Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

We finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a few months ago, and it is still being talked about in our home.  Over the past couple of months, I've come across some fun ways to include the book in our activities sessions, and had to revisit the book. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by Roald Dahl

 

Imaginative Play
Anna over at The Imagination Tree shares a fun Willy Wonka activity found here.  She has some REALLY fun uses for play dough on her blog, and really goes all out.  We used her chocolate play dough recipe, along with some of the names of treats from the book to jump start our own little creativity session.

We started by making some of the classic treats from the book (everlasting gobstoppers, magic chewing gum,eatable marshmallow pillows, snozberries, etc.), and then they took off with their own creations.  I wish I would have written down the names that my crew came up with because they were fantastic! 

I had to add a square candy that looks round.  :)

I do wish that I would have had some sprinkles on hand, along with some candy cups.  We kept ours incredibly {simple}, and it kept us happily engaged for a couple of hours.  It is always fun for me to watch their creativity in action!  We'll definitely be revisiting this activity.

Kitchen Fun:

THEN I ran across these cookbooks.  Score!  They are written by Roald and Felicity Dahl, and are illustrated by Quentin Blake.  All of the recipes are inspired by foods mentioned in his books, and are hilarious to read.  I wish I could share one of the recipes without breaking copyright laws!  They are full of creativity and fun.

 

In Roald Dahl's Even More Revolting Recipes, there is a recipe for "Wonka's Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight", a toffee and marshmallow ice cream topping.

Math/Science:

In the book, there is a nut room full of squirrels testing walnuts to see if they are bad or good.  It is here that the squirrels test Veruca Salt to see if she is a good nut or not.  We used peanuts instead of walnuts for a little math and science lab.  

First, we estimated how many peanuts we had.

 Then we counted, and counted by tens.

 Last, but not least, we sorted.  And analyzed.  And ate. 

Interesting Fact:

As a young school boy, Roald and his friends were busted for putting a mouse in the local candy shop's jar of gobstoppers (information found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_dahl).

Happy reading!

Emily

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Bartholomew and the Oobleck

All week long, my little ones and I have been delving into books written by Dr. Seuss.  Today, I got to introduce them to Bartholomew and the OOBLECK.  It is one that is familiar to most, but it was fun for me to revisit this classic!

Bartholomew and the OOBLECK

by Dr. Seuss

(Random House, 1949, Fiction)

Perfect for 5-9 years old

Opening:  "They still talk about it in the Kingdom of Didd as The-Year-the-King-Got-Angry-with-the-Sky."

 Brief Summary:  King Derwin of Didd is incredibly bored with everything that falls from the sky (rain, snow, sunshine, and fog).  He summons his royal magicians to make something new fall from the sky, and they succeed in their task with the creation of oobleck.  The only problem is that oobleck is a horribly sticky substance that traps anyone and everyone it comes in contact with.  The whole kingdom is being ruined by its effects.   Bartholomew, the king's wise pageboy, is the only one who can help the king stop the disastrous effects of oobleck.

Why I Like It:  Dr. Seuss knows exactly how to create an interesting story while teaching a lesson at the same time.  In Bartholomew and the Oobleck, Seuss teaches the importance of saying "I'm sorry", and admitting when one is wrong. All of the illustrations are in black and white except for the green oobleck, which appears in greater and greater quantities as the story progresses.  Bartholomew is such a wise character and seems to be the only one with sense, even though he is not only a boy, but also a servant.  What child doesn't love a story about green goo?

As a follow-up activity, we made some "oobleck" of our own. It is just something that has to be done after reading a story about sticky green goo.  

Homemade Slime  ("Oobleck")

Recipe from Our Best Bites
For the complete tutorial, head here.

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 cup water, divided

1/2 cup white Elmer’s glue

green food coloring

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.  Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup water. Add a few drops of food coloring and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth.  Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture.  Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry.  Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become.  Store in a Ziploc bag or air tight container.

Happy reading!

Emily

Dr. Seuss Week: Horton Hatches the Egg

Yesterday was kind of a big day in the reading community.  As you may know, March 2nd is the birthday of Theodore Seuss Geisel, who is better known as Dr. Seuss.  In celebration, I'll be highlighting our favorite books throughout the week, along with some fun activities.  Check back throughout the week!

We kicked off the week by reading Horton Hatches the Egg.  My kids love the story as much as I do.

Horton Hatches the Egg

by Dr. Seuss

Perfect for 5-9 year olds

Originally published in 1940

 

Lazy bird Mayzie is tired of sitting on her egg and wants to go on vacation.  She persuades Horton to take over, despite his protests of the logistics of an elephant sitting on an egg in a tree.  Mayzie heads off to Palm Beach and decides to never return.  Poor Horton is left sitting on the egg, but stays true to his word.

Sweet Horton sits through lightning and rainstorms, teasing from his animal friends, and winter storms.  He is found by some hunters, packed up in a wagon, and hauled through the mountains, only to have to go on a sea voyage.  To make matters worse, he is sold to a traveling circus show and is mocked for sitting up in a tree.  And yet he remains as faithful and true as can be! 

