Yours To Explore Box

HERE COMES THE SUN
July 2020

Please use this page as a resource and for additional instruction on how to complete these sun-related activities!
PLEASE NOTE: This page does not include all activities included in your ‘Yours to Explore Box’. This page includes expanded instructions (with pictures) for some activities as well as links to additional resources.

FUN-N-YUM-IN-THE-SUN PICNIC
(Harness the Sun: Family Activity)

Summertime is a great time to dine in the Great Outdoors! Whether it’s in your yard, at one of the hundreds of picnic tables found throughout Lorain County Metro Parks’ Reservations, or on one of Lake Erie’s beautiful beaches, there are a variety of outdoor spaces for you to partake in a picnic with your family & friends and with nature as a beautiful backdrop. Here are some simple tips & to-do’s and yummy, sun-inspired recipes to help you prepare for your fun-n-yum picnic!

• When packing for your picnic, keep-in-mind that whatever you pack in you will also pack out and will be “carried around”, thus your items & food should be light, movable, and durable.

• Consider utilizing a picnic basket or tote for tableware & non-perishable items and a cooler or insulated bag for cold food & beverages.

• Pack your basket in reverse order to make it easier to get at the items you need when you first arrive at your picnic site. Place your nonperishable food & condiments on the bottom, then serving items and tableware, and your tablecloth or picnic blanket on top.

• To stay safe & comfy, check the weather before you go and dress accordingly, bring sunblock and sunglasses, hand sanitizer or wipes to clean your hands before & after eating, insect repellent and ointment for bites/stings, and bandages, antibacterial ointment, & plastic gloves just-in-case.

• Before you pack up the cooler, chill everything thoroughly and pack in plenty of ice or ice packs. To be safe, Good Housekeeping recommends that food shouldn't sit outdoors for more than 1 hour.

• Freeze some bottled water ahead of time to use as an ice pack. Then, once it melts, enjoy as your picnic beverage.

• If you are picnicking on the grassy ground, bring a cutting board or tray to serve food on and to set your drinks on so they don’t tip over easily.

• If you are eating at a picnic table, bring clips to hold your tablecloth down if the wind picks up.

Yummy Sun Recipes:

PINWHEEL CRAFT
(Harness the Sun: Extension Activity)

Supplies:

• 2 sheets of paper with different colors

• Paper fastener or pushpin

• Straw, Popsicle stick, or Pencil (with eraser if using the pushpin)

• Ruler

• Scissors

• Glue (optional)

How-To:

1. If using a straw or popsicle stick, carefully make a small cut into the straw or stick to allow the paper fastener through when you are ready to attach your pinwheel

2. Cut out a 6x6-inch square (you can make the square smaller or larger)

3. If using a second sheet of paper, cut out the same size square and glue the 2 papers together back-to-back

4. Use a ruler to trace a line from corner to corner

5. Make a mark on each line 1/3 away from the center

6. Cut along the lines you traced until you reach the 1/3 mark (see photo)

7. After making the four slits, you will have 8 tips on your square

8. Take one of the tips (tip #1) and bring it to the center of the square (to make a blade) without creasing the paper. You can glue the tip in place or just hold it with your hand as you do the next steps (see photo)

9. Take tip #3 and bring it to the center of the square

10. Now, bring tip #5 and then tip #7 to the center (you can glue tips #3, 5, & 7 in place or just hold them with your hand) (see photo)

11. Next, insert the paper fastener or pushpin through the center of your pinwheel. If you did not glue the ends of the blades in the previous steps, the pushpin should hold all four blades together. Twist the fastener or pin a little to make the hole smooth which will help your pinwheel spin.

12. Lastly, attach your pinwheel to the straw/stick, or carefully push the pushpin into the pencil eraser. Loosen the fastener or pin a bit if the blades do not rotate well.

13. Use your breath, by blowing at the blades’ edges, or the wind to make your pinwheel spin!

Try making your pinwheel spin at different speeds and lengths of time. If sunny out, observe the pinwheel’s shadow as it spins, can you make the shadow bigger, smaller? Look for natural objects that “spin” such as maple tree seeds (samaras). The aerodynamics that keep these “helicopter seeds” aloft also enable certain insects, bats, and hummingbirds to hover in the air, as well as these seeds inspired single-bladed helicopters.

The instructions for this craft and the accompanying photos were provided by www.firstpalette.com.

RAINBOW SNAKE BUBBLES
(Creature Feature - Eastern Gardner Snake: Movement Activity)

Supplies:

• Empty plastic water bottle

• 1 sock

• Liquid dish soap

• Water

• Shallow container

• Scissors

• Tape or rubber bands to secure

• Assortment of food coloring.

How-To:

1. Cut off the bottom of your water bottle

2. Stretch your sock over the bottle and secure it down

3. Add a few drops of food coloring to sock on the end of bottle

4. Pour & mix some dish soap & water into container until you get a good bubble consistency

5. Dip end of bottle & sock into the solution and then blow “out” (NOT in) on the bottle’s mouth piece to make your bubble snake slither out!

Try experimenting with different sized bottles, colors, and quantities of water and dish soap to see if you can make different shapes, sizes, and colors of soapy serpents! How does your snake look in the sunlight? Can you make a snake shadow?

Enjoying the Yours To Explore Box?

If you had a great time doing the activities included in the box, make sure you don’t miss out on our future ‘Yours to Explore’ boxes! Stay tuned to the “What’s Happening?” page of our website and our Facebook page to find out when the next one becomes available!

Next Month’s theme: Wild with Water

Featuring aquatic animals, the water cycle, and more!