November 2, 2007, Newsletter Issue #200: Plaster Of Paris

Tip of the Week

It's amazing how many educational uses can be found for Plaster of Paris. One of our favorite activities was burying some shells in a cup of Plaster of Paris and then "discovering" and "recovering" it. We've also made prints of leaves and animal tracks, created sedimentary rock and faux "scrimshaw."

To make the sedimentary rock we mixed Plaster of Paris with sand, divided the mixture into three cups, colored the mixture with food colorings and just a touch of water, and then relayered it into a Styrofoam cup. After the mixture has set, we pulled off the Styrofoam.

To make the scrimshaw, we poured Plaster of Paris into the lid of a Baby Wipes container. After it had set, we scratched traditional scrimshaw designs into the surface with a nail. Then, we rubbed black shoepolish over the surface and into the cracks. Finally, we wiped off the shoe polish leaving it in the cracks.

*You can also purchase plaster molds in a variety of shapes. We bought dinosaur molds to create a whole herd of plaster reptiles.

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Thanks so much for reading the the Homeschool Tips Newsletter.

The new 2006-2007 Sonlight catalog is hot off the presses! In addition to new educational resources, we've also made some significant improvements to our curriculum, such as expanded flexibility in Reader choices for Levels K through 2.

The catalog also provides several articles with helpful homeschool tips. For example, check out the "Top Ten Goals" article (pp. 146-147) which can help you think through your personal philosophy when it comes to homeschooling. And "Why we use certain books that some homeschoolers won't touch" (pp. 144-145), that gets into some pretty important issues about the content of books. And you won’t want to miss “27 Reasons NOT to Buy Sonlight”—a perennial favorite (beginning on page 148).

To take a look at our catalog online go to:
https://www.sonlight.com/request-catalog.html?am=06catonln

To request a copy of the catalog go to:
https://www.sonlight.com/request-catalog.html?am=06catreq

Sincerely

Sarita Holzmann
President
Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.