Welcome to Day 4, hope you’re all hanging in there! Today’s activity is Magic Potions, one of my favorite things. You can do this one inside or outside, but if the weather is obliging, do it outside! Much less cleanup.
There are countless ways to make a magic potion. Usually they involve lots of loose parts and materials, some water, and a healthy dose of spells. The spells are what make it magic.
Spells can be anything. Something you want, something you intend, something you need, something you think someone else needs, something you think the world needs.
Together, share with your children what kind of spells you all want to put in your potions. It could be spells for themselves, for the plants and animals, for you, for their friends, or for everyone in the world.
For this activity, you’ll need:
*Some kind of container- It could be any size, although the size of a yogurt container or bigger is usually better. You can have multiple containers going at once, for many potions.
*Some kind of stirring utensil. A long wooden spoon or sturdy stick is my preferred utensil.
THE THREE POTION OPTIONS
The Nature Potion
Go out into the woods, hike to a favorite spot, and on the way collect lots of leaves, sticks, seed pods, berries, moss, and especially mud for this potion. Mud or dirt are essential ingredients, and this version should be quite full of earthy treasures and water. Lots of stirring is a must for making the potions work just right.
The “Leftover condiments and food you’d just be throwing in the compost” Potion
I love this one, even though it can get kind of gross. I don’t recommend using fresh food for this, but things that are heading to the compost already make great potions. Bonus: you can throw the whole thing in the compost after, and it’s kind of a thrill for kids to smoosh old food items together in a container.
The See-Through Potion
*A container clear enough to see through filled with water, with your choice of food coloring added.
Go out and search for a few very special treasures in the front yard, park, or woods. They could be flower petals, moss, acorns, leaves, or berries. Add them to your magic potion, with each object being an important small spell, so you’re adding them together to make one, big, intertwined spell.
While you are stirring your potion, say or think your spell several times to make sure it infuses into the liquid. You can add more than one spell if you like.
SOME WAYS TO EXTEND THE ACTIVITY
Together, you and your child could:
*Make a diagram of the spell. Use words and shapes. You could map how they all fit together and what the spell means to you.
*Draw a picture of the spell. Using images, show what the spell will do once it takes effect.
*Make their spell into a song. The longer a spell, the more powerful it is. You could record it on your voice memos if you have that capability.
*Devise plan on how to actually carry out the spell further. If your child’s spell is something like, “Make my friends laugh”, you could help them figure out how to send their friend a funny letter, or have a Skype call where they tell each other jokes. Adults, think about ways you can carry your own spells further, too!
In my potion, I’m putting an “Each day will be filled with some sort of discovery” spell. May it be so!!