Camping Printables

I'm writing inspirational fiction for middle grade readers (ages 8-12).  Though I am not yet published, I believe I'm making large strides toward this goal.  I invite you to check out the puzzles and games I created based on my current work in progress.  Since the Mad Lib and Would You Rather... worksheets are related to camping, I thought Girl Scouts and their leaders might find them to be entertaining.  Work on them while on a camping trip, or print them out to occupy the girls while you're waiting for parents to arrive at the end of a meeting.  However you choose to use them, I hope your girls enjoy!

An Exciting Announcement

I am excited to announce I am writing books for middle grade readers. This week, I officially launched my website:   http://lauriestroupsmith.com/  Though I am not yet a published author, I will document my experiences on the new website as I pursue this goal. Additionally, I hope to connect and inspire readers and their families through fun reading and writing projects, puzzles, and games related to my books. 

If this idea interests you and your Scouts and you would like to encourage this journey, I invite you to visit and "like" my Facebook page.  I'm looking forward to connecting with you there.  Thank you in advance for giving it a chance.

As promised in a previous post, I will continue to document on this blog the badge steps and projects my daughters complete as Juliettes.  I truly appreciate the support you have given this blog over the past four years.  Thank you for reading.

Craft: Tie Dye Crayons

This spring, my daughter's third grade class held a Product Fair.  For several weeks leading up to the special day, students earned play money.  Each student created a product and designed a poster, hoping to entice fellow classmates to spend their hard-earned cash on his or her goods.  My daughter decided to make tie dye Lego crayons, using silicone Lego molds we had purchased from Amazon several years ago.  Here are the steps she followed (with parental supervision, of course):

1. Choose the crayons to use.  My daughter used 2-3 crayons of each color.

 










2.  Place the crayons in a zippie bag.  She used a separate baggie for each color.  The wrappers fall off when the crayons are smashed with a hammer or a rolling pin.  This is much easier and less time consuming than peeling the wrappers from the crayons.
3.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
4.  Place the silicone molds on a cookie sheet.
5.  Sprinkle the crayon crumbles into the molds as desired.
                          
6.  Slide the cookie sheet into the oven and bake until melted.  We checked the progress in five minute intervals, adding minutes as needed.  The Lego men finished in about twelve minutes, and the Lego bricks took about 20 minutes.

NOTE:  After removing the Lego men from the oven, my daughter noticed the finished product was not going to be as thick as she had expected.  She sprinkled more crayon crumbles on top of the melted wax before sliding the cookie sheet back into the oven for about five more minutes.

    

7.  Let the crayons cool before popping them from the molds.

NOTE:  If a tie dye crayon happens to fall on the floor and crack in all the excitement, place the pieces back in the mold and bake until melted.  Once the crayon cools, it will be as good as new.

My daughter paired a Lego man with a Lego brick and packaged them for the Product Fair in a 4x6" clear treat bag.  These Lego crayons were quite a hit!  She was really excited to be the first in her class to sell out at the Product Fair.

With such a variety of silicone molds available today, the options are endless.  Tie dye crayons make great birthday party favors.  Consider trying this craft on a rainy day, during a birthday party, or at your next Scout meeting. (Think about using a bug-shaped mold to make a bug craft for the Brownie Bugs badge.  Remember these crayons as the girls experiment with different shading materials for the Juniors Drawing badge).  I would love to hear how this worked for you and the special kids in your life.  Thank you for reading.