Monday, February 3, 2014

Finger-Knit a Scarf

How to Finger Knit a Scarf 

Supplies: Yarn (preferably thick), scissors, a pen or pencil (if you think you will want a break), and
your hands.
Step 1: Measure your arm’s length of yarn. Hold your hand open towards you, and separate your fingers. Put the end nearest to the ball between your thumb and index finger, with the ball behind your hand.















Step 2: Put the string you’ve already rolled out in front of your index finger. Then, string more behind your 3rd finger.









Step 3: After that, you weave the string behind your ring finger. To complete the zigzag pattern you are making, put some more string behind your pinkie finger. This is what it should look like.









Step 4: Now, we’re going to go back around, basically doing what you just did, backwards. Loop the yarn around, and in front of your pinkie finger. Then, string it behind your ring finger.











Step 5: To complete the zigzag pattern again, weave the yarn in front of your 3rd finger, and behind your index finger. You have now completed one row!









Step 6: Now repeat steps 2-5. You now have two rows of yarn.












Step 7: We are going to start the scarf now! Using your hand without yarn on it, take the bottom loop of yarn on your index finger, and pull it over your finger. Repeat this with all 4 fingers.









Step 8: Now, keep repeating steps 6-7 until you are satisfied with the length of your scarf.












Step 9: Now it’s time to tie it off. Take the loop off your index finger, and put it on your 3rd finger.
Step 10: Next, pull the bottom loop over your finger, like you have been doing in step 7, but with only one loop.
Step 11: Keep moving the loop over a finger, and pulling another off until you just have one loop on your pinkie.











Step 12: Cut the yarn off from the ball.
Step 13: Take the loop off your pinkie, and string the yarn through it.














Step 14: Weave the string of yarn through the scarf, until it doesn’t look like the string is there.
Step 15: Repeat step 14, but on the other end of the scarf. You now have a finger knitted scarf!













P.S. If you want to stop in the middle, put each loop on a pencil or pen. When you come back, just put it back on your fingers!
One more thing. If you want to make your scarf a little bit thicker, use more than one ball of yarn, and pretend all three strings are one.


By Ella Gammel
Thank you for reading my tutorial!

Origami Butterfly

   How to make an origami butterfly












Supplies needed:  one sheet of square paper

.
Step 2 Fold your paper in half so it is a rectangle


Step 3 Fold your paper in half again so it looks like a square.
Step 4 Pull the first square up.(The crease should face you)
Step 5 Put your finger in the crease.
Step 6 While you have your finger in the crease take your other finger and put it on top of the paper and flatten it to a triangle.



Step 7 Flip your paper over and repeat Step 5 and 6.
Step 8 Now that you have a triangle you are going to to take one flap on the right side and pull it to the middle and flatten it.
Step 9 Do the same on the left flap only do this on one side.
Step 10 Flip the paper over and pull the big section in the middle straight ahead and flatten it.



Step 11 Then fold the paper in half.


Step 12 Have fun you're done!!!

Flip Turn

Flip Turn                     



1.)   First you swim the length of pool( 25 yards).


2.) Once you get within a few feet of the wall, you prepare to do a somersault so that your feet will touch the wall.





3.  Then when you get a certain amount of feet away just do a somersault ( flip).

4.) After you do the somersault, then you put your feet on the wall diagonally( left or right) together.






5.) then push off the wall and then swim again.






Thing you might need:
  • pool ( of course)                                      
    goggles (if needed)                                              
        












Soft Pretzels

HOW TO MAKE SOFT PRETZELS



step 1: get the following ingredients:


4  1/2 cups of unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 teaspoons of salt
1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ cup of lukewarm water
2 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
8 teaspoons baking soda for dipping
2 cups warm water for dipping
coarse sea salt for toppings


materials:
a mixer
a knife
cutting board
measuring cups
spoons
baking sheets
cooling racks



  1. combine flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl  
  2. stir yeast into lukewarm water and let sit for 5 minutes
  3. add yeast mixture and oil to bowl with dry ingredients
  4. using mixer with dough hook combine until a ball of dough forms
  5. let rest for five minutes
  6. knead dough on floured cutting board until smooth
  7. form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight
  8. preheat oven to 400 degrees
  9. stir baking soda into water
  10. remove dough from refrigerator and divide into twelve pieces
  11. roll each piece to 17 inches long and form into pretzel shape (see pictures below)
  12. dip each pretzel in baking soda solution and sprinkle with salt
  13. place each pretzel on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 8 minutes.
  14. rotate pan and bake for another 8 minutes
  15. remove from oven and cool on cooling rack




roll into 17 inch strips







next fold one end of the dough so it looks like the picture below




after that do the same thing with the other end




grab the two ends and twist






Next put the pretzel(which should still be made out of dough and not cooked)in the mixture of 8 teaspoons of baking soda and 2 cups of lukewarm water.let the pretzel sit in the mixture for more than 10 seconds, sprinkle with kosher salt then put them in the oven as per recipe above.








Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Little Electricians!

by Tricia Colaprete

Today in science we did an experiment. We got to wire switches to try to make a three way switch!
  The idea was that you could walk through a room, turn on the light, then go through the other door and turn off the light. So, they gave us our equipment and we got started. We had some wire, some pliers, two switches,  a bulb, a screwdriver,and some other things.

