Paper clip hearts, so lovely, so simple

Mother's day is almost here and today we will see how to bend a paper clip in a heart shape.
I saw it here for the first time and it was love at first sight.

You can bend your hearts using any size or paper clip color.

Et voilá!
Thank you Tais for this wonderful restless idea. Very simple and very restless

Enjoy!

1+1 sometimes is not 2

This is one of the greatest math problems, side by side with the one that states that 0 is different than 0. But this demonstration is not about math, is about Archimedes' Principle.

Archimedes' Principle states:
" a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid"

In other words, when we place a body in a fluid, like water, the volume of the object equals the volume of displaced water.

The simplest example is a bath. If we fill the tub with water up to the top and we lay down inside it, the water will exit, and your bathroom will be a very wet place similar to a lake. The amount of water that came out equals your body volume. You can, with some time and work, calibrate the tub to find out your body volume, 1L=1dm3.
In this example 1+1=2, but sometimes 1+1= "not sure" 

What we need :

• glass container,
• tape, one you can write on
• pen,
• sugar,
• glass container with a scale,
• paper towel,
• straw,
• spoon,
• hot water.

How to:

1. Clean the container;
2. Apply a vertical strip of tape in the container;
3. Fill the scaled container with hot water (container A);
4. Pour the water in the other container (container B); 
5. Use the pen on the tape to mark the water level in container B;
6. Fill the container A again and add the water to the container B
7. Use the pen again and mark the water level in container B;
8. Reject the water;
9. With the paper towel clean and dry container B;
10. Repeat step 3, 4 and 5;
11. Now fill up the container A with sugar;
12. Add the sugar to container B;
13. Use the spoon to mix the solution;
14. Use the pen to mark the level;

What happens?
1 volume of hot water + 1 volume of sugar it's different from 2 volumes of hot water.

Why?
Water molecules are organized like a net. This net is stable and cohesive due to hydrogen bridges. When this net is formed some hydrogen atoms link to neighbor water molecules by a "false" bond with the oxygen, those are called hydrogen bridges. When this happens some "blank spaces" are left between the molecules- in the net. This spaces are as big as the molecules are excited, thats why we used hot water- more empty space makes dissolution more efficient.

When we add the sugar the sugar molecules occupy the empty spaces between water molecules, thats why:

1 sugar unit+ 1 water unit doesn't equal 2 water units

This is a demonstration, but you can make it an experiment:
Go further:
Try with 1 unit of water+ 1 unit of sugar. Does that equals 2 units of sugar?
Try with cold and ice water, what happens?

Et Voilá!
Now you can teach some stuff to your math teacher

Enjoy!

Why eat seasonal fruit

Eating strawberries or cherries in December is a small but expensive luxury brought to us by development. Nothing is better for the soul then smell the summer through the out of season fruit, it's like a beach walk in a hot day.
But nature is always right, and we don't have cherries in December for a reason. 
We can eat cherries all year but there is a reason that cherries grow on spring/summer and not in December. Past generation lived in tune with season, knew all the natural cycles and ate what the land gave them, was unthinkable eating persimmons in August or figs in March. Many things were conserved in several ways, primarily by cold, to be available all year, but these were limited resources.

Today we have at our disposal all we want, when we want, like we want. I even think that satisfying pregnant women wishes with never ending trips is now a myth, all we need to do is going to the market.

But eating season fruit and vegetables bring advantages to the health, the planet and to economy.
Some of the products we eat are brought from the other side of the world, some of them are season products there but they are out of season here. As a result they are picked green so they can ripe during the trip. This fact makes the fruit and vegetables poor in nutrients, the formation of sugar is linked to the sun exposure, and the vitamins are very degradable in this conditions.  

