one of the products of the reaction is carbon dioxide gas. This gas forms bubbles that are surrounded by the liquid. The laundry detergent makes the bubbles last longer, and a foam is produced. The volume of the gas produced and trapped in the foam is much greater than the glass can hold, so some of it spills over the top of the glass.

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Vinegar contains acetic acid dissolved in water. Sodium barcarbonate reacts with most acids. The products of the reaction with vinegar are carbon dioxide gas, sodium acetate, and water.

The reaction of sodium bicarbonate to form carbon dioxide gas is the basis of its use as a levening agent in baking. Cakes are solid foams. The foam is produced when bubbles of carbon dioxide from the reaction of sodium bicarbonate are trapped in the batter. As the cake bakes, the batter dries, and the trapped bubbles of carbon dioxide form the holes in the cake.

CANDY CHROMATOGRAPHY

Ever wondered why candies are different colors? Many candies contain colored dyes. Bags of M&Ms or Skittles contain candies of various colors. The labels tell us the names of the dyes used in the candies. But which dyes are used in which candies? We can answer this by dissolving the dyes out of the candies and separating them using a method called chromatography.
For this experiment you will need:
• M&M or Skittles candies (1 of each color)
• coffee filter paper
• a tall glass
• water
• table salt
• a pencil(a pen or marker is not good for this experiment)
• scissors
• a ruler
• 6 toothpicks
• aluminum foil
• an empty 2 liter bottle with cap
Cut the coffee filter paper into a 3 inch by 3 inch (8 cm by 8 cm) square. Draw a line with the pencil about ½ inch (1 cm) from one edge of the paper. Make six dots with the pencil equally spaced along the line, leaving about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) between the first and last dots and the edge of the paper. Below the line, use the pencil to label each dot for the different colors of candy that you have. For example, Y for yellow, G for green, BU for blue, BR for brown, etc.
Next we’ll make solutions of the colors in each candy. Take an 8 inch by 4 inch (20 cm by 10 cm) piece of aluminum foil and lay it flat on a table. Place six drops of water spaced evenly along the foil. Place one color of candy on each drop. Wait about a minute for the color to come off the candy and dissolve in the water. Remove and dispose of the candies.
Now we’ll “spot” the colors onto the filter paper. Dampen the tip of one of the toothpicks in one of the colored solutions and lightly touch it to the corresponding labeled dot on your coffee filter paper. Use a light touch, so that the dot of color stays small - less than 1/16 inch (2 mm) is best. Then using a different toothpick for each color, similarly place a different color solution on each of the other five dots.
After all the color spots on the filter paper have dried, go back and repeat the process with the toothpicks to get more color on each spot. Do this three times, waiting for the spots to dry each time.
When the paper is dry, fold it in half so that it stands up on its own, with the fold standing vertically and the dots on the bottom.
Next we will make what is called a developing solution. Make sure your 2-liter bottle or milk jug is rinsed out, and add to it ⅛ teaspoon of salt and three cups of water (or use 1 cm³ of salt and 1 liter of water). Then screw the cap on tightly and shake the contents until all of the salt is dissolved in the water. You have just made a 1% salt solution.
Now pour the salt solution into the tall glass to a depth of about ¼ inch (0.5 cm). The level of the solution should be low enough so that when you put the filter paper in, the dots will initially be above the water level. Hold the filter paper with the dots at the bottom and set it in the glass with the salt solution.
What does the salt solution do? It climbs up the paper! It seems to defy gravity, while in fact it is really moving through the paper by a process called capillary action.
As the solution climbs up the filter paper, what do you begin to see?
The color spots climb up the paper along with the salt solution, and some colors start to separate into different bands. The colors of some candies are made from more than one dye, and the colors that are mixtures separate as the bands move up the paper. The dyes separate because some dyes stick more to the paper while other dyes are more soluble in the salt solution. These differences will lead to the dyes ending up at different heights on the paper.
This process is called chromatography. (The word “chromatography” is derived from two Greek words: "chroma" meaning color and "graphein" to write.) The salt solution is called the mobile phase, and the paper the stationary phase. We use the word “affinity” to refer to the tendency of the dyes to prefer one phase over the other. The dyes that travel the furthest have more affinity for the salt solution (the mobile phase); the dyes that travel the least have more affinity for the paper (the stationary phase).

When the salt solution is about ½ inch (1 cm) from the top edge of the paper, remove the paper from the solution. Lay the paper on a clean, flat surface to dry.
Compare the spots from the different candies, noting similarities and differences. Which candies contained mixtures of dyes? Which ones seem to have just one dye? Can you match any of the colors on the paper with the names of the dyes on the label? Do similar colors from different candies travel up the paper the same distance?
You can do another experiment with a different type of candy. If you used Skittles the first time, repeat the experiment with M&Ms. If you used M&Ms first, try doing the experiment with Skittles. Do you get the same results for the different kinds of candy, or are they different? For example, do green M&Ms give the same results as green Skittles?
You can also use chromatography to separate the colors in products like colored markers, food coloring, and Kool-Aid. Try the experiment again using these products. What similarities and differences do you see?