                 
First we took the black wire from the battery and connected it with a screw on the switch. Meanwhile, we took the white wire and strung it through the hole in the switch box. Then we connected the first white wire with another white wire. Then, we took a different black wire and attached it to the screw on the other light switch. Then we the same white wire and put it through another switch box. Then we had to connect it again. There were two wires coming out of light bulb piece. There was a white one, and a black one. We attached a black or white [I can't remember] to the black one on the light bulb piece. Then we were ready! Would it work? You could hear yells as the lights turned on! 
Hopefully, it would turn on. If it didn't you would look back and see what went wrong. 
I couldn't believe it! We were mini electricians for 40 minutes! That was an awesome project and I thank Ms.Condron and Ms.Kris for setting that up. If you think about it though, we thought that was challenging, think about what real electricians must go through every day!








Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Density Intensity

Happy New Year!!!  We are so excited to be posting our first class written blog entry!!  We hope you enjoy it as much as we had fun collaborating to write the entry!

Over the last 2 days the class has had the opportunity to experiment with different liquids and solids.  We started out with several different cups of liquids.  We observed how some seemed much more fluid than others and some that barely moved at all!  Next we tried to determine what the liquid was by it's characteristics.  We smelled the contents by wafting carefully,  then looked at it, and swirled it carefully.  We made some guesses about what it could be and Mrs. Condron let us know when we had the correct answer to the liquid.  Finally, we slowly and carefully poured our demystified liquids into a glass.  First we poured in thick, golden honey, then a layer of corn syrup, milk, bright yellow liquid soap, red-tinted water, pale yellow veggie oil, rubbing alcohol dyed green and finally some bright blue lamp oil.  To our amazement, they stayed in their brightly colored layers!!
 We wondered why did this happen?   Density!!  That's what made them stay separate!  To take this experiment to another level, we dropped solids into our column to see what would happen.  Lo and behold, they stayed at different levels.  The ping-pong ball stayed at the top, the glass beads landed in the bottom layers (depending on which type of bead you picked), the bolt sank to the bottom and the die stayed on top of the honey layer.  A plastic bottle cap settled at the rubbing alcohol layer and the cherry tomato settled into the milk layer.  What an awesome way to see how different liquids and solids have varying densities.  The class recommends that everyone should give this experiment a try.  They said it was a lot of fun and was a truly colorful experience.  What a wonderful way to start off the school year!  :)
Dragon love,
5th Grade
P.S.  Do NOT drink your experiment when complete!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

T-Minus 2 Days...

I can't believe that it's only 2 days till we start school!!!  Presentation Night and Open House were AWESOME!!  It was wonderful to see all the families making themselves familiar with a new room, seeing friends, joking around, and just having a fun time together.  I loved watching my group of girls giggling together in a circle.  My boys were running around doing boy stuff, talking about their adventures over summer.  I heard camp, beach, and fishing, sounds like they had good time!  It was also great to meet our new families, we have 3 new friends this year.  Already they feel like part of the family!  I know that I gave out a lot of info at Presentation Night, and it might take a little time to absorb and assimilate all of it, but it will happen gradually.  As with all things new, it takes time to make adjustments.  Before you know it, it's like it's always been that way and things run smoothly.

Anyways, I want to keep this short, we are out of town with family and about to get ready to have our last big picnic of the summer season...in other words, I've got to get cooking!!  I hope everyone has something special planned on this last "official" weekend of summer.  I'm looking forward to seeing all those happy, smiling faces in my room on Tuesday!
Dragon Love,
Mrs. Kris.  :)

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Getting geared up!!

The sun is shining in my classroom window and the room is starting to take shape.  This can only mean one thing...school is getting ready to begin!!  I've been busy getting desks arranged, names put on things, organizing supplies, and wrapping up my summer to-do list.  (Unfortunately, there's still a lot left on it!)  I've talked to some parents and they are excited about the start of the year with so many adventures to embark upon.  How can you not be excited about a new school year?  It's the thrill of the unknown and new expectations!!

While I'm excited, I'm also anxious for the first week to be over and get to the regular days of class.  I like routine and the first week is just chaotic.  The second week is my actual favorite.  We all know each other, expectations have been laid out, and the coziness of things familiar is setting in.  With that said, we will have our first class post the first week of school to demonstrate what we want to do with this blog and then we will allow our guest bloggers to take it to new heights each and every week!!  I'm so excited about this, I hope the kids think it's fun!

We shall write more...after the holiday!  I hope everyone has an enjoyable, relaxing, and safe Labor Day!!
Mrs. Kris.  :)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Starting to feel like fall!

As I sit here it is raining outside and doesn't feel like summer very much.  It's hard to believe that it is August and school is right around the corner!  The back to school ads have been running non-stop on t.v. and the sales flyers are chock full of school supplies.  I'm not sure my boys appreciate the t.v. commercials, but I find them amusing!  Maybe it's the music that harkens back to my school days?  I'm sure some marketing analyst got paid big bucks for that clever idea!  It's working!!

Anyways, the air is feeling cooler and the sun seems to be shining through the windows at a different angle in the evening.  Football practice has started, and the constant running to and from the field...along with the extra loads of dirty football laundry.  So it can only mean one thing ~ school is about to begin!

I hope everyone has had a relaxing time and enjoyed the beauty that is the Eastern Shore...or wherever you may have enjoyed the time off.  Things are starting to gear up at school and I'm starting to get my brain back in school mode, too.  I'm looking forward to a fun, exciting, and adventurous year with a great group of students (they shall be called my "kids" from this point forward).  The gala planning is well underway, it is such an amazing event!  I hope everyone can attend, it's such a fabulous time...and is for a great cause!!

Can't wait to see everyone at the Open House!!
Much love,
Mrs. Kris  :)