Welcome back to Saturday School! I hope you didn’t enjoy the lack of referrals too much, because I sort of enjoy sharing what we are working on now and again. As always, feel free to share links to your practical side in the comment box! This week, in honor of the falling temperatures, I am going to offer instructions for making your own snow globe.

These simple little objects first appeared in France in the early 1800s and finally crossed the Atlantic to delight American consumers a century later. They captivated my imagination as a child as I peered in at the tiny worlds forever suspended in a winter wonderland where snow fell with a whirlwind effect. Watching them both relaxes and stimulates the imagination. Building them yourself adds a bit more creativity and satisfaction to the process.

Materials:

• An empty jar with tight fitting lid. Canning jars work very well for this.
• Sculpey clay.
• Caulk/sealant (like what you would use on a bathtub).
• Glitter.

Procedure:

1. Create a miniature scene with the clay that will fit on top of your jar’s lid. Make it as simple or elaborate as you wish.
2. Bake the clay scene in your oven at 270 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes.
3. Allow this to cool thoroughly before handling. The clay strengthens as it cools and early handling can damage it.
4. Attach the scene to the lid of the jar with the caulk. You may also want to seal together any pieces in your scene. Our snowman fell apart the first time we shook the snow globe, but since sealing it with the caulk, he has happily endured many a blizzard.
5. Allow the sealant to dry (according to the directions on the bottle).
6. Fill the jar with water.
7. Gently place the lid on the jar to force out the excess water.
8. Remove the lid, add some glitter and replace the lid.
9. You can seal the jar with the caulk if you wish, and a few drops of bleach in the water will keep it from turning bad for some time.
10. Shake it up and enjoy the blizzard!

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A few more practical posts I noticed:

Not the least bit practical…more of an object lesson, really…but Renae from Life Nurturing Education has a “must read” post involving snow globes.

The Homeschool Lounge just launched as a sort of sister site to Heart of the Matter. It is an online community of homeschoolers where we can just hang out and chat about whatever. And there is a group for crafty homeschool mamas, of course. I joined early so I could be me, Dana. Look me up if you sign up!

Camp Creek Blog shares an art lesson:  blind contour drawing.

Natural Moms Blog has an interesting tip for storing games and other homeschool supplies. And that art issue. That reminds me…well, I’ll save that for next Saturday.

You can find out where people homeschool by following the links at Heart of the Matter’s meme for this week. At home, in the car, at the zoo…actually, it would take less time to write about where we don’t homeschool. But blank entries do not really provoke much conversation.

Homeschool Hacks shares a tip for teaching current events to children.

And don’t forget about the Great Backyard Bird Count, going on through Monday! (Hat Tip: Corn and Oil.)

[tags]homeschool, homeschooling, snow globe[/tags]