How to Grow a Cress Caterpillar

School projects include various activities such as growing plants for science projects or even craft projects which asks for growing plants in recycled pots. Such DIY projects helps children learn and understand in fun way as well as it turns out educational. Involving kids in such projects encourages a child to understand the importance of recycled products and also help them learn growing plants.

Cress plant grows quickly and hence can be part of a DIY project where one has not much time altogether. Not only it grows quickly but can also be used in salad preparations or even sandwiches. Thus using cress plant can pretty much make sure that your project completes in time.

Materials you will need for growing a Cress Caterpillar

Egg shells - 4 or 5
Cardboard egg box cut outs - 4 to 5
Scissor
Googly eyes
Paint - green, red and black
Paintbrushes
Glue
Cress seeds - 4 to 5 tsp
Cotton wool
Red pipe cleaner or red card paper

Method for growing a Cress Caterpillar

1

Take four or five eggs shells and clean them. Remove any dirt or stain and wipe out clean. With the help of scissor, trim the top of the shells.

2

Pain each egg shell green with help of paint and brush. Once the paint dries, put red spots on each shell using red paint and brush.

3

Select one egg shell which you plan to put in front and stick googly eyes on it. If you do not have googly eyes, make out eyes with help of a card paper and stick on the egg shell. With the help of black paint and brush paint a mouth. Allow to dry.

4

Paint each egg box cut out with green color and allow them to dry. Once done place each egg shell in each egg box. This cardboard egg box will act as the dishes for the egg shell planters.

5

Place a wad of cotton in the bottom of each egg shell. Sprinkle 1 tsp of cress seeds on top of this cotton wad. Pour spoonful of water over the wool.

6

To make the antennae for the face of the caterpillar which has been glued googly eyes, twist the pipe cleaner and stick on both ends of the egg shell. If pipe cleaner is not available, you can cut out a spiral shape on red card paper and stick it on the face of the egg shell.

7

Place the caterpillar in the desired area and add little water daily. The cress plant takes about one week to grow and then you can just snip it out whenever you wish. Your Cress Caterpillar is ready.

Handy tips

1. Take care that you do not dry out the cotton wool.

2. Do not add too much water

3. Add water with help of a spoon.

The Old Top Sergeant - Poem By Berton Braley

The Old Top Sergeant 

        

         - By Berton Braley 

Twenty years of the army, of drawing a sergeant's pay

  And helping the West Point shavetails, fresh from the training school

To handle a bunch of soldiers and drill 'em the proper way

  (Which isn't always exactly according to book and rule).

I've seen 'em rise to Captains and Majors and Colonels, too,

  And me still only a sergeant, the same as I used to be,

And I knew that some of them didn't know as much as a sergeant knew,

  But I stuck to my daily duty--there wasn't a growl from me

Twenty years of the army,

  Serving in peace and war,

Standing the drill of the army mill,

  For that's what they paid me for

Twenty years with the army, which wasn't so much for size,

  But man for man I'd back it to lick any troops on earth.

'Twas a proud little classy army, as good as the flag it flies,

  And it takes an old top sergeant to know what the flag is worth.

Then--a shot at Sarejevo, and hell burst over there

  And the kaiser dragged us in it, and the bill for the draf was passed

And --they handed me my commission, and some shoulder straps to wear,

  And the crazy dream of my rooky days had changed to a fact at last.

Twenty years with the army,

  And it's great to know they call

On the guys like me for what will be

  The mightiest job of all.

Twenty years of the army, of doing what shavetails bid,

  And I know I haven't the polish that fellows like that will show,

And I hold a high opinion of the brains of a West Point kid,

  But I think I can make him hustle when it comes to the work I know.

But who cares where we come from, Plattsburg, ranks, or the Guard,

  This isn't a pink tea-party, but a War to be fought and won;

There's a serious job before us, a job that is huge and hard,

  And the social register don't count until we've got it done!

Twenty years in the army,

  And now I've got my chance.

Have I earned my straps? Well, you watch the chaps

  That I've trained for the game in France!

Whining and Dining - Poem by Mary Van Nattan

Whining and Dining

                        - By Mary Van Nattan

I always so enjoy to dine

With whining, little brats;

Who won't eat half you give them,

they're persnickety as cats.

The soups too hot, the corns too cold,

The pickles make them choke;  

They won't eat meat nor apple sauce,

And naughty they'll drink but coke.

They wont't eat peas, don't like you bread - 

For something in it crunches;

They gag on fat, the gravy's gross,

They won't eat grapes in bunches.

Tomatoes, onions, peppers, fish, 

Garlic nor cottage cheese;

Oh, it's a dish uncommon rare 

That truly seems to please.

No red sauce may the ice cream have,

"It's bleeding", they will say;

And gravely hand it to their mum

To take it clean away.

But let us speak of chocolate cake,

It must be frosted o'er;

Then they"ll devour three full slabs,

And calmly ask for more.

Oh, I do so always love to eat

With picky little pests,

Whose parents joy to make them

The most undesirable guests!

Glossary

Whining - complaining

Persnickety - disapproving giving too much attention to small details which may not be important and in a way would annoy people.

Nothing Gold Can Stay - Poem by Robert Frost

Nothing Gold Can Stay

     - by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold, 

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

A Patch of Snow - Poem by Robert Frost

A Patch of Snow

      -  By Robert Frost

There's a patch of old snow in a corner

That I should have guessed

Was a blow-away paper the rain

Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if

Small print overspread it,

The news of a day I've forgotten --

If I ever read it. 

Dust Of Snow - Poem by Robert Frost

Dust Of Snow

    - By Robert Frost

The way a crow 

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree.

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

How to Make a Solar Water Purifier for Science Project

School projects demand various models and devices to be made. This could be for festivals, art or science activity. Making Solar Water Purifier is one such science project kids are asked to make. The following DIY science project of solar water purifier is a simple activity made with materials easily available at home. Kids can easily make it and present it in school as part of a DIY project or even as a activity to understand how solar power works!

Material for making a Solar Water Purifier

Large bowl - 1
Glass cup - 1, shorter than the bowl
Cling wrap / plastic wrap
Cellophane tape
Water - 2 glasses
Salt - 1 tsp
Spoon
Coin or a pebble

Method for making a Solar Water Purifier

1

Pour two glasses of water in a large bowl and add salt to it. Allow the salt to dissolve completely by stirring with a spoon.

2

Place the small glass cup in the center of bowl. Make sure that the glass cup is taller than the water level in the bowl.

3

Cover the bowl with the cling wrap completely and seal the edges with a cellophane tape. See that the edges are tightly sealed.

4

Place the coin or the pebble right on the top of the cling wrap exactly over the small cup.

5

Place this bowl in area of direct sunlight, near a window or on a balcony for several hours.

6

Once done you will find that water is collected in the glass cup. Open the wrap and taste the water! This process of purification can also be tried with sea water as a part of science project.

How this works?

The solar purifier works with the concept of evaporation and condensation. When the salt water is placed in the sun, it gets evaporated. Thus due to evaporation the water converts into vapors and salt deposits back in the bowl. But these vapors when rise to move out of the bowl, get trapped due to the cling film and condense into water droplets. These water droplets gather towards the weight, i.e. the pebble or the stone and gall and get collected in the glass cup.