via CRAFT...........How-To: Popsicle Stick Cobra Weave For Giant Chain Reaction

How-To: Popsicle Stick Cobra Weave For Giant Chain Reaction:

I've always been fascinated with large-scale domino chain reaction set ups, but hadn't seen this take, using popsicle sticks, before. When Think Geek tweeted this massive 1,000 stick chain reaction, I was delighted and baffled. I did a little digging around to find out exactly how this popsicle stick chain reaction works, and this video from jayauldenparnell was the best, clearest tutorial I found. He shows you how to weave the sticks together and even how to "program" in places where you want the giant snake of sticks to turn. It looks like it could be a tedious project, but one that moves quickly once you get the rhythm down. It would be a perfect rainy day or cold winter day activity for kids. Just make sure they know before they start that they are on clean up duty afterwords.

Unitasker Wednesday: Rice Cube

borrowed from Unitasker Wednesday: Rice Cube:

All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

One of the cool things about making sushi rolls is that the method you use allows you to make numerous pieces of sushi at once. You get six pieces from just one roll. You set down a mat (and this step is even optional), put dried seaweed and rice on it, add your fillings, roll it all up, and then slice the tube into six pieces. [How to.]

When using really good sushi rice, you don’t have to use a mat or seaweed. All you need are your hands to make the sushi into any shape you desire. If you want your sushi to look like something other than a circle, just mold it. A rabbit! An hourglass! A snake! A cube …

… which brings us to today’s unitasker, the Rice Cube:

Seeing as all you have to do is use your hands to form a cube of sushi, I’m not sure why you would need this special rice-constriction device. It only makes one piece of sushi at a time (as opposed to six), and it does exactly what your hands can do (the exact hands you have to use to operate the device). If you’re obsessed with being exact and having all of your cubes look identical, a clean ruler pressed against the sides of a sushi roll before cutting does the exact same thing. And, you likely already own a ruler. (Be sure to use a very sharp knife with a wet blade so your cubes don’t smash down as you apply pressure to slice.)

After years of writing about unitaskers, I’m finding that most kitchen unitaskers aren’t about saving time, but rather about replacing basic skills. In this case, watching a free, eight-minute video on how to make sushi rolls could save you the $25 you might spend on this device.

Thanks go to Jessica for sharing this unitasker with us.

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Has it ALL been done before???

"There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt." ~ Audre Lorde

As a self-proclaimed movie buff, I really hate to see classics remade. Even worse, I hate to see a crappy movie redone! For years now, my kids and I have a running joke of adding "IN 3D!!!" at the end of cheesy looking movie previews. Unfortunately, it's not funny anymore because the film industry has decided that EVERYTHING needs to be in 3D these days. 


So is it true? HAS it all been done before? Are there no new ideas? If this is true, then what is the point of continued existence? 


Last night, my Girl Scouts were given the task of working together to create a "SitCom" skit. I guided them thru it, but only the mechanics, they had to do the creative work. I made some suggestions, but ultimately, THEY had to do the writing. Their skit turned out to be about three sisters who lived on an island and each had some sort of problem that the others helped them with. Was is brilliant? No, of course not! But did they work together to come up with something original that conveyed a message of teamwork? YES, THEY DID! 


So if three nine-year old girls can come up with something new, why can't the entertainment industry? I will NOT be giving George Lucas any more of my money to see a movie redone in 3D that was crap the first time around! I know he can't be all tapped out of new ideas, so why is he recycling garbage! 


Ok, I will put the soapbox away for now.

The biggest challenge of all...

Sticking out your tongue always helps

This past weekend of camping was a lot of fun, chilly, but fun. The night time temps dropped below 40 and the daytime breeze was on the icy side. 
Our District Council hosts an event called "Webelos Outdoor Challenge" at which boys who are Webelos ranked Cub Scouts get to join a Boy Scout Troop for the weekend and see how things are different between Cub and Boy Scout programs. They also are taught a few skills and then compete against other troops. 


My scouts troop learned basic first aid and how to construct a primitive shelter with a tarp and ropes. They all did an excellent job and worked hard. The troop also came up with a skit and performed it at the campfire on Saturday night. They didn't come in first place, but then again, they didn't come in last either. 


We went around and visited all of the troops who were there so that the Webelos could get a feel for what the troops do and what their focus is. It's a good thing we have two years to make a choice, because there are a LOT of really great troops in our district.


So what, you may ask, was the "biggest challenge"...keeping that shirt clean!!! Whose brilliant idea was it to put 100 boys in WHITE for a camping weekend!!!