Scientists from Consumers Association of Austria confirmed that vegetables picked and frozen at the right season are richer in nutrients than the ones that were transported off-season! in http://bodyecology.com/articles/benefits_in_season.php

Of course we can not be extremists, not everyone has the opportunity to eat fruit "directly from the tree" or pick carrots "directly from the soil," it is clear that without the greenhouses we could not produce food for all inhabitants of the planet (even with them is hard). 
Another important concept is food manipulation, this is just one more tool we can use to feed people, perhaps without it we would never be able to feed half of the people we are feeding now, in most of the cases most of us confuse manipulation with selection, both are valid, both are important, and both bring food to your table.
Some parts of the process we can't control, but we can try to assume control on the last bit of the process: What to buy, when to buy, and how to buy. 

Eat only 2 to 3 fruit pieces a day, fruit is rich in fructose, fructose is sugar, more then 3 pieces will mean you are ingesting to many sugar. Eating seasonal fruit is more satisfying, the fruit is sweeter, fresh and the body asks for it. It's no accident that nature produces cherries on spring and persimmons on fall, there's always a reason, for example a evolutionary reason related with the nutritional necessities of the all animals during the different seasons.


The fruits/vegetables season table is different for each globe zone, the one here is for the US territory, other tables can be found all over the internet:

Making children eat fruit and not cake as a snack, even if the fruit is out of season looks like a good habit and strategy, with more benefits then losses.

Et voilá!
Eat your vegetables... on season! its cheaper and tasteful!

Enjoy!

Origami tsuru DIY

The art of folding paper is called Origami.
Origami (etymological meaning: fold(ori) and paper(Kami)), is the art of folding paper without using instruments like scissors or glue. It´s possible to fold paper to form figures, some more complex then others, some using a single sheet some using more.

Origami was born in Japan, in middle age. This art was very formal, and was related with religious ceremonies.

The true is everyone knows how to do origami, the simple paper hat or the famous paper boat, are simple origami folding. Origami is a wonderful art that captivates everyone from 8 to 80.
 
In Japan every folded paper figure has a different and symbolic meaning. As an example:

• Frog: symbolizes love and fertility;  
• Turtle: symbolizes longevity; 
• Tsuru (the bird that often symbolizes origami art), also known as grou or stork, symbolizes good luck, happiness and health.

About tsuru
Tsurus are big and beautiful birds, they are full of color and it's a sacred bird in Japan.

An hermit is a person who lives alone without any luxury. The story says that nn Japan some of this hermits lived in mountains with this birds as companions. It's said this hermits had extra human powers- they here capable to stop aging. For this reason the Tsuru is known as the "longevity bird".

Some believe that if you fold 1000 tsurus and at the same time wish something that wish will become true, other believe if you are ill you will get better as fast as the number of tsurus you fold.

Use the schema to fold your first tsuru, it's not hard just requires some skill.

Or try the movie:

Origami is recognized as an educational resource for over 100 years. The first square 15cm papers begun to appear in the third decade of the century XX (paper used nowadays to make origami).

Today, origami has been shown to be an important aid in teaching basic geometry and develop motor skills and individual creativity.

Resources: Núcleo de tecnologia educacional de Jaraguá do Sul; Mundo Nipo; Baú do Professor

Et voilá!

Keep going, 999 to go!

Enjoy!

Homemade glue

This is a non toxic, easy and inexpensive way to do child craft glue.

This needs adult supervision, remember that the kitchen can be a dangerous place to play in.

What we need:

• 1/2 cup hot water,
• 1 tablespoon vinegar,
• 2 tablespoons of milk powder ,
• 1/2 tablespoon of  baking soda,
• water,
• 1 coffee filter, 
• 1 funnel,
• a plastic/ glass containner,
• 1 tablespoon,
• plate.

