Design an Official Seal for Your Own Country!

 
Finished stamp and mark
 

In my book Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture, I show you how to design a country around a theme of your choosing. Micronations are imaginary countries that have a lot of the same things as real ones: laws, customs, history-even their own flags, coins, and postage stamps. The documents, symbols, and other physical artifacts you create tell the world what your country is about.

You can find out more about the book and print out a PDF of this project at the Nomad Press website.

Get your softcover copy from Nomad and shipping is free through April!

Once you’ve come up with ideas for symbols for your country, you can use them to make your micronation’s official coat of arms and a seal. For example, the Great Seal of the United States shows an eagle holding arrows symbolizing war in one claw and an olive branch symbolizing peace in the other.

Seals were originally designs pressed into a soft piece of wax with a mold. A seal put on a document shows that a person or government official has approved it. Today seals are usually stamped on with an inkpad or pressed into a piece of paper with a special tool so that it leaves a raised mark. This project makes a rubbery stamp for putting an inked seal on important documents.

Materials

Materials

  • paper and pencil

  • marker

  • craft foam

  • scissors

  • glue

  • piece of cardboard, flip flop, or blocks of wood small enough to fit in your hand

  • inkpad, or paint on a disposable plate

  1. Start by sketching out your micronation’s coat of arms. First draw the outside border of your design. Make it thick like the frame on a painting. It can be a circle, a shield, or any shape you like. Then choose some of your micronation’s symbols and arrange them inside the border. Keep the symbols simple, and make sure they don’t touch each other or the outside border.

  2. To make the stamp, copy your coat of arms onto a sheet of craft foam. To make the backing, take your cardboard, foam backing from a flip-flop shoe, or wood and lay it on the table with the stamping side facing up.

  3. Cut around the outside shape of your craft foam seal. Turn it over so the drawing on it is facing down. You do that because your stamp must be a mirror image of the final version. Place it on the backing, then trace around it to show where it will go.

  4. Carefully cut out the symbols of your seal from the craft foam. Glue the outside shape onto the backing, again making sure that the side with the drawing is facing down onto the backing. Then glue the symbols inside, also facing down.

  5. When it’s dry, test your seal with a sheet of scrap paper before you put it on any important documents. Press it onto an inkpad or into a very small amount of paint poured onto a disposable plate. Then press it onto the scrap paper to see how it looks. If you want your seal to appear in different colors, you can carefully brush a thin coat of paint onto just one section or symbol at a time using the colors you would like for your coat of arms. You can also try swirling a few colors around on the plate, keeping them separate, for a multicolor effect.

 

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Happy Pi Day! Have S'More Pie

 
Smore Pi
 

I love S’Mores — that campfire treat that sandwiches chocolate and marshmallow between two graham crackers. But what inspired me to make an oven-baked variation was the discovery of a geeky ingredient that gives this pie the woodsy aroma that takes it over the top: liquid smoke flavoring!

 
Smore Pi Book.jpg
 

This recipe updates my original version, which appeared on Wired in 2011. For Pi Day 2020, which celebrates the mathematical constant with edible round delights, I’m adding homemade marshmallow topping from my book Edible Inventions. I’m also making the graham cracker crust and chocolate pudding filling from scratch.

Don’t worry, you can use a pre-made graham cracker crust, boxed instant pudding mix, and store-bought mini-marshmallows and it will still be pretty yummy. If you can toast the topping under the broiler or with a kitchen torch, even better!

There’s a lot of math and chemistry in turning ingredients into dessert, so it’s a great activity for kids (with adult supervision). Give it a try! Here's my recipe for Smoky S'More Pie:

SmorePi

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1 package of graham crackers (add another 1/2 package for large pie pans)

  • 1/3 cup sugar (brown or regular)

  • 6 tablespoons melted butter (add a bit more for large pie pans)

Chocolate Pudding Pie Filling (adapted from here):

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup cocoa

  • 3 tablespoons flour

  • pinch salt

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 3 cups milk

  • 1½ tablespoons butter

  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla

  • dark chocolate chips (optional)

Marshmallow Topping 

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1 packet or 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

  • 2 cups granulated table sugar

  • scant (a little less than) 1/3 cup water

  • liquid smoke flavoring (such as this)

Directions

To make the crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

  2. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs by breaking them up, putting them in a bag, and smashing them with a rolling pin or large jar.

