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How To Make Candles At Home

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Candles are a great way to add warmth and ambiance to any space. However, store-bought candles can be quite expensive, and some people are allergic to the chemicals used in many commercial candles. The good news is that you can easily make your own candles at home using natural ingredients and scents. Not only is it cost-effective, but it’s also a fun and creative activity that you can do with friends and family.

If you’re new to candle making, it can seem a little daunting at first. But with a few basic supplies and some simple instructions, you can make candles that look and smell amazing. All you need is some wax, a wick, a melting pot, and some essential oils or fragrance oils to add scent.

There are different types of wax that you can use for candle making, including soy wax, beeswax, and paraffin wax. Soy wax is a popular choice because it’s eco-friendly, biodegradable, and burns cleanly. Beeswax is another natural option that has a lovely honey scent and a beautiful golden color. Paraffin wax is the most common wax used in commercial candles but may contain harmful chemicals.

When it comes to choosing a scent for your candles, the options are endless. You can use essential oils, fragrance oils, or a combination of both. Essential oils are natural and have therapeutic benefits, while fragrance oils come in a variety of scents and are synthetic.

The process of making candles involves melting the wax in a double boiler, adding the scent, pouring the wax into a container, and adding the wick. Once the wax has cooled and solidified, you can trim the wick and enjoy your beautiful homemade candle.

Overall, making your own candles is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Not only do you get to customize the scent and appearance of your candles, but you also get the satisfaction of knowing that you created something with your own hands. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be making candles that are just as good (if not better!) than store-bought ones.

this article shows you how to get started in the art of DIY candle making.

 

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Hibernating Animals Activities

I volunteer at my local library pulling holds for children’s books, and the other day someone was looking for Over and Under the Snow, a lovely picture book about animals that hibernate and those who don’t.

It reminded me that now would be a good time to talk about hibernation in the classroom, and what animals do to survive the winter more generally.

Did you know that technically only warm-blooded animals hibernate? When cold-blooded animals do it, it’s called brumation, and insects experience diapause. Whatever you call it, it’s a slowing down of bodily functions that allows animals to lower their body temperatures and slow their metabolism so much they don’t need to eat.

We Are Teachers has a great page about different animals that hibernate (or brumate, or diapause) and you can enter your email address to get a set of free worksheets perfect for middle grades. Education.com also has a downloadable worksheet about hibernation, and you can find many more (including the migrate or hibernate worksheet above) from Worksheeto.

Little Bins for Little Hands has a great free printable pack about hibernation and hibernating animals. There’s a good list of animals that hibernate in the post, as well as some FAQs about hibernation.

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds has lots of great ideas for planning a hibernation theme, including making a cave in the classroom, painting on ice, and lots of ideas for dramatic play, writing and other activities (and there are lots of freebies linked there).

Little ones will love these bear hibernation hat printables form Books and Giggles that include facts about hibernation.

STEMHax has collected a bunch of lesson planning resources about animals in winter, based on the book Animals in Winter. You’ll find links to videos about different animals featured in the book that you can use when talking about the book or more broadly in a winter animal unit study.

The Wolfe Pack Den has a free printable unit study and ideas for books to read and other things to do (with a particular emphasis on hedgehogs, if you’re into that).

And to bring in one more book recommendation from when my girl was little, Bear Snores On is another fun one, and you can read that one and bring out all your fun bear activities, like this adorable hibernating bear craft from Krokotak.