The Tingle Factor Box

Roaming Roy Finds A Lonely Building - Tooth's Maltings

This week, Roy decided he would like to head towards the Southern Highlands to see what is left of the amazing spring blooms. He had been too busy to visit while the blooms were at their best, and was very sad about this, but he discovered something which he thought was even better while he was in the area - the abandoned Tooth's Maltings at Mittagong.

Roy Creates Halloween Slime Slice

This week, with Halloween nearly upon us Roy decided we had better find something appropriately goulish for the occasion. Halloween is not a traditional Australian holiday, and Roy doesn't celebrate it, but knows some of the children are planning to. The question was what to cook. I told Roy about a slice his Grandma used to make for a dessert treat when I was little which my brother had called 'Slime Slice'. It is easy to make, tasty and with its orange coloured 'slime' Roy thought it would be perfect. So this week, Roy Creates Halloween Slime Slice.

That's So Cool! Powder Flask

Imagine, you are a man living in the early 1800s. You were once in the navy, but now you are a sailor on board a merchant ship. You love life at sea, but it can occasionally be dangerous, so you are always glad to have some protection with you. Your time in the navy taught you how to load and shoot very accurately, and you always have your pistol on you and your powder flask hanging from your belt. It is better to be prepared than sorry!

Roaming Roy Finds An Artists Residence - Dobell House

This week, with the weekend forecast promising beautiful days and mild weather, Roy decided it was time to head for the coast. I pointed out to him that it isn't quite swimming weather yet though, and told him he needed to find something else for people to do. He looked around for a historic place to visit and hit upon a place he had already been to earlier this year, the home of the famous painter Sir William Dobell. Roy decided that this would be the perfect place to visit.

Roy Creates Devilled Tuna Bake

This week Roys Grandpa has been away on business, and Roy has a favourite dinner when Grandpa isn't home. Grandpa doesn't like eggs or tuna very much, but one of Roys favourites is a devilled tuna bake which uses tinned tuna and hardboiled eggs. It is a quick, cheap and easy dinner which Roy's Grandma has been making for years. She says the recipe came off a box of Uncle Tobys Oats (about 35 years ago), but Roy has never seen it, and Grandma has also made a few changes since then! So this week, Roy Creates Devilled Tuna Bake. 

They're Horrible - Mens Woollen Bathers

Imagine, you are man living in the early 1900s. It's a hot summer day and you want to cool down in the sea. You plan to head to the beach late in the afternoon, and hope that there is a bathing shed available. After all, you will need to change out of your clothes into your bathers. Of course, although you look forward to cooling down, you don't look forward to having to put your bathers on. The wool is so scratchy, and when it gets wet it is clingy and heavy and simply horrible.

Roaming Roy Mills About - Sawmillers Reserve

This week, Roy decided that he wanted to share one of his favourite, hidden places in Sydney, one which he recently shared with his cousin Toby. Sydney has so many beautiful parks and reserves, many of them close to the water, and as many of them are very popular, and it can be hard to find a quiet place. Sawmillers Reserve though is a quiet, tranquil place, full of history - it even has a 'shipwreck'! Roy thought this would be the perfect place to share with you.

Roy Creates A Kaleidoscope

Earlier this week, Roy was very interested to learn about the history of kaleidoscopes and how they work. He loves the kaleidoscopes in the Tingle Factor Box collection, and it occurred to him that some children might not have a kaleidoscope of their own. He thought this was very sad, because watching the patterns is something he loves to do. He decided he would like to teach the children to make one so that they can enjoy making their own patterns. So this week, Roy Creates A Kaleidoscope.

You Will Need:

• 2 toilet rolls or a paper towel roll
• Firm cardboard
• aluminium foil
• Scissors or a craft knife
• Sticky tape
• A ruler
• Cling wrap
• Baking paper
• Shiny objects (sequins, confetti, beads etc)
• A piece of paper

Optional: Wrapping paper, white paper, stickers, pens, pencils, glue.

Method:

• First, you will make the 'mirrors' for inside your kaleidoscope. Measure how long one of your toilet rolls is. Cut your piece of cardboard to be the same length (you can make them a few millimetres shorter, but no longer). Now, you need to cut the piece of cardboard into three lengths, each 3 centimetres wide. Make sure three, put together into a triangle, will fit inside the toilet roll and if it is too tight, cut them down a little!

• Carefully cover each piece of cardboard with the aluminium foil (shiny side out) making sure not to wrinkle the foil. Use the sticky tape to hold the foil in place

• Now, use the sticky tape to secure your three mirrors together. You will be shaping them like a long triangle, as Roy has done above. You want the 'mirror' sides to face inward.

• Trace around the circular end of your toilet roll onto your piece of paper. Cut the circle out, slightly bigger than the end of the toilet roll and cut slits in from the edge, to the circle you traced.

• Use the sticky tape to stick your circle of paper over one end of one of the toilet rolls. Fold the flaps you made over the edge of the toilet roll and stick them down. 

• Carefully cut a small hole in the centre of the circle over the end of the toilet roll. Remember, you can always make it bigger, but you can't make it shrink!

• Slide your mirrors inside the toilet roll.

• Use the craft knife to cut a piece off the other toilet roll as Roy is doing above. You want to have a piece of toilet roll 1/2 centimetre long.

• Put the piece of plastic (Roy used cling wrap) over the end of your toilet roll (so make sure your mirrors are inside or you will have to take the plastic off again) and pull it tight. Use the rubber band to hold it in place. Trim the ends and sticky tape it in place. You can remove the rubber band now.

• Put the piece of toilet roll you cut off on top of the plastic wrap and use the sticky tape to hold it firmly in place.

• Put some of your shiny objects inside the piece of toilet roll. The plastic will keep them from falling down into the mirrors. 
• Cover the end of your kaleidoscope with the baking paper, as you did with the other end and then sticky tape it down.
• Hold your kaleidoscope up to the light and look through the hole in the end. Turn the kaleidoscope to change the patterns you can see. If you can't see anything, make the hole a little bit bigger.
• You can decorate the outside of your kaleidoscope with wrapping paper or white paper, stickers, pens and pencils if you like, as Roy did. 

 

It's So Pretty - Kolorscope Kaleidoscope

Imagine, you are a child living in the early 1900s. You are lucky, because your father has a good job and you live in a nice house and you even have a tutor! Even more lucky, your have lots of things to play with. You want something new though. You saw a beautiful kaleidoscope for sale in the toy shop, and you have been begging your parents to buy it for you. Mummy says if you are very good and do well in your lessons, you can have it as a reward.

Roaming Roy Says Silos? What Silos? Silo Hill

This week, Roy decided it was time to visit somewhere new, somewhere he had never been before, but which promised to be very interesting. Roy has visited the Hunter Valley and Newcastle quite regularly, but he has never ventured beyond them into the Upper Hunter area. When he visited, he fell in love with the beauty of the region, and the historic places he visited. One which fascinated him was Silo Hill in Stroud.