  3. Put the crumbs in a bowl and mix in the sugar and melted butter.

  4. Press the mixture into a pie pan with a spoon or flat-bottomed cup.

  5. Bake for 7 minutes and let cool.

Smore Pie Crust

To make the filling:

Smore Pie Filling

  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, flour, salt, and eggs. Slowly stir in the milk until it’s well mixed.

  2. Set the stove for medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to bubble, about 15 minutes.

  3. Remove from heat and quickly add the butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter melts.

  4. Pour the filling into the crust. Add chocolate chips around the rim if desired. If you want to keep a skin from forming, lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface. Chill for several hours.

To make the topping:

Smore Pie Topping

  1. Combine the water and gelatin in a bowl, and let it sit.

  2. Combine one cup of the granulated sugar and the rest of the water in a saucepan. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is all dissolved and the mixture looks clear.

  3. Pour in the gelatin mixture and bring the pot to a boil. Turn off the heat, take the pan off the stove, and let the pan sit to cool for a few minutes.

  4. When the mixture has cooled, pour it into a large mixing bowl.

  5. Beat it with an electric mixer until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. You should see the mixture get thicker and increase in size. It’s done when it looks shiny and white and it’s thick enough for soft peaks to form. With a spatula, fold in about five drops of liquid smoke flavoring (or to taste).

  6. Spread the topping over the pudding. (If you have any leftover, spread it in a greased pan. When it's set, cut it into squares and roll them in powdered sugar to make your own marshmallows!)

  7. Turn the oven on to broil. Put the pie on the top oven rack under the flame for 30 seconds or just until the topping begins to smoke. Turn the pie to brown it evenly. Decorate with graham crackers and/or more chocolate chips if desired.

 

Serve warmed or chilled. Happy Pi Day!

Smore Pi Slice

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Exponentially Speaking

 
One Grain of Rice by Demi
 

I wish Tom Hanks and Idris Elba a speedy recovery from COVID-19. But by the time this is over, as many as 60% of us may get it.

The reason is that the virus is spreading exponentially. That’s a math term which means the rate of change is proportional to the original number. For example, if something decreases by half or grows by a factor of three.

Many people don’t understand how that works. To demonstrate, I highly recommend a great book by one of my favorite author/illustrators, Demi.

The book One Grain of Rice illustrates the concept of “exponentially” perfectly. It’s the story of a rajah who believes himself to be wise and fair, but he uses his hungry people's rice for himself year after year. Then a village girl named Rani devises a clever plan. She asks the raja for one grain of rice, and then to double it every day for a month.

On the first day the raja gives her one grain. The second day she gets two. By day eight, she’s up to 128. Soon the numbers explode. On day 22, she gets over 2 million grains of rice. By the thirtieth day, the page is filled with rice — enough to feed all the hungry people in his domain.

That’s how quickly something can grow — exponentially.

This page may contain affiliate links. They add nothing to your cost, and help support this website. Another way to help me keep producing great STEAM content for kids is to buy my books. Thanks!

Emergency Homeschooling

 

How to Keep Your Kids Learning and Your Sanity Intact When You’re All at Home

 
EmergencyHomeschoolingMeme.png

You survived the spring, but the fall looks just as uncertain. Will kids be going to school full-time or part-time? Are teachers reaching out to students with real-time classes, or is there too much time spent with online quiz and drill sites? Or have you been left to figure it all out on your own?

As a veteran homeschooling parent, the former Hands-On Learning columnist for Home Education Magazine, and a past Homeschooling Expert for About.com (now ThoughtCo), let me assure you, homeschooling may be a lot less stressful than dealing with whatever schools are able to offer.

And with a little encouragement and support, you and your kids can survive and thrive through this rough period. Here are a few tips to help you get started. For more, check out my blog, and join my DIY Homeschool group on Facebook!

Don’t Just Do School at Home

After Hurricane Katrina, when FEMA’s response to displaced families in emergency housing was to hand out workbooks and tell them they were on their own, I began a project to collect and share “emergency homeschooling” tips parents could use even if they were cut off from community resources.

