Our Favorite Free, Low-Tech Math Game Of The Moment

The 8-year old loves to play games and I'm always grateful when she finds one that doesn't involve a video screen. Her teacher recently sent home a sheet explaining the game “Shut The Box” that I'd like to share with you because it's doing a marvelous job of reinforcing her math skills. Note: I would credit the game's source, but the sheet doesn't list one.


Here's what you need to play: a sheet of paper, pencils or crayons of different colors, and a pair of dice. Yep. That's it. Don't you love the simplicity?


Here's how you play:

1. Write the numbers 1 through 12 on the sheet of paper.
   
2. Player 1 rolls the dice. They cross out one or more numbers that add up to that roll. So if a player rolls an 8, she can cross out the 8, or the 6 and 2, or the 7 and 1, or the 3 and 5. Each player should use a different color of pencil or crayon to keep track of their turns.
   
3. After the numbers 6 and up are crossed off, the player can choose to roll just one die.
   
4. If the player manages to cross off all of the numbers, she's “shut the box.” If she can't match a roll to the remaining numbers, her turn ends, and any uncrossed numbers are tallied up. Then the next person goes.
   
5. The person with the lowest number wins.
   

We played this 10 times yesterday and 20 times today! I could see playing this game in a restaurant, but instead of carrying dice around, I'd use this free app I just found for my Android phone called Dice 3-D which is available in Google's Play Store. You merely shake or tap the phone to roll the dice. Obvious hint: choose the tap option with smaller children so the phone doesn't go flying.


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And speaking of an awesome little game you can play in a restaurant, I'm reminded of this great homemade variation of the game KerPlunk my son and I played when he was little.  I think we saw it on the long-defunct PBS show, Zoom.

I loved this show! 

Here's what you need to play: a cup, a rubber band or hair elastic, a few pennies, a toothpick or pencil (the handle of a spoon works, too), a napkin or paper towel.


Here's how you play:

1. Stretch the napkin over the cup and secure with a rubber band. It will look kind of like a drum.
   
2. Place a few pennies on the napkin.
   
3. Players take turns poking a hole in the napkin. The object of the game is to avoid being the one who lets the pennies fall in the cup.
   

I used this game as a catalyst to discuss gravity and tensile strength. We experimented with variations on this game using paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper to see which paper products were the strongest. We've even tried using different brands of paper towels to determine which was the strongest; in our tests, Bounty killed the other brands.


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Thanks for reading! Please come back in a day or two, won't you?

The Bad Cook's 9 Best Homemade Air Fresheners

As I said my previous post, I am not a good cook, which is why my husband has dubbed me Salmonella Sally. Yeah, real supportive, Dear. Anyway, because of my tendency to use the smoke alarm as a dinner bell, I've become somewhat creative at masking the smell of burned food. Why buy air fresheners, which contain oodles of chemicals, when you can make your own with a minimum amount of effort at a fraction of the cost?


Now, some websites will tell you to simmer a mixture of fruits and seasonings on the stove. I've got enough to remember without thinking about something new on the stove. And, honestly, with my luck, I'll burn the air freshener which is trying to mask the odor of burned food and then have to mask the odor of the burned air freshener. I am, therefore, eschewing anything you have to actively watch in favor of less, shall we say, active recipes. This includes scented candles, which are particularly attractive to our very curious feline, and using the crock pot for simmering scents; sorry, but my crock pot is too busy feeding the family to be used as an air freshener.


So now, dear reader, I present (drumroll, please): The Bad Cook's 9 Best Homemade Air Fresheners.  I've divided them up into two categories:  room sprays and non-sprays.  Please remember to always keep any kind of air freshener away from small children and label the bottles/jars so you know what's in them.  


Room Sprays 


Recipe 1: Combine 1 teaspoon each of baking soda and lemon juice with 2 cups of water. This mixture will fizz a bit; when it's done, stir it well and pour into a spray bottle that sprays a fine mist. Spray smelly areas two or three times a day. This is my favorite air freshener for when I've burned something and company is coming. I keep a bottle of this near the cat's litter box and spray it every time I see Cossette leave her “potty.” Another benefit: spray this before someone comes in and they'll think you've cleaned the house! That's especially true if you substitute pine oil for the lemon juice.


Recipe 2: Add 10 to 20 drops of essential oil (use one or a combo of two or three) to a clean spray bottle that's filled with 3 parts of water to 1 part of cheap vodka. Apparently the ethanol in the vodka dilutes the oil to make it easier to spray. Great for bathrooms, bedrooms, and for gatherings in which you've served chili.


Non-Sprays


1. Fill a container with plain white rice (not instant) and add a few drops of oil.
2. Fill several small dishes with white vinegar or coffee grounds. Yep – that's it. Leave it overnight.  This works really well when you've burned microwave popcorn or for especially pungent odors.  
3. Use foam peanuts and add a few drops of essential oil or spray with remnants of perfume. Even better, the next time you're served coffee in those styrofoam cups, shred the cup, put the pieces in a clean jar, add oil, and use it as an air freshener.
4. Place a few cotton balls in a bowl and add essential oils.
5. Buy sprigs of eucalyptus and place in vases around the house.
6. Grab some cheap felt from the craft store, cut into shapes (heart, flowers) and poke a hole through; then add a ribbon (so you can hang it) and add a few drops of oil. Great for the house, in the porch, closet, or in the car.
7. Fill a dish or clean jar with ¼ of a cup of baking soda and add 8 or so drops of essential oil. If you're using a jar, poke a few holes in the lid to release the smell.


Lastly, I've seen tutorials on making your home smell fresh by putting vanilla extra or oil on light bulbs but, honestly, I'm not sure either method is 100% safe; somehow, putting something on a piece of glass that gets hot just doesn't feel right to me. And there are ways to make homemade gel air fresheners. I didn't include them here because, after all, I am the Lazy Mom and, in my humble opinion, they require too much effort. However, here's a great “how to” should you feel so inclined: http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Air-Freshener-Gel.


People form a first impression of you based on their sensory experience and that includes smell. Plus, there's something nice about coming home to a house that smells pleasant and not like last night's fish dinner. I hope the ideas above help make your surroundings far more pleasing to your nose!  Happy sniffing! 


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As always, thanks for reading! Please check back in with me in a day or two for Chinese New Year craft ideas!