The circus ends up in Palm Beach and Mayzie happens to come by just in time to see the egg hatch.  What flies out?  Well, you'll have to read it to find out!



After we read the story, we made our own nests and painted eggs to resemble Horton's.  To make the nests, melt 8 squares (16 0z) of almond bark over low heat.  Remove from heat and stir in 4 cups of chow mein noodles.

Pour mixture into three different mounds on a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper.  One batch will provide enough mixture to make three nests.  Let cool for a few minutes.  Shape into a nest.

We painted hard boiled eggs with red and white acrylic paint.  I then cut off a corner of a Ziploc bag and put the egg in the plastic corner to prevent paint from coming in contact with the nest that we would later be eating.

Interesting Fact:

Horton wasn't an original candidate for the name of the elephant in early drafts.  Early candidates were Osmer, Bosco, and Humphrey.  (Information found here.)

Hope you are having as much fun as we are! 

Happy reading!

Emily

20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street

20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street

Written by Mark Lee and Illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
(Candlewick, 2013, Fiction)
Suitable for ages: 3-7

Opening:  "One ice-cream truck selling everything sweet breaks down and blocks the middle of our street."

Brief Synopsis:  An ice cream truck breaks down and causes a pile-up of twenty trucks, ranging from a crane truck to a delivery truck to a mail truck.  None of them are going to go anywhere until the ice cream truck is taken care of.  While onlookers try to think of a way to fix the problem, a little boy on a bike speaks up and offers the solution that works and breaks up the traffic jam.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is written in perfect rhyme that flows incredibly well.  It is a counting book that presents 20 trucks in detailed and bright illustrations.  At the end of the story, the crane picks up the broken-down ice cream truck and places it on the grass by the side of the road where serves ice cream to the neighborhood.  This book is fun to read, provides great counting practice, and is beautifully illustrated, making it one that is read over and over again.

It is necessary to eat some ice cream after reading a book about an ice cream truck, so we made homemade ice cream in a bag.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

(Recipe Source: www.food.com)

Find the original recipe here.

1/2 cup half-and-half 

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 sandwich Ziploc bag

1 gallon freezer Ziploc bag

3 cups crushed ice

1/3 cup rock salt

Put half-and-half (or cream or milk in a pinch), sugar, and vanilla in the smaller Ziploc bag and mix well.   Seal tightly.  Put ice and rock salt in the larger bag, making sure the salt is evenly distributed.  Add the small bag of ingredients to the large bag and surround it with ice.  Seal the large bag and wrap with a dish towel (the bag will get very cold and hard to hold!).  Shake the bag for 10-15 minutes.  Pull out the small bag, and enjoy!

*Please note that this recipe is pretty basic and you can experiment with different flavors.  The best part about this recipe is the magic of making ice cream.  Kids love it!

Homer Price

Homer Price

by Robert McCloskey

Homer Price is just your average boy living right outside of a small town, but excitement is always just around the corner.  From robbers to superheros and doughnuts, McCloskey tells tales that had my little ones asking for more.  McCloskey's storytelling abilities mixed with his hilarious pictures appearing every few pages create a novel that delights both young and old.

Homer Price is comprised of six different short stories.  In one of the short stories, Homer is keeping watch of his Uncle Ulysses' diner when the automated doughnut machine in the diner produces more doughnuts than anyone knows what to do with and won't stop.  It is impossible to read this section of the book without having a craving for doughnuts.  I promise.  For this reason, you might want to have this recipe from Pioneer Woman on hand.  These are not your ordinary doughnuts.  They are guaranteed to bring smiles and memories throughout the baking and eating process.

Homemade Glazed Doughnuts

From Pioneer Woman

(I have made slight adaptations---for the complete tutorial, go here.)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/8 cups whole milk, warmed

3 tsp. instant yeast

2 large eggs

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 cups vegetable shortening, for frying

Glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

Add the granulated sugar to the warm milk in a medium bowl, and then add the yeast.  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes (until it starts to bubble).

Beat the eggs and pour them into a bowl with the melted butter.  Pour in the milk, sugar, and yeast mixture.  Mix on low.  Mix the flour and the salt in a bowl, and add gradually to the liquid mixture.  Mix for 5 minutes.  Place the dough in a warm spot and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  

Turn out the dough on to a floured surface and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thick.  Use a doughnut cutter (or two different sizes of cutters) to cut out the doughnuts.  Transfer the doughnuts to a lightly floured baking sheet.  Cover the doughnuts and let rise for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

Heat the shortening or oil until it reaches 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until a doughnut hole sizzles and rises to the surface.  Place the doughnuts in the oil and use a metal spoon to carefully flip them over to cook the other side.  Remove them from the oil as soon as they are golden brown on both sides. Place the doughnuts on paper towels to drain.

To make the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and water in a bowl.  Drop the doughnuts in one at a time.  Turn over and then remove. Eat and enjoy.