Handicraft & Art Projects

Hi everyone, I’m sorry yesterday was kind of chaotic! I really was prepared, but once I had TV trouble I just became totally flustered. I think next week will be better. If you didn’t get to make lye solution yesterday, don’t worry. You will get a chance next week. Here is the plan going forward:

Next week we will watch a video on how to make our first batch of soap. Then we will divide into groups of 2-3 and make soap, using the lye solution that some of you mixed up yesterday. After we make soap, we will mix up lye solution for the next week’s soap. (The reason we make it in advance is because lye + water is an exothermic reaction—it produces a lot of heat. But it has to cool down before you can use it.) The soap will at at first be runny, kind of like pancake batter, and taking it home it might get spilled and will not yet be safe to get on your skin. So we will store it in our cabinet at church, and the following week we will slice it and you can take it home. It won’t be ready to use for a while. I’ll give you instructions about how to store it until it’s ready.

Those of you who did make lye solution yesterday did a great job! I was so pleased by how careful and safe you were. When we make lye solution next week, I want each group to have at least one person who has already done it to help the others learn. I think we can have all six groups work at once, to save time.