Today is the day for your child to bring out that extra bling! We are going to look at both jewelry and gemstones for this fun holiday.
Books
We have a few books for kids about making jewelry with beads at the library, but they are pretty old, and I have not been able to find anything online with both a recent pub date AND good reviews. Any suggestions??? This is the most recent offering we have on our shelves (pub 2004):
9781591977391
A good basic set of instructions for beginners, but you can find the same information online, so don't special-order it!
9780061235924
Welcome to Fancy Nancy's Fabulous Fashion Boutique! Here you can find the fanciest almost-new outfits, accessories, jewelry, and lots more. There's even a necklace with real rhinestones for sale. Ooh la la!
The fashion boutique is a huge success, but it's also Nancy's little sister's birthday. And when it starts to rain, her birthday party might be ruined. Nancy knows she has to come up with an idea—a brilliant one—and fast.
In this très chic story, Nancy shows once again that sometimes all you need is a little improvising to turn a fiasco into something fancy.
Really, any Fancy Nancy book will do to talk about a little glitz and glam, but this particular title features a rhinestone necklace - and a little sisterly love.
Extension: Break out the costume jewelry, and have a fashion show of your own!
978-1647399917
What do dusty old rocks have to do with the shiny, colorful jewels that you see in rings and necklaces? Everything! Set off on a journey inside Earth and learn the different ways our planet uses rocks and minerals to make gemstones. Discover how some grow in red-hot magma deep underground, while others are made by animals or plants, plus fun facts about their colors, shapes, uses, and more. You'll even learn how to grow your own crystals with sugar and water!
I love the whole Junior Scientists series. Easy to understand text, LOTS of pictures, activities and sidebars galore.
Art
Let's make our own jewels! Do you have any clay left over from yesterday's flowers? If not, whip up some more and see if you can replicate the different shapes gem stones come in (scroll about halfway down this linked page for pictures). If you have any metallic acrylic paints on hand, that would make them extra shiny - but any colors will do! Poke holes before drying if you want to string them, or make sure one side is flat enough to glue to a crown, vase, etc. later.
Math
Use your clay jewels or cut some out of paper for practice with
- patterns
- adding and subtracting
- or just sorting
Science
* What causes gem stones to form? Well, for this we need to learn some terms such as
- igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock
- core, crust, and mantle (of the earth)
- magma, erosion, sediments, evaporation, lithification
This web site has a pretty easy to follow description of how different categories of gems are formed.
* Evaporation is the easiest (and fastest) concept to illustrate at home. Mix 1/2 cup Epsom salts, 1/2 cup very hot water, and a few drops of food coloring for about a minute. Place container in a sunny window or in the refrigerator, and watch what happens!
A slightly longer-term (and more expensive) experiment, resulting in a larger 'gem', can be found here.
Social Studies
* Is there a museum near you with a display of precious gems? If you are in NM, the NM Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque has a nice display! If you are even more local, visit The Blue Stone and ask about some of the neat gems and jewelry they have on display. (Make sure you say "hello" to Ivan!)
* Where do we find these gems? Well, most of the rare gems are found in Brazil, Asia, East Africa, and Australia - none of which are places most of my readership lives. That doesn't mean you can't find anything of interest nearby, though (and seriously, all of our kids think the cool rock they found in the stream is much more interesting than Mom's tiny diamond, right?)
Read through this article for tips on gem hunting, and get yourself outside! You probably won't find a diamond in our NM desert, but some pretty quartz is a definite possibility. I found all of these in the Las Cruces area:
 |
| Each is almost as big as my head! |
Cooking
How about some jewels (in cookie form) that we can eat?
Mix:
1/3 cup softened butter
3 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp almond extract
Sift in:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Then stir in:
3 cups coconut flakes
Chill for 20-30 minutes, then roll into balls. Roll balls in more coconut. Place on cookie sheet and make a small indent in the middle of each. Bake at 350 until just starting to turn brown. While still warm, drop a teaspoon or so of your choice of jelly into each indentation.
(No coconut on hand? Try adding gumdrops, whole or chopped, to your favorite sugar cookie recipe instead!)
Other Web Sites to Explore
How about some jewels (in cookie form) that we can eat?
Mix:
1/3 cup softened butter
3 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp almond extract
Sift in:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Then stir in:
3 cups coconut flakes
Chill for 20-30 minutes, then roll into balls. Roll balls in more coconut. Place on cookie sheet and make a small indent in the middle of each. Bake at 350 until just starting to turn brown. While still warm, drop a teaspoon or so of your choice of jelly into each indentation.
(No coconut on hand? Try adding gumdrops, whole or chopped, to your favorite sugar cookie recipe instead!)
Other Web Sites to Explore
Comments
Post a Comment