How to:

1. Mix the hot water and the powder milk until dissolves;
2. Add the vinegar, the milk will form 2 distinct parts, the serum and the curds;
3. Keep mixing this mixture until curds and serum are well separated;
4. Place the filter in the funnel;
5. Place the funnel in the container;
6. Filter the previous mix;
7. If necessary raise a little bit the funnel so the air can flow, remember that air takes up space;
8. When the funnel is full "squeeze" the filter a bit, carefully;
9. Discard the serum;
10. In a small plate, using the spoon, break the serum layer into small pieces;
11. Add one hot water teaspoon and about 1/4 teaspoon baking soda;
12. Mix it all well until the adhesive becomes soft and more fluid;
13. If the mixture is too thick add a little more water, if it has lumps add more baking soda.
14. When not in use the adhesive covering it with transparent paper. 

With time the glue becomes more transparent and liquid. Trash the glue when it starts to smell slightly spoiled milk.

Note:
If the milk does not curdle try:

• add more vinegar;
• heat the mixture;
• use more hot water.

Et voilá!
you can almos eat it

Enjoy!

The air takes up space- ballon in a bottle

The challenge is to blow a balloon inside a plastic bottle. A big bottle works better but you can use a small bottle if you want. But is it that easy? Lets see

What we need:

• plastic bottle and stopper,
• latex balloon,
• water,
• nail,
• hammer.

How to:

1. Place the balloon inside the bottle, with the tip out;
2. Try to inflate the balloon, try again!;
3. Remove the balloon;
4. Fill the bottle with water and cap it tight;
5. With the nail punch a hole in the bottle bottom; 
6. Remove the nail and uncap the bottle, what happens?,
7. Leave only a small amount of water in the bottle;
8. Place the balloon inside the bottle again, just like in step 1;
9. Try to inflate the balloon, what happens?;
10. When the balloon is full of air, use your finger to close the nail hole;
11. Stop blow, what happens?;
12. Now remove your finger, what happens?

What happens?
In step 2, you aren't able to inflate the balloon.
When you remove the nail and uncap the bottle- step 6- the water exits the bottle through the hole.
Step 9-  you are successful.
While your finger is in the hole the balloon will remain full of air- Step 11.
If you remove the finger the balloon deflates.

Why?   
Step2- The bottle is full of air, there is no room for anymore air.
when you punch the hole in the bottle the air can escape through it and and "make some space" to the air in the balloon , while you inflate the balloon it "pushes" the air and the water inside the bottle to the outside through the hole.
Same reason explains why the balloon remains inflated in step 11 and deflates in step 12, amazing humm?



Et Voilá!
It takes space

Enjoy!

Frame with rolled paper tubes

This project can be done by everyone from 8 to 80. It's a recycling and inexpensive project and  it's a lot of fun.

We are going to learn how to do a frame with a cardboard stencil.

Before we start you should read this 2 posts:

• Paper rolls and paper coils, recycling old paper
• How to do a stencil?

What we need:

• rolled paper tubes,
• rolled paper coils,
• cereal box,
• glue,
• scissors,
• craft knife,
• old paper,
• varnish, transparent,
• white paint, or any other color you like best,
• paint-brush.

How to:

1. Roll about 60 paper tubes;
2. Roll a few coils too, minimum 4 like the tutorial;
3. Use the scissors to "unmount" the cereal cardboard;
4. Keep the 2 larger pieces, one will be the frame back, the other will be the stencil;
5. Use one of the big pieces and draw your image, the one you want to appear in stencil, in this tutorial is a flower, draw always on the backside;
6. Cut it;
7. Paint the front side with the color you chose, we used white;
8. In the second big card piece, same size as the first one, glue the paper tubes, leaning against each other;
9. Leave about 0,5in at the top and at the bottom, just like the image;
10. Take you paper coils and glue them in the cardboard piece corner;
11. Wait to dry;
12. Cut the excess rolled paper;
13. Apply glue both in the coils and in the stencil base;
14. Glue the stencil to the base with the rolled tubes, just like the image;
15. Press and let it dry, we used small paper clamps;
16. Glue small pieces of paper around the edges of the frame.
17. Let it dry;
18. Varnish it;
19. Let it dry again;

Et voilá!
Paper all the way!

Enjoy!