Jumble House Learning through Play, Science

Egg Magic. Part 2

So this is where we find out how to make a bouncy egg like Lizzie’s but without the magic spell!

Vinegar is such a useful ingredient to have in the house especially when it comes to doing science experiments.  Here you will need a light coloured vinegar like cider or white wine.  You will also need a large screw top glass jar, a couple of eggs ( one raw and the other hard boiled and something to protect the table.

Allow two days for the experiment because the eggs will need to soak in the vinegar for at least 24 hours.

Once the eggs have been treated it IS possible to bounce the raw egg but be careful!  You can bounce the hard boiled egg as much as you like.

watch the video below.  I hope you enjoy it.

BOUNCY EGG

Jumble House Books, Crafts for kids, Learning through Play

Make a Jumble Tuft


Make your own little Jumble Tuft puppets and have fun making up and telling stories with them.  They can also be used to decorate backpacks. They are quick, cheap and easy to make like all the ‘Jumbles’ toys and the basic ones don’t require any stitching.  One pair of coloured tights will make about four little Jumble Tufts.  I make the hats and little shoes from a contrasting colour of tights stuffed with cotton wool and secured with rubber bands or tiny hair elastic. I make the arms from pipe-cleaners so the Jumble Tufts can hold objects.  Inserting magnets into the hat, feet or body opens up even more opportunities. 

To use them as puppets a chopstick or wooden skewer can be inserted through a tiny hole in the back of the Jumble Tuft. To make it secure smear a tiny bit of glue on the tip of the skewer before inserting. 


Watch this video to see them in action as ‘Santa’s little helpers’ last Christmas. 

SANTAS LITTLE HELPERS
Once you have made a basic model then have fun designing your own Jumble Tuft characters. Just change the colour, the shape, the kind of hat, the legs, the size or type of bobble eyes .

In this video Georgie Jumble shows you how to make a very basic model.  Then you can have lots of fun adding your own features. 

Make your own Jumble Tuft

Books featuring the Jumble Tufts are available as ebooks on Amazon : My books

 ……….    and as paperbacks from Jumble House. Quite soon you will also be able to purchase them from this website. 
  

Jumble House Families, Festivals, Fun, Learning through Play, Travel with kids

Palio dei Terzieri. A fun Festival for all the family. 

This is, in my opinion, a MUST SEE  opportunity especially if you have kids. 

Canons, horses, oxen, and a FLOUR FIGHT!! All that and then an archery competition. 

Città della Pieve is a charming hilltop town in Umbria with around 8000 inhabitants. 

Like many similar towns it is divided into three districts or ‘Terzieri ‘ each one with its own flag and costumes and bands. This division began way back in medieval times and was then class based. 

In the case of Città della Pieve an eagle represents the three different districts or classes. 

The head of the eagle being Terziere Castello and the knights. The Aristocracy. 

The stomach of the eagle being Terziere Borgo Dentro and the people living within the castle walls. The middle class..

The wings and tails being Terziere Casalino and the  peasants. (Follow link below) 

I’ve seen this Festival more times than I can remember and never tire of it! 

The last day (Sunday) of the Festival is great fun. Kids will love it! 

The activities start around 5pm with a costume parade which sounds boring but definitely is not!  The different districts don’t just dress up in their medieval costumes. They also parade the trades of their medieval ancestry.  Anything from giant canons shooting footballs into the crowd to oxen and donkeys and even a prisoner in a very sinister looking contraption. All this is accompanied by brilliant bands and drummers and very enthusiastic cheering wenches!

I like to arrive early afternoon and then wander around the different districts of the town. Often the pre-parade preparations are as much fun as the parade itself. 

This year I stayed in the area of Terziere Borgo Dentro.  (Watch the video below) 

Palio dei Terzieri. Borgo Dentro.

At the end of the parade there is a huge flour fight which the audience can participate in if desired but do bring along protection for eyes and nose! 

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Follow this link to watch:    The Flour Fight 

Then, as if that wasn’t sufficient everyone gathers on a field for the real Palio which takes the form of an archery competition. Plus lots of speeches and music and drumming! 

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Jumble House Learning through Play

Make your own JUMBLE TUFT


These fun little creatures are very easy and cheap to make and great for playing with.  

Kids will love designing their own and then using them to act out stories.  Just by changing the colour, the kind of hat, or shape of face opens up opportunities to create lots different characters. 

Attaching a strip of Velcro to the back of the head or securing a magnet inside the head or hat opens up even more opportunities,  

Watch the video below (designed for children) for instructions. 

How to make a Jumble Tuft
Books featuring  the Jumble Tufts will be available soon here as paperbacks and on Amazon as eBooks.

   

Jumble House Furzey Gardens, Good days out for families., Learning through Play, Outdoors, Places

A Great Day out at Furzey Gardens. The New Forest 



Furzey Gardens are magical gardens set in 10 acres of beautiful woodland in the heart of the New Forest. It is a social enterprise offering opportunities for people with Learning disabilities.

I took this video on my first visit with my daughter and two month old grandson. It was a perfect afternoon out. We wandered through the woodland paths with our buggy and then enjoyed a drink and snack sat in the beautiful gardens.

It’s a magical place for children with lots of hidden bridges, tunnnels and rustic playhouses. We loved the tiny hidden fairy and insect doors and the witch!

The 16th Century Cottage with its vegetable garden and bread oven is enchanting and it’s really interesting to see the thatching techniques and materials.

We will definitely go again!

Watch the video below:

Video of our walk around Furzey Gardens