The Tingle Factor Box

Roaming Roy Is On The Road Again - Great North Road

This week, Roy has decided it is time to show all his friends his favourite way to drive home to Sydney from the Hunter Valley. Roy is particularly fond of the Hunter Valley, and enjoys day trips to the area a couple of times a year. Although to reach the Hunter we follow the more modern F3, when time permits Roy loves to drive through Wollembi on the way home, following the old Great North Road.

Roy Creates A Showglobe

This week, Roy decided it was time to get into the spirit of the season. It's not only winter in Australia, it is also the 'Christmas in July' season, and Roy thinks this is a perfect time to do something wintery. The question is, what? There are many crafts and cooking activities which are based on winter as a theme, but Roy wanted something quick but really special. Then, he was sitting gazing out the window when he noticed the snowglobe on the windowsill. He remembered me telling him that I made my own snowglobes as a little girl with his grandma and thought this would be a perfect thing to teach his friends to do. So this week Roy Creates A Snowglobe.

So It's Smushed Up Fossils? Coal

Imagine, you are living in London in the 1850s. It is winter and the streets are cold and wet. You are lucky, as you have enough money for coal to burn, and can stay warm, but there are so many people out in the streets in the cold. All they have to comfort them is the smoke from the coal fires. Sometimes the smog around London is so thick it is hard to see or breathe, and you know the fires are part of the problem, spilling smoke into the air, but you wouldn’t be without one!

Roy Finds Lumps And Bumps - Bathurst Migrant Camp

This week, Roy has decided to show you a different type of place. So often when Roy and I go out and about we are visiting a place where there is lots to see. Yet not all historical places are actually like this. Sometimes, whatever was there has long gone, leaving very little behind, other than 'lumps and bumps' in the landscape. Often these sorts of places were built to be transient, serving a purpose and then simply being dismantled or left to fall apart. Though there might not be a lot left to look at, sometimes they have the most interesting stories. One such place is Bathurst Migrant Camp.

Roy Creates 10 Minute Chicken Soup

Recently, Roy has really been enjoying soups. They are perfect for this cold weather, and what's more, many of his friends are eager to learn how to make soup, instead of using tinned versions. One complaint they have had though is that soup seems to take so long to make, and though it is certainly true that some soups cook for hours, other soups can be made really quickly. One of the children's favourites, chicken noodle soup can be made in as little as 10 minutes. So this week, Roy thought he would show you how this is done!

You Will Need:

Feeds 4

• 2 litres of chicken stock. You can use homemade (if you have it), but Roy just used store bought liquid stock. You can also use powder or stock cubes and make it up to 2 litres according to the packet directions.
• 1/2 a chicken. Roy had leftover roast chicken which he used, but you could use a bought barbeque chicken, or just chop up some raw chicken fillets, fry it off, drop it into the boiling soup and wait for it to cook!
• 1/2 a packet of angel hair pasta, broken into smaller pieces. You can add more if you like pasta.
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Peel and chop your onion, carrot and celery. You can use big chunks or cut them finely, whichever you like! If you're really pushed for time, just use 1/2 a packet of frozen mixed vegetables!
• Heat a little oil in the bottom of your pan, add your vegetables and fry them off until they are slightly soft. (If you are using raw chicken, add it with the vegetables and fry it off)
• Add the crushed garlic and fry off quickly.

• Pour in the stock and bring it to the boil. It will boil faster with the lid on.

• Chop or shred your cooked chicken. Use as much or as little as you like, and cut it as fine or as chunkily as you feel like!

• Add the pasta and shredded chicken and give it a stir (if you used raw chicken make sure it is cooked before you add the pasta). Leave it to cook with the lid off.  It should take about 2 minutes to cook.
• When the pasta is cooked to your liking (al dente should be a little firm in the centre, but if you like your pasta more cooked, just cook it until you are happy!) serve the soup in big bowls and enjoy!

Eew, That's Not Right - Human Hair Hairnet

Imagine, you are a woman working in a factory during the War. You are working on making munitions, and although you don't enjoy the work, you know it is necessary. It's dirty and dangerous work though, and every so often there is a tragedy in the factory, one of the munitions going off early or an accident with a machine. Just last week one of the women had her hair caught in one of the machines. She should have had it tied away, but she didn't. It just reinforced in your mind how important the hairnet you wear really is!

Roaming Roy Is Guided By The Light - Norah Head Lighthouse

Recently in Sydney the weather has been rather unpleasant, with strong winds, cold days and the occasional rain shower. The seas have also been rough, and as he watched the waves crashing against the rocks, Roy thought it would be a dangerous time to be in a boat. This made Roy think about lighthouses and he decided he would like to visit one to show his friends why they are so important, especially in this type of unpleasant weather. The question was where to go? Most lighthouses are not open to the public very often, but then Roy remembered Norah Head Lighthouse, a historic place which is regularly open for public tours.

Roy Creates A Mancala Game

Earlier this week Roy and I examined Cluedo and the history of board games. While we were researching, Roy came across some information about early board games which reminded him of an African game called Mancala. He has played Mancala many times in the past, but he didn't realise just how ancient this form of game was, dating back over 3000 years. He thought he would like to share this simple game with his online friends, but the question was how. After a little more research he hit upon the idea of using an egg carton to make his own mancala board - thanks for the idea Uncle Roger. So this week, Roy Creates A Mancala Game.

But It's So Old! Cluedo Game

Imagine, you are a child living in 1950 and it is nearly Christmas. You can't help but hope Santa will bring you a special game, one which is all the rage at the moment, Cluedo. Everybody wants to play the game, but there are still only a few sets around, and you really want one of your own. You know you probably won't get one, because they are pretty expensive, so imagine your joy on waking up Christmas morning and finding a beautifully wrapped set, all of your own.

Roaming Roy Sees The Writing On The Wall - Convict Graffiti

Convicts are a subject which children seem to find endlessly fascinating. They are enthralled by the places where convicts lived and worked, and love to see personal items which reflect who the convicts were. Yet most of the children Roy knows have never had the oppotunity to see one of the most personal remants of convicts, the graffiti they left behind them. There are several places where this graffiti can be found, but Roy is particularly fond of the amazing graffiti to be found in Little Hartley's Courthouse Cells.