Schoolbooks3.jpg

The good news, as I learned then, is that you don’t have to recreate school at home, even for the short term. For most families, the best thing about homeschooling is the flexibility to do whatever fits your needs at the moment.

To show you how, I’m sharing some ideas to help you keep your kids learning and active while they’re stuck around the house, the best way to make those experiences meaningful and educational -- and how to maintain your sanity while you do it.

Be sure to also check out my books of hands-on learning activities, my project tutorials, and additional blog posts featuring tips for covering every subject for kids from elementary school on up!

Make Screen Time Worthwhile

If you opt for online school, virtual lessons and activities will fill at least part of the day.

But that doesn’t mean the rest of your kids’ time online has to be mindless entertainment. There are sites that offer straight school-type lessons, like Khan Academy. But kids will enjoy, and learn from, information presented in less static ways too. For instance, they can:

  • Practice a new language with an app like Duolingo.

  • Watch science in action with exciting shows like Mythbusters Jr..

  • Begin to program their own games and animations with free online software like MIT’s Scratch and Microsoft’s MakeCode.

  • Learn 3D design with a collection of real-life “building” objects like pencils and cardboard tubes using the free online Tinkercad Making at Home collection.

  • Read or listen to e-books and audio books borrowed from your local public library!

Use What You Got

Homeschoolers know that kids can learn a lot just using stuff around the house. With you, or on their own, they can:

  • manipulate fractions by measuring out ingredients for a recipe (try some from my book Edible Inventions)

  • analyze social issues through children’s literature (anything from the classic Little House books to this year’s Newbery-winning graphic novel New Kid)

  • test physics principles while they assemble a house band from cans, bottles, boxes, and a little string (get ideas from my book Musical Inventions).

Give Kids the Gift of Unstructured Time

Use the break from scheduled activities to give kids something they don’t get a lot of these days – unstructured time to take a deep dive into their own projects and interests.

  • Let them work on that graphic novel or animated series they’ve been talking about forever.

  • Encourage them to organize and research that collection of interesting rocks or ancient coins growing dusty under the bed.

  • Nudge them to finally master that piano piece they always wanted to learn.

Flipbook Boy

Experiences like these don’t just give kids a break from the daily grind – they also look good on college applications. (It worked for my kids, who got into programs to study filmmaking and video game programming!)

Talk, Don’t Test

You may want to keep track of the “work” your child does while they’re not in school. That’s great — but when you’re already dealing with a major disruption to your daily routine, don’t make record-keeping your top priority.

And unless your kid loves worksheets and quizzes, it’s not necessary to grade their work, either. You’ll know how much they’re learning just by asking them to show and tell you what they’re doing.

If you want more, suggest ways they can document their own work. For instance, have them:

  • write and illustrate a book, compose a song or dance, or make a video about topics they’re interested in

  • design a game set in another place or time in history

  • create a quiz for you to take!

Make “school” playful and (with luck) they’ll happily spend hours on it without prodding from you.

Take a Deep Breath — and Let the Kids Help

It’s going to be stressful enough keeping the household functioning during an emergency, especially if you’re trying to work from home at the same time. Cut yourself as much slack as you can, and don’t set unrealistic goals.

This is a good time to give kids an age-appropriate taste of autonomy — and responsibility. The more they get to choose their own activities, the less likely they’ll be to squabble with siblings or whine about being bored. Put them in charge of tasks and they will feel useful. You may be surprised to see how they rise to the situation.

There’s not a lot of good things to say about an epidemic. But if you use this break in the routine to let kids to follow their interests, it doesn’t have to mean time wasted for their education.

Some additional resources:

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Crafts for Learning: Pie-Tin Celtic Jewelry

 
Celtic Shield Library.JPG
 

Welcome! This is the first in an on-going series of Crafts for Learning articles for kids, each with a hands-on project using everyday stuff like household supplies and recycled materials. You can find this project and more in my book Around the World Crafts.

