projects for kids – JM Cremp's Adventure Blog

Easy Science Project: How To Make a Bouncy Egg

August 8, 2016September 1, 2016 jmcrempsLeave a comment

Are you in need of a simple science project that only requires a few household ingredients? Look no further! Parents are always telling children not to play with their food, but they’ll make an exception on this one. Try this fun experiment that turns an egg into a bouncy ball! The only ingredients required are an egg or two, some vinegar, and a container.

Step 1: Get a container of vinegar ready. Find a jar or Tupperware container large enough to fit the egg. Grab a bottle of regular white vinegar and fill the jar or Tupperware container with vinegar. Don’t fill it all the way to the brim though, because then putting the egg in will make it overflow.

Step 2: Add dye if you want to color your bouncy egg. You can easily make your finished bouncy egg any color you want to by adding food coloring dye to the vinegar. Just add around 10 drops of the dye to the vinegar, or enough to color the whole container of vinegar.

It doesn’t have to be filled to the top but it should be filled high enough so that the egg can be completely submerged in vinegar.

Step 3: Submerge an egg. Get a raw, unboiled egg. Place the raw egg in the vinegar-filled container. Just drop it in from right above the vinegar so the vinegar doesn’t splash everywhere. Make sure it is completely submerged.

Step 4: Cover the container. Place a lid on your container and leave it somewhere safe but out of the sun. The less sunlight it gets the better, so either put it somewhere dark like a closet, or cover it with something like a kitchen cloth.

Step 5: Wait for the shell of the egg to completely dissolve. This process can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. To be on the safe side, wait three days before continuing.

Step 6: Check the egg. Look at the egg through the container every once and a while to check its progress. The egg will turn a transparent color because the eggshell is decreasing in thickness. The eggshell will soon dissolve, leaving a thick strong egg white.

The reason the shell dissolves is because vinegar is a weak acid. The egg shell is made of calcium carbonate. When the shell meets vinegar, it makes a chemical reaction that turns the calcium carbonate into carbon dioxide, which is what those bubbles in the container are.

Step 7: Remove the egg. Take the egg out of the vinegar carefully. Just reach in and pull it out with your hand. Don’t forget to wash your hand afterwards. Place the egg on a couple of paper towels to let it drain.

Be extra careful when handling a raw bouncy egg. It will be more fragile than a boiled bouncy egg.

Step 8: Bounce it. Make sure it’s dry first. You can speed this up by drying it by hand with a paper towel. Be careful not to drop it from too high of a height, as it can still break and leave a mess. Start with just a few inches, and have cleaning supplies ready!

If you enjoyed this project and are looking for more science-related entertainment, be sure to check out jmcremps.com for a great selection of science kits, science books, and loads of other fun, exciting, and educational items!

The instructional portion of this article was provided by wikihow, a wiki building the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How To Make A Bouncy Egg. Content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons License.

Mother’s Day Coupons – a Special Project for Mom in 4 Easy Steps

April 30, 2015 jmcrempsLeave a comment

Moms LOVE when their kids take a moment out of their day to do something nice for them. Even if they just put their own plate in the dishwasher us mothers tend to get very excited. Imagine how thrilled we’d be with a book of “Just for You Mom” Coupons? It’s an easy project for the kids to do for Mom, Grandma or any special person in their life. (Oh, if you’re a mom reading this, then maybe you should show this post to dad and say “hint hint”.)

Here’s how easy it is:

1. Be creative about what the coupons are for. Some ideas include: free dish-washing, free hug, free laundry-doing, free kitchen clean-up, free massage, free hair styling, free gardening-for-an-afternoon, etc. You could also offer to cook certain meals for a specified time, or to bake treats.

2. Gather about 3-4 different paper colors. They can be white or colored (pink, yellow, purple, red, etc). Cut them into equal sizes.

3. Write out your coupons and decorate them. You can color them, add glitter, stickers, or leave them plain if you’d like.

4. Staple your coupons together in the form of a coupon book or place them in an envelope. They are now ready to give to Mom, Grandma, or anyone you love!

The instructional portion of this article was provided by wikiHow, a wiki building the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Mother’s Day Coupons. Content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons License.

Make Applesauce with Your Kids in 4 Easy Steps

October 4, 2014October 25, 2014 jmcremps2 Comments

What do you do on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the fall when the kids are bored and stuck in the house? That’s the question I’m faced with today, and my roadside fruit stand provided the inspiration in the form of an abundance of apples. I’ve decided to forgo the pie and opt for a healthier option that allows the kids to be more involved. So today is applesauce making day!

Homemade applesauce is easy so easy to make, you’ll find yourself wondering why you haven’t done it earlier!

First, gather your ingredients:

8 medium apples
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Step 1. Wash and peel the apples.

Step 2. Core and slice the apple. Chop the apple into 1/2 inch to 1 inch chunks.

Step 3. Transfer the apples to a crockpot and pour 2 tsp of lemon juice over the sliced apples. Stir the apples to coat them with the juice.

Step 4. Sprinkle the apples with the sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add water. Cover and cook on low for approximately 6 hours. If the applesauce is too runny, remove the lid and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.

It’s really that easy! Check out more ideas for easy projects with kids on our website at jmcremps.com.

The instructional portion of this article was provided by wikiHow, a wiki building the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Applesauce. Content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons License.

“Spy Games for Kids” – How to Break a Secret Code

October 24, 2012October 24, 2012 jmcremps4 Comments

For thousands of years Kings, Queens, Emperors, and their spies have been writing their important communications in code. In the days before telephones, emails, and text messages, it was the only way of keeping important messages private. Napoleon’s spies were excellent code writers AND code breakers. George Washington sent messages to his many secret agents in code. In 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, was caught and punished for attempting to overthrow the English Queen, Elizabeth I, after her secret correspondence was intercepted and decoded by an English spy. Julius Caesar, emperor of Rome, encrypted all of his important military messages with a code that is known to this day as a Caesar Code.

