Brain Breaks!

Hey Kinder Friends,

I have had a few days of summer break and I have had some time to grab all sorts of ideas from some great bloggers. I have even spent a few hours minutes on Pinterest. I have enjoyed all of the post on behavior management. I was trying to figure out how to combine a few projects, so I thought I would give this little one a try. I am sure you have seen the Mind Jar from Juggling With Kids. I was always drawn to that picture so I had to make one of my own. I was planning on using my Mind Jar as a positive way to stop some inappropriate behavior. I thought this would be perfect for a Brain Break. To tell you the truth, I have spent a whole lot of time with my little Mind Jar. And I have had nothing short of a chemistry lab going on around here.

Before you start anything make sure you have the kind of container that you want.  The Mind Jar pictures show a glass Mason jar. Considering I was planning on using this as a behavior management tool, I started thinking that I might need a plastic jar just in case...you get the idea ; ) If you would like to make your own this is what you will need:

3/4 a bottle and more if needed.

Food color drops to reach desired color.

And a jar and water.

Remember how I said I have spent a lot of time with my Mind Jar? Let me tell you why. I tried several recipes for my Mind Jar. Not all of the recipes worked. I have learned through trial and error what worked and what doesn't. I tried different glue and it made the water too cloudy or the water was not thick enough. I tried regular glitter instead of super fine but that did not work well either because it didn't sink. If you use the same materials as above, you will be well on your way to some fantastic creation.

Fill your jar with water and heat in the microwave for a few minutes. Add your glue and stir to dissolve. Add food coloring and glitter. Secure the top and shake. Once I had the recipe worked out all I had left to do was work out the timing.Time your glitter as it falls to make sure that the glitter is not falling too fast. If the glitter falls too fast, just add more glue to slow it down. I wanted my glitter to fall down for five minutes because I figured that would be long enough to allow for a Brain Break and the inappropriate behavior would just be all forgotten...

 Like I said, I have made and remade and tested this Mind Jar like I was in a lab and it suddenly occurred to me that this little jar is so mesmerizing that it just might make every single Kinder Kid want to throw a little fit just to play around with the nifty Mind Jar. I had a Brain Break and had to switch gears. So a star is born...My Star Gazing Jar and I LOVE it!

Hop on over to the Science Lab to find out what I am now doing with my Star Gazing Jar!