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Household
Dipped
Candles
Parental supervision required
During the Colonial Period
they did not have electricity so they had to use candles for light. In
Europe, candles were made from animal fat but the colonists’
animals were to valuable to butcher just for their fat so they had to come
up with a different way to make candles. The colonists decided to borrow the
skill of using berries from the bayberry bush to make wax from the Native
Americans. For the wick of the candle, they used a fine white thread that
they would strip from milkweed plants. They would then tie the wick to a
willow stick and dip it into a hot tub of wax. Each time they would let it
dry and get hard in order to make the candles real thick so they would burn
for a long time. With different supplies today you can make your own candles
just like the colonists did over 200 years ago.
Materials:
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Newspaper
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2 large soup or juice
cans, empty and open at one end
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Water
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Measuring cup
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Saucepan
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1 pound of candle wax
(either from a craft supply store or from old candles)
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1 package of candle
wicks
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1 wire hanger
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Scissors
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Optional: Crayons (to color the wax), candle coloring oils,
scented oils
Instructions:
-
Cover your work area
with newspaper.
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Fill 1/3 of 1 can with
water and put it in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan half full with water
and put it on the stove over low heat.
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Fill 2/3 of the other
can with cool water and place it to the side on your newspaper.
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Break the wax up into
chunks and carefully place them into the can of hot water. (Placing the
wax in the water helps the wax melt and mix better) Once the wax is
completely melted, turn off your stove.
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Cut a piece of wick
about 10 inches long and fold in half. Then dip both ends into the hot
wax where it will stick to the wick as you pull it out.
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Once you pulled the
wick out, dip it into the can of cold water to cool it and repeat. Every
few dips straighten the wick by pulling on it gently so the candles will
be straight. Stop when your candles are the size you want.
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Cool your candles
completely by letting them hang over the bottom of a wire hanger. When
you are ready to use them just cut the wick in the center and there you
go.
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Optional: In order to make colorful candles you can drop
pieces of crayon in the hot wax and letting them melt. Or you can add
candle coloring or scented oils to the hot wax to make your candles
unique.
Colonists usually only took
a bath once a week. Could you imagine? The reason was because they had to
carry buckets up from the well, heat them over the fireplace and pour the
water into a big tub that sat right in front of the fireplace. Also, when
they did take baths they had to use homemade soap that was not easy to make.
They had to save ashes from the fireplace to make into lye (which took
weeks) and cook it with collected animal fat from their meat. YUCK! You
won’t use ashes or animal fat but you can make your own soap too and almost
just like the colonists did.
Materials:
Instructions:
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Take some of your bits
and pieces of bar soap and place them into a container.
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Cover the soap with
water and add more bits and pieces of soap but keep the water of the top
of them so that they will dissolve.
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When you have a cup of
soapy mixture and all the soap is dissolved, stir it up and mix it well.
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Optional: Add in a few drops of oil fragrance.
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Take your soap mixture
and use it to refill an empty soap container and use to wash your self.
Today we use spray cans for
freshening the air, but some people still use potpourri just like the
colonists. Potpourri is a mixture of dried herbs, petals and spices that
produce a delightful scent as well as make a neat decoration. You can gather
herbs, flower blossoms and different spices and experiment by combining them
into your own unique scent. You can even create different scents for
different times of the year. So grab some herbs and flowers from your own
garden (with parents permission) or at a local floral shop and some spices
from your kitchen cabinets and make some potpourri to freshen your home just
like they did in the colonial days.
Materials:
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Several sheets of
newspaper
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15-20 flower blossoms
from one or more of the following: roses, geraniums, marigolds, violets,
hollyhocks
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25-30 herb leaves with
branches from one of the following: lavender, rosemary, lemon, verbena,
mint (enough to fill 6 to 8 cups)
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Large mixing spoon
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Fruit and vegetable
peeler
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1 lemon or orange
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Spices: 4 tablespoons
whole cloves
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4 small jars with lids
(either glass or plastic)
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Optional: 3 small dishes or teacups (optional)
Instructions:
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Spread your newspaper
in a warm, dry location away from direct sunlight where they will not be
disturbed.
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Pick the petals of the
flower blossoms and leaves off the herbs and spread them out onto to the
newspaper.
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Use the peeler to
gather a few pieces of lemon or orange rind and lay them out on the
newspaper as well.
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Allow your petals,
leaves and rinds to dry for 8 to 10 days but remember to use the mixing
spoon to stir them around once or twice a day. Wait until they are all
dry and crisp and then they are ready to use.
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Divide your dried
petals, leaves and rind mixture into four separate piles.
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Experiment by giving
each pile a different scent. You can do this by shifting some of the
ingredients around from one pile to another or adding spices or more
pieces of lemon or orange rind.
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For a
flower-blossom scent use lots of flower petals and lavender. Also
add 4 to 5 pieces of lemon or orange rind.
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For a minty or
citrus aroma, add mint leaves, geranium, rosemary and lemon rind.
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For a spicy,
outdoorsy aroma, add whole cloves, lemon or orange rind and some
broken up cinnamon.
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When you finally make
your desired scents add in ½ teaspoon of ground orrisroot or a few drops
of scented oil to each pile. Make sure you stir it around to mix it all
in.
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Put each pile into
separate jars. Tighten the lids and store them in a cool, dry place for
up to 2 weeks and make sure you shake the jars every day or two to mix
it up.
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After 2 weeks, your
ready to place your potpourri in small dishes, bowls, or cups or even to
make a sachet.
In order to keep a pleasant
scent all year round in storage chests, closet shelves and dresser drawers,
colonists made sachets. They would take their homemade potpourri and gather
it into small pieces of fabric and tuck it back into their drawers. With
potpourri you made or bought at the store you too can make your own sachets.
Materials:
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Several sheets of
newspaper
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2 cups of potpourri
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Four 9-inch-square
pieces of lightweight cotton fabric, solid color or prints
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Measuring cup
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Scissors
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4 pieces of string,
each about 6 inches long
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4 pieces of narrow
ribbon, each abut 8 inches long
Instructions:
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Spread your newspaper
out and pour the potpourri on to it.
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With your hands crumble
up the potpourri into smaller pieces.
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Spread out a fabric
square. Scoop up about ½ cup of the crushed potpourri and place into the
center of the fabric square.
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Carefully fold up each
of the four corners of the fabric square and hold them together forming
a little bag. (It will create four more corners but just grab those up
too)
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Tie and double knot a
piece of string to close up the top of the bag. Make sure there are no
gaps!
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Tie a piece of
decorative ribbon around the string to cover it up.
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Repeat the four
previous steps to make three more bags to tuck away into your closet or
drawers.
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