THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 8, 1995 TAG: 9508080047
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Mom, I'm Bored
SOURCE: Sherrie Boyer
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
IN AUGUST, every day is as long as it is hot. There is the stress and anticipation of school coming and still the urge to round out the summer with adventures the children will remember with joy. Try something as hot as the weather.
Build a home volcano.
Make a funnel from posterboard or a manila folder. Tape the funnel down the sides so it won't unravel, then cut off the pointy tip so the opening is about an inch across.
Turn it upside down. Turn a small plastic lid or bowl upside down and tape it inside the funnel. Tape it close to the open tip of the funnel. When you turn your funnel right side up, you'll see a little volcano mountain. When you look inside the volcano's mouth, you'll see the lid or bowl, just a few inches below.
Paint the volcano any color you choose and add cutouts of trees, animals, huts, houses, people - whatever you'd like to see swept away by the lava. Then put your finished volcano in a large box, basin or platter.
You could add a series of small plastic dinosaurs to the design. Balance them against the volcano sides by gluing bits of crumpled paper (painted to look like rocky ledges) to the volcano. The animals stand on these.
Dump a third to half a box of baking soda into the bowl through the volcano's mouth. Into a bottle of white vinegar, add some food coloring until you get the shade of lava you want. Then slowly add the vinegar to the volcano. The eruption will begin as lava fizzes from the top and down the sides of the mountain. Add more baking soda and vinegar as needed to keep the lava flowing.
Once the volcano has erupted, transfer your thoughts to fossilized rock. Go on an expedition and look for cool rocks. Rocks smooth or pointy, but that remind you of certain animals. At home, wash the rocks. Then use tempera paint to draw on the eyes, skin and claws of the creature you see. Glue several rocks together to get a different shape. Super glue is good for this, but an adult needs to do the gluing.
When rock painting becomes too sedate, add some running around time. Play the opposite of hide-and-seek: Sardines-in-a-can. One person hides while everyone else counts. Then everyone tries to find the missing person. When you do, join her quietly. One by one, everyone will find the missing person, until at last everyone is crowded together in hiding. The squeezing into a small space is why the game is called Sardines-in-a-can.
When running gets too hot, head to the porch and make nutty putty, the homemade version of Silly Putty. Mix together a little bit at a time from 1 cup water, 1 bottle white glue, Borax powder and food coloring. There is no specific ingredient mix. Just mix in a bit at a time and play with your putty, trying to make it stretch or press it onto the comics to capture the image.
Or make your own finger paints. Carefully bring 2 cups water and 4 tablespoons cornstarch to a boil, stirring constantly until all lumps are gone. As it cools, pour the mixture into as many bowls as you wish to have colors. Add a few drops of food coloring to each, stirring carefully (it's still hot) to get the right tone. Cool before using. Once used, the finger paints can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic, for another time.
Make a personalized alphabet storybook using pictures of your friends and favorite places. Have your child decide what should represent the letter ``A,'' a friend named Adam, for instance. Then have him shoot a picture of Adam. Do a picture for each letter of the alphabet. It will be a great challenge to come up with something for each letter. One reader, who recommended the idea, was puzzled on what to use for the letter ``Z.'' But her son immediately thought of a friend named Zachary. They gave the completed book as a gift.
Make up stories or read storybooks aloud on tape. Children love to hear their own voices and yours as well. Let them tell you stories, however silly, and keep playing back the tape and recording more until you have a long section devoted to their voice or yours. Add sound effects, like a hoot for a screech owl. Tapping a book on the table sounds like muffled footsteps on tape. They'll play the tape again and again. by CNB