Up until very recently, people in Britain would dig up sphagnum moss from swampy peat bogs to use as fuel. In 1983 in England, workers cutting peat moss in Lindow Moss bog discovered a body and called the police. The victim had been strangled, hit on the head, and stabbed. And the authorities had a likely suspect: a local man whose wife had disappeared 25 years earlier. When police told him of their find, the man confessed to his wife’s murder. So it was a surprise to all involved when experts declared that the body wasn’t the unlucky wife. In fact, it belonged to a man who had died nearly 2,000 years ago! What was the truth behind the mysterious bog body? The answer came through archeology.

Archeology is the study of past human cultures. Archeologists dig up artifacts, or things made by the people they’re studying. Then they scientifically analyze them. They try to figure out when the artifacts were made, how they were used, and how they ended up where they were found. Occasionally, as in the case of the Lindow Man, they also find remains of the people themselves. Radiocarbon dating told researchers that Lindow Man lived between AD 20 and 90. At that time a tribe of people known as the Celts occupied Britain.

Starting around 800 BC, the Celts were the most powerful tribe in northern Europe. This was the Iron Age, and metalwork was a specialty of people of the region. For decoration, they made elaborate brooches (pins), torcs (neck rings), and arm bands. For fighting, they made shields, helmets, and swords. They adorned them with designs featuring animal and human heads. Another popular pattern was the triskeles, a wheel made of three running human legs. (Three was a special number to the Celts). But most Celtic artifacts have been not found in homes, which were made of straw and mud that did not survive the centuries. Instead, like the Lindow Man, they were found in water.

Celtic arm band

The Celts did not have a written language of their own. But in AD 43, Roman armies invaded Britain. The invading Romans wrote about the Celtic priests, the Druids. The Druids worshipped gods and goddesses who were part of the natural world in their secret ceremonies. For instance, every winter solstice Druids would give out sprigs of mistletoe. These were hung over doorways as protection from evil. Heather was another sacred plant with connections to the spirit realm. Water was connected to the Otherworld. The Druids would place ceremonial offerings of valuable handicrafts in rivers, lakes and bogs. It was said they also made human sacrifices there.

As it happens, the sphagnum moss in peat bogs turn the swampy water to acid. The acid kills the bacteria that makes things rot. So instead of decomposing, Lindow Man’s soft body parts were preserved by the bogwater. His skin and organs became tough and rubbery. It was the same process that turns animal hides into leather. Lindow Man’s bones, clothes and shoes had dissolved. But archeologists found traces of his last meal in Lindow Man’s stomach. It consisted of bread cooked over a fire of heather branches, and a drink made of mistletoe pollen. For archeologists, the “triple” murder, the watery grave, and the sacred plants were all clues. They concluded that Lindow Man was the victim of human sacrifice.

You can make a replica of an Iron Age arm band or ceremonial shield covered with Celtic designs out of copper foil from the art store or even an aluminum baking pan. Wear it on your wrist or turn your shield into a pin to wear on your cloak!

Materials:

  • Scrap paper

  • Copper foil (30 mils thick) or aluminum foil pie tin or baking pan

  • Embossing tool with a rounded point (like a lift-erase pad drawing stick) or a spoon

  • Stack of scrap paper or cardboard, or sheet of craft foam to press on

  • Sequins or other decorative “jewels” (peel-and-stick or use adhesive dots to attach)

  • (Optional) Stick-on pin fastening

  1. To get ideas, look for Celtic designs on websites like the British Museum website and DK Books.

  2. Draw your shield or bracelet first on a piece of paper. Then draw a margin about ½ inch around the edge. This will be your pattern for cutting your copper or aluminum.

  3. Use scissors to cut the foil the same size as your pattern. Handle the metal carefully, as the edges may be sharp.

  4. Put your soft surface under your piece of foil with the BACK facing up. Fold the edges towards you and press down smoothly with your embossing tool or a spoon.

  5. On the back of the foil, use the embossing tool to draw your design. It will “pop out” on the front. Try using different pressures and angles with the tool to get different effects. To make the design stand out even more, turn the piece over and outline the design on the front.

  6. Add jewels or other decorations.

  7. Bend the bracelet to fit around your wrist, or attach a pin fastening to the back of your shield, near enough to the top so that the pin won’t tip forward when you’re wearing it.

This page may contain affiliate links. They add nothing to your cost, and help support this website. Another way to help me keep producing great STEAM content for kids is to buy my books. Thanks!