The coded letter and the cipher that brought down Mary, Queen of Scots in 1586 — The encoded letter and the cipher that brought down Mary, Queen of Scots in 1586. (File courtesy of the National Archives – United Kingdom)

The process of writing a message in a code is called “encrypting”. Decoding the message so that it is readable again is called “decrypting”. In order for you to encrypt the message and for someone else to decrypt the message, you both need to use the same code. That code is called a “cipher”. There are many types of ciphers you can use, but we’ll start with a Caesar Cipher, which is a simple substitution cipher that uses the alphabet.

A substitution cipher means that we are substituting one letter for another. It’s really quite simple. Here’s how to do it!

Write down the letters A through M in a neat row.

Then, directly below the line of letters you just wrote, write the letters N through Z, making sure that you line up each letter below the one above. For example, the N must be right underneath the A, the O under the B, the P under the C, and so on.

Your cipher will look like this:

Caesar Code - Cipher Code — Carefully write out your cipher.

Then, when you code a message, you will substitute the correct letter in your word for the letter above or below it in the code. Using the code above, the word HELLO would be encoded to URYYB. The word SPY would be encoded to FCL.

A Caesar Cipher is a simple substitution code — Use your Caesar Cipher to encode your messages.

Can you decode this word? FRPEGT

Now comes the fun part! It’s time to create your own message. Simply write out your message on a piece of paper. Using the code you made, substitute your letters for the code letters. When you pass your coded message to the person who is supposed to read it, then you have to make sure you tell them how to write out the cipher so that they can decode your message. But be careful – don’t let anyone else know the cipher!

Want a bigger challenge? Then check out the CIA’s website for spy kids. There are many great cipher or secret code challenges that will test your ability as a code breaker. Our Spy Science Secret Message Kit has several ways for you to encode your messages. From Secret x-ray paper, to morse code, and to invisible ink – you’ll have plenty of fun choices for your next secret message.

The book, Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writings starts with a simple substitution cipher and builds to more complex codes so that you can understand exactly how it’s done. There are practice messages included so that you can practice your newly acquired skills. Now that you know the basics, you can try your hand at creating your very own code. You can use numbers, pictures, symbols, shapes, and letters. Remember though, make sure to: Xrrc lbhe pbqr n frperg!

Mission #4 – Operation Capture the Flag

October 15, 2012October 17, 2012 jmcremps2 Comments

Army Kids Operation Capture the Flag — Operation Capture the Flag is a special mission designed for the toughest Army Kids. Are you ready to get started?

Hey Army Kids. It’s time for another mission! This fun game is a cross between capture the flag and freeze tag. It’s really simple AND really fun.

Mission Objective: Capture the other team’s flag before they capture yours!

Mission Intel: Divide into two teams. Each team needs to hide their flag on opposite ends of the area that you are going to play in. You’ll have to assign some of your soldiers to guard your flag, while other soldiers set out to capture the other team’s flag. The first team to capture the other team’s flag wins. Easy enough right?

Well, your secret weapon is your ability to freeze the other team’s soldiers by tagging them. They’ll remain frozen until they are re-tagged by one of their teammates. Of course, the other team is going to do the same thing to you so be careful!

JM Cremps has a full assortment of authentic US Army gear for kids that will really make this game a lot of fun. Start with some Camo Face Paint to disguise yourself. Then, make sure to grab your helmet. We’ve got several styles, but our authentic Steel Pot Army helmet is one of our most popular. Complete your military outfit with our US Army Tactical Vest. It is loaded with pockets so you’ll have plenty of places to store your gear during the battle.

The Army Kids Tactical Vest is the perfect addition to every army game.

Project for Kids – Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids #2

August 17, 2012August 17, 2012 jmcrempsLeave a comment

I to T Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids – Round 1

Okay junior adventurers, its time for your first Camp Cremp outdoor activity. Here’s round 2 of our Camp Cremp outdoor activity. This kids scavenger hunt is a great way to explore the outdoors and enjoy nature. Print this form or grab your nature notebook and head outside to find an item beginning with each of the following letters. Your backyard has many surprises just waiting for you to find them!

Project For Kids Scavenger Hunt — “R” is for Rocks. Keep it simple and have fun searching for treasures!

To play, find an item beginning with each of these letters: You can download this Project for Kids Camp Cremp I to P Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids and take it outide with you.

I – _____________________

J- _____________________

K – _____________________

L- _____________________

M – _____________________

N- _____________________

O – _____________________

P- _____________________

R – _____________________

S- _____________________

T- _____________________

Don’t forget to check back next week for Round 2 of the A to Z Scavenger hunt for kids for your next awesome outdoor adventure.

Project for Kids – Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids #1

July 17, 2012July 17, 2012 jmcrempsLeave a comment

A to H Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids – Round 1

Okay junior adventurers, its time for your first Camp Cremp outdoor activity. This kids scavenger hunt is a great way to explore the outdoors and enjoy nature. Today’s challenge – grab your nature notebook and head outside to find an item beginning with each of the following letters. And don’t forget to look closely, your backyard has many surprises you’ve never noticed. This project for kids is sure to be fun for the whole family.

Project for Kids Outdoor Scavenger Hunt A to H — “B” is for Butterfly!

To play, find an item beginning with each of these letters: You can download this Project for Kids Camp Cremp A to H Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids form and take it outide with you.

A – _____________________

B- _____________________

C – _____________________

D- _____________________

E – _____________________

F- _____________________

G – _____________________

H- _____________________

Don’t forget to check back next week for Round 2 of the A to Z Scavenger hunt for kids for your next awesome outdoor adventure.