Snow Day Education

Wherever you have snow falling in  winter and there are schools in the area, there will undoubtedly be snow days. For a child, it can be oh, so exciting. It may mean watching TV, playing games, and taking extended naps. For the older student, say high school age, it may be a welcome relief. This snow may mean one extra day to work on a project or study for a test. For parents, it may be a question as to how to keep the kids occupied. There may be some point in the day where the kids may say those dreaded words, “I'm bored.” or “There's nothing to do.”

Assuming you can stay home because the weather is so bad that you cannot get to work either (or give this idea to the children's caregiver if you have to get to work) and also knowing how important education is, try this idea. Have the kids plan a tea party. Now not all kids like tea, but you can use hot chocolate, hot cider, or cold apple juice. Build your idea up around this idea of a tea party..or a feast if you will. Along the way, they will be keeping their reading, math, science, and artistic skills sharp.

First plan what you will want to eat. Have the kids pour through cookbooks and read different recipes that look interesting. Check to see what supplies you have for cooking and baking as this could limit what you can make. Remember, you don't want to go out in bad weather, just to get a pack of nuts. It's a bad weather day, so stay home and make the most of it. Then make a list of what you want to make. If your list is really long, take some time to whittle it down, unless you really want to prepare the really long list of  foods.  If you are actually serving tea, think about what teas you would go well with the foods being prepared.  Black teas are always good.  Try Up North! or English Breakfast.  If you are looking for a caffeine free infusion, try Northland Blueberry, as it has a nice fruity flavor. Another task that can be done is to have one of the kids use their artistic skills and come up with a way to dress the table for tea.

Now gather supplies for the recipes. Have the kids read the recipe several times before they start so as to have an idea as to what they will be expected to do. This part of the tea day can count as their reading hour that they would have had in school, as did pouring through the cookbooks and reading the recipes there.

Follow the recipes and prepare the foods. This is will be the math class of the day. You've got to love all of the fractions and all of the different measurements. Plus, as an added bonus, you might have to double or triple the recipe, depending upon how many you will be serving. This means that the kids get to multiply! Yippee! Oh, and multiplying fractions, too. You have to love this!

The science portion of the day comes into practice if you make things with yeast, like breads. You can explain how the yeast makes the dough rise. If you yourself are not sure why this is, have the kids google it on the computer. Another goodie is making a souffle'. Again a science lesson on why it rises so much and also why you should not let the over door slam shut or any other door for that matter when the souffle' is in the oven.

Now maybe you don't have any cookbooks. Have the kids come up with ideas at to things they would like to cook. Have them use their imagination. Be sure to have them think though flavors that are compatible with one another. I wouldn't recommend putting mint in a bacon and tomato scone. If they are using their imagination to create, be sure that they explain everything to you that they intend to do. By doing this, they will be practicing their communication skills. Of course when all of the preparation work has been done, it's good to have them clean up as well...that's part of the job.

Finally, when all is said and done, sit down and enjoy the tea that the kids have prepared. Chances are they will like it since they prepared it. If you like, you can also educate them on using proper table etiquette. Take pictures of their creations and of them with their smiling faces. Capture this important moment in time.

You can even talk about where tea is grown or research the cultures that grow, harvest, and process the tea. (Social Studies)

 

If there is still time, you can have them write about their tea party experience (creative writing) and draw sketch pictures (more art) to go with it as well.

So you see, you can still unofficially have school at home even on a snow/ice day. The kids can cover: Reading, Math, Writing, Handwriting/Printing, Science, Art, Computer skills (if they need to google something), and Social Studies. Education is always important.

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Snowfest Iced Tea Sculpture

This week in Frankenmuth is the annual Snowfest which is a snow and ice carving competition sponsored by Zehnder's of Frankenmuth. Each year many teams come to town to exhibit their talents and skills in both snow and ice. These teams are groups from high schools all the way through international groups all vying to be the winners of their category.

While drinking some Masala Chai the other morning, I decided why couldn't I try this in my own way? The first item on the agenda was to find ice cube trays that make miniature ice cubes. It's actually a difficult thing to find in Michigan during winter months, but I did find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Saginaw, MI. They are true life savers!

The next item on the agenda was to decide which teas to use. The list was whittled down to the nice and bold Earl Grey, Moroccan Mint, Silver Needle, and finally Masala Chai with milk. With an idea of what I was going to built in mind, it really didn't take long to decide on which teas I was going to use.

Next, I brewed the tea, let it cool a little, finally poured it into the ice cube trays, and popped the ice cube trays into the freezer. While the tea was freezing into its cube form, I set to work on sketching out my design. Hopefully, this will work. But as they say, “You never know until you try.”

After making mini tea ice cubes and having my sketches in hand, I set to work. Neatly, I set the ice cubes in bowls on TV tables, on our back deck. The weather was a perfect 12 degrees and I was bundled up perfectly to go along with the weather. Now all I had to do was get to work.

In looking at my designs, I thought that the teacup design would be the easiest to start with. Then once I accomplished the teacup I would move on to the teapot.

Unfortunately, my iced tea art did not go as planned. As hard as I tried, none of my ideas worked, even with the constant refinement of theories. But then I decided that what I was trying to do would take a lot more practice. Therefore the plan was simply to simplify things. The concept went from being a 3D work of art to something simple in 2D. Success at last! 

The bottom 2 layers are a wonderful Earl Grey, while the next two layers up are made from our Moroccan Mint. The top two layers are made of Silver Needle tea, The handle is made from a Masala Chai with milk.

In looking back, I think it would have been easier to start with the teapot design. But as they say, “Live and learn”.

Finally, I have no intention of giving up on the iced tea sculpture. I just figure that if I keep practicing, I should be able to figure out how to do this by next year's Snowfest. So stay tuned and we will see what gets sculpted between now and then.

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Tea or Toy

It's amazing how items can be used in different ways. Take for example a framed window screen. We use them all summer for keeping bugs out and letting the fresh air into our homes. But a window screen and it's frame can be used as a magnetic bulletin board. How cool is that?

A few weeks ago, a woman came and told me that her rambunctious kitten loved to play with the tag and string on her tea pyramid. She said that at one point she left cup and pyramid for a just moment. When she returned, her pyramid was missing. As she looked around, she spotted a trail of tea on the floor, which led her right to her kitten and to the tea pyramid. The woman's kitten had been playing with the string and the tag. Come to think about it, the pyramid with the string and tag do have a mouse like appearance to them. Isn't is amazing how a tea pyramid became reused into a completely different way?...cat toy.

After having heard this story, I wondered whether tea was on the list of foods that was okay for cats. The results from research says to NOT give your cat tea. It is the caffeine which is not good for your furry feline friend. However, that being said, I wouldn't allow a cat to touch any tea (even decaf), just to be on the safe side.

 

All in all, I have to admit that when I heard this story I was chuckling. I mean, how often does it happen that your tea pyramid disappears from your cup? Your answer is mostly likely, never.

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