I
admit it—I’m a nut when it comes to picking out gifts for my kids. A cracked
nut that goes completely crazy, spending hours and hours trying to come up with
the perfect gift. Sticking to a tight budget, I can’t afford to bomb out in
this department. You know what I mean—kid spots a fabulous toy in the
story—can’t live without it—mom buys toy—toy is enthusiastically played with (for
48 hours), and then it sits on the self for the next 2 years. Ugh!
This
year I tried a new strategy and really paid attention to how my
children played. I noticed that my girls play make-believe—a lot. It’s a kind of wizard game where they choose
powers and they build a story which they act out. I hear conversations like:
“I
create a large wave with my wind power and I push it at you.” (Hands in the air
and lots of swishing noises.)
“But
I freeze the water with my wand and I run over here.” (Hides behind a chair.) “This
is my cave and I put a shield over it so you can’t come in.”
The
story goes on and on with the two girls using their powers against each other
until they discover that they are actually long lost sisters and then together
they must fight the evil wizard that had kept them apart in the first place.
I
also noticed that my girls (and their friends) would come into the kitchen to
make potions. Water, a bit of food coloring, dirt, a twig, and three leaves all
mixed together could somehow vanquish an evil foe. This is where my case of
nuttiness kicked in. I wanted to come up with something that would enhance
their make-believe play time. Then it hit me—like a bolt of lightning across
the forehead—and yes it left a scar. I was going to make my kids . . . a potions kit!
The
initial idea was basic—a small antique chest filled with old bottles, a quill
pen, a list of spells on parchment paper, and a hand-made potions book that
utilized a few science experiments. I wanted my girls to be able to actually
mix some kitchen ingredients together and get a chemical reaction.
Like
I said, I’m a nut. I spent over 6 months researching science experiments. I perused
through every science book in our local library and ordered several more through
the interlibrary loan program. I watched over 1000 internet videos on various
science experiments and searched countless websites. My mail box had regular
deliveries of things like potassium nitrate, manganese dioxide, potassium iodide.
I half expected homeland security to show up on my doorstep, but they never
came. However, my husband would come home to find things bubbling
over on the counter and scorch marks on our front porch. As I write this, I still
have a gooey mess of ferric oxide in the dining room—there’s got to be an
easier way to make that stuff.
After
all that work, I ended up with a very select compilation of experiments to add
to my potions book. My criteria for
selecting an experiment:
1)
It had to have a huge wow factor—something that the kids would want to do over
and over again.
2)
The experiments had to be able to translate into a wizard’s potion. There is
some cool science behind things like building a rocket, or using centrifugal force
to keep water in a bucket as you swing it over your head, but they don’t really
fit as “potions”. I only selected experiments that had a magical reaction.
3) Experiments have to take 30 minutes or less
to complete. When a child is playing make-believe and needs a potion to defeat
an evil sorcerer, they need something that will work now—not in 3 days when
they’ve moved on to another game.
4)
Ingredients had to be fairly easy to get without costing you an arm or a leg and
that wouldn’t bring Home Land Security down on you.
So
after all that, I came up with the perfect potions book which will allow kids
to catch night fairies, break a witch’s spell, tell if a ghost is nearby,
overpower a werewolf, and so much more. My little potions kit for my kids ended
up being a full-blown potions cupboard and their friends always insist at
playing at our house now.
So
that’s it—the perfect gift that provided countless hours of fun for kids as
well as adults. It’s been such a huge hit, and I’m so excited to share it with
everyone, I’ve decided to fine-tune the book and get it published.
I
hope the world is ready for some awesome potions. Check out The
Wizard’s Workshop page in the sidebar to learn more.
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| Potions Cupboard |
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| Potion ingredients. Used medicine bottles with labels of my own design. |
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| Potions box with additional supplies. |
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| The original potion book I made for my kids. |
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| One of my original potions. Each page was hand stained to give it the feel of an antique book. |
