Category: Kids

Blog, Kids, Parenting

Now Available for Preorder! The Space Science Handbook: 32 Celestial Science Projects for Kids

by CaraLeave a Comment on Now Available for Preorder! The Space Science Handbook: 32 Celestial Science Projects for Kids

My newest book The Space Science Handbook: 32 Celestial Science Projects for Kids is available for preorder! The long awaited follow-up to The Science Spell Book hits stores September 2nd, 2025! Preorder from your favorite retailer now and it will ship automatically on that day.

The Space Science Handbook

Embark on an intergalactic adventure where you’ll study bright galaxies, envision new planets, and explore futuristic technology in this imaginative science activity book for kids!

The Space Science Handbook takes children on a tour of the cosmos through scientific experiments, creative projects, and demonstrations. In addition to exploring aspects of the solar system, extraterrestrial life, and space technology, this book teaches vital scientific concepts and helps children consider sociological and philosophical implications of a future in the stars. Each experiment includes a mission brief, simple instructions and diagrams, and an explanation of the science at work!

Experiments include:

  • Atmospheric Pressure: Crush a can using the Earth’s atmosphere
  • Turbulent Flow: Study turbulent flow using milk, food coloring, and dish soap
  • Space Sludge: Make magnetic slime
  • Emergency Battery: Create a battery from potatoes
  • Wearable Electronics: Create a signaling patch
  • and 27 more!
Blog, Curiosities, Home and Garden, Kids

Spore Prints

by CaraLeave a Comment on Spore Prints

Spore prints are best made from fresh mushrooms found outdoors. They are a stunning way to observe and study nature. Learn how to gather, print, and preserve these delicate pieces of art.

Spore prints from mushrooms found outdoors are an easy and beautiful way to study nature.

Mushrooms are fascinating. They are pervasive in folklore and iconography, and evoke feelings that range from unnerving to adorable. I was once intimidated by mushrooms. I didn’t want to touch them and I was scared that my children would eat one. Then I moved to a property that was speckled with hundreds of mushrooms come the end of summer. Every step, we could point out a new variety and it was interesting and frightening and I was drawn in.

I decided that, like many other fears I’ve had in my life, the best way to deal with it is to learn more and study it. One of the first projects I did was taking spore prints because it required me to face my fear and touch them. Now after borrowing many books from the library, exposing myself to the world of mushroom hunting, and strolling our property for mushrooms every night in the late summer, I have a deep respect and mild obsession with these organisms. Let’s learn a bit about them.

Continue reading “Spore Prints” →
Kids

Black Slime for Halloween

by CaraLeave a Comment on Black Slime for Halloween

For the most perfect black slime recipe ever, look no further! Say goodbye to grit and residue with this amazing deep dark goop!

Materials

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Procedure

  1. In one bowl, dissolve 1/2 tsp of borax into 1/2 cup of hot water.
  2. In the other bowl, mix 1/4 cup of glue with 1/4 cup water.
  3. A tsp at a time, mix 4-6 tsp of activated charcoal into the glue/water mixture. It won’t mix in at first, but just keep stirring, it will eventually mix in! Just a minute or so of stirring. Stop adding when it’s black enough for you. Mix until thoroughly combined.
  4. Add 12 tsp borax solution to the glue mixture a teaspoon at a time while stirring. This slow addition of the borax ensures a super smooth slime without the need for lots of kneading. You will know when to stop adding when all of the black glue mixture is in the ball of slime and there is none left in a puddle at the bottom of the bowl.
  5. Pick up the glob and fold and squish a few times. You’re done! After you’re finished playing with it, store it in an air tight container. If it feels gooey after a few days, add a little more borax solution till you get the consistency you like. We think this gradual goo-ing might be due to the activated charcoal absorbing some of the borax (see below for what borax does!).

Discussion

The glue contains a long molecule called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). It is a polymer, which is a molecule that contains repeats of a subunit molecule (for example, “A” is a subunit and “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” is a polymer of A). Borax (sodium tetraborate) is a small molecule that can stick to parts of the PVA through a type of weak but plentiful bonds. One side of the borate molecule can stick to one strand of PVA, while the other side of the borate can also stick to a different strand of PVA, creating a bridge between the two PVA strands. This is called crosslinking.

Having many crosslinking sites usually makes a polymer more rigid, but the interesting thing about borate/PVA crosslinking is that the bond is transient, meaning it can easily break and reform somewhere else. This causes the slime to act kind of like a liquid and kind of like a solid. If given time, the PVA can ‘flow’ as gravity pulls and breaks and reforms the borate/PVA crosslinks. It acts like a slime instead of a true liquid because as the PVA molecules pass by more borate, they can momentarily bond to borate and another strand of PVA, slowing down the flow. If you pull the slime fast, you break those bonds at the point of stress quickly, allowing the slime to act like a solid momentarily.

This dark black slime is perfect for Halloween. Throw some googly eyes, plastic spiders, or confetti in there for hours of fun!