The Magic Hair
Image courtesy of Boosinka via Shutterstock
The Magic Hair Activities 27-36
Activity 28 / Create a Loom and Weaving
Activity 29 / Create a Healing Salve
Activity 30 / Make Oatmeal Jars
Activity 31 / Draw a Map of Pahdu
Activity 32 / Learn Sign Language
Activity 33 / Create a Windlass
Activity 34 / Build a Sailboat
Activity 27 / Make Candles
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Pia drops some beeswax candle stubs into Lindor’s cell so the dungeon won’t be so dark and frightening for him.
Today, you can easily purchase everything you need to make your own candles.
What You’ll Need
• Sheets of wax (beeswax or paraffin)
• Wicks
• Scissors
• Hair dryer
• Glitter, tiny shells, jewels, flower petals, etc. (optional)
STEP 1
Unroll the wax sheet if it is not already flat.
STEP 2
Turn the hair dryer to its lowest setting and blow warm air over the wax to soften it slightly. This will make it easier to roll.
STEP 3
Cut a piece of wick an inch longer than your wax sheet.
STEP 4
Place the wick across one edge of the wax. Roll the wax over the wick and press firmly.
STEP 5
Keep rolling the wax sheet as tightly as possible. Make sure you roll it evenly so that the bottom is flat.
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STEP 6
Use the hair dryer again to soften the wax and smooth out the edges of your candle.
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STEP 7 (Optional)
If you want to decorate your candle, press your decorations into the wax while it’s warm.
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Hints
Trim the wick to ½” before lighting the candle. A long wick makes a large flame that can be dangerous.
NEVER LEAVE A BURNING CANDLE UNATTENDED
Extras
Create Fun Shapes
You can make interesting candles with cookie cutters. Here’s how:
-Make 6-8 cutouts from the wax sheets.
-Stack up half of the cutouts and press them together.
-Press together the remaining half into another stack.
-Place a wick in between the two stacks and press everything together.
Make Your Own Wicks
You can find easy instructions online that use kite string, borax and salt.
Activity 28 / Create a Loom and Weaving
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When Renetta and Tem are led into King Sevvy’s throne room, they see a tapestry hanging from a wall.
A tapestry is a work of art woven into fabric instead of painted on canvas. It is woven on a loom, a machine for making cloth. You can make a loom with a few simple materials and use it to create a small weaving.
What You’ll Need
• Wooden picture frame (with glass and back removed)
• Small nails
• Hammer
• Yarn
• Ruler
• Felt tip marker
• Fork or wide-tooth comb
STEP 1
Place the frame so that the flat side is facing up.
On the short sides of the frame, use your ruler and marker to make dots ½ inch apart. The dots on the two sides of the frame should line up with each other.
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STEP 2
Hammer a nail into each of the dots.
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STEP 3
For each pair of nails, cut a length of yarn about 3 inches longer than the space between them. For example, a frame that measures 8x10 needs pieces of yarn that are 13 inches.
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STEP 4
Tie one end of the yarn piece to the top nail on left side and the other end to the top nail on the right side. Make sure the yarn is tied tightly. Leave about an inch of string on each side.
Continue tying pieces of string to each pair of nails.
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STEP 5
Tie the end of your ball of yarn to the top left nail.
Weave the yarn under the first string and over the string right next to it. Then go under the next string and over the one after that.
Continue this under-and-over pattern to the end of the row of strings.
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STEP 6
Loosely wrap the yarn around the far right string and begin weaving back toward the left. For this row, you’ll want to weave the yarn over the strings where you went under in the top row. You’ll also go under the strings where you went over.
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STEP 7
After weaving 3-4 rows, use your fork or comb to press the yarn toward the nails.
Continue weaving and tightening until the frame is full or you’re ready to stop.
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STEP 8
To remove your weaving from the frame, untie the yarn from two nails that are next to each other. Tie the two yarn ends together.
Repeat this process until you’ve removed all yarn pieces from the loom and tied them in pairs.
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STEP 9
Trim off the ends of the yarn pieces.
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Hint
Faster Weaving
When you get to Step 5, weave your ruler under and over the yarn pieces as described. Turn the ruler on its side so that it makes more space between the strings. This makes it easier for your ball of yarn to pass through.
When you’re ready for the next row, turn the ruler flat again and weave it that opposite way. That is, place it over the yarn pieces where you went under in the previous row, and under the rows where you previously went over.
Extra
Create a more colorful weaving by using several different colors of yarn. You can find videos that show how to change colors.
Activity 29 / Create a Healing Salve
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Selma uses arnica flowers that are growing nearby to make a salve intended to help ease Thena’s pain.
Here’s an easy-to-make—and very inexpensive—salve that you can keep in your refrigerator. It’s good for burns, rashes, insect bites—even dry skin.
What You’ll Need
• 1 ½ cups of fresh marigold flowers
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Quart-size clear glass jar with lid
• Beeswax candle or sheet
• Potato peeler or cheese grater
• Metal strainer
• Wooden spoon
• Small pan
• 2 baby food or other small glass jars with lids
• Lavender essential oil (optional)
STEP 1
Remove the marigold flowers from their stems and shake off any soil.
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STEP 2
Put the flowers and olive oil in the jar. Cover and place in a sunny spot indoors until the oil turns a deep gold color (1-2 weeks).
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STEP 3
Put the metal strainer on top of the pan and pour the oil through it. Use the spoon to press as much of the oil as possible out of the flowers before discarding them.
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STEP 4
Shave off very thin strips of beeswax or grate the wax until you have 1/8 cup.
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STEP 5
Heat the oil in the pan on the lowest setting possible. When the oil is warm, stir in the shaved beeswax.
(Optional)
Add 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil once the beeswax has completely melted.
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STEP 6
Pour the mixture into small jars. Allow the salve to cool completely before putting on the lids.
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STEP 7
On the lid, write the date, including the year. You can store the salve in your refrigerator or other cool place for up to one year.
Extras
Grow Your Own Marigolds
These plants do well in a pot, so you can grow them in small spaces.
Give Jars of Salve as Presents
You can decorate the jars or create customized labels to make your gifts even more personal.
Activity 30 / Make Oatmeal Jars
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Nici is served oatmeal each morning while she’s locked in her cell.
Oatmeal is a highly nutritious food that you can customize to your liking by adding fruits, nuts and other flavors. These make-ahead, instant oatmeal jars are a quick, easy and fun way to make a healthy breakfast.
What You’ll Need
• Pint-size canning jars with lids
• Dry rolled or old fashioned oats (NOTE: Don’t get steel-cut oats for this recipe)
• Flavor additions, which can be:
- Freeze-dried fruit (apples, berries, bananas, peaches and raisins work well)
- Nuts
- Cinnamon
- Coconut flakes
- Chocolate or cacao chips
- Sugar or other sweetener
• Water or milk
• Spoon
STEP 1
Place ½ cup of oats in each jar.
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STEP 2
Add in the flavorings you want. Here are the suggested proportions:
Dried fruit or nuts - ¼ cup
Cinnamon - ¼ teaspoon
Coconut flakes/choc chips - ½ tablespoon
Sugar/sweetener - Pinch
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STEP 3
Seal tightly and store in your pantry for up to two weeks.
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COOKING DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Boil 1 cup of water or milk.
STEP 2
Pour the liquid into the jar and stir.
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STEP 3
Let the oatmeal stand uncovered for 10-20 minutes, depending on the consistency you want.
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STEP 4
Stir again and enjoy.
Activity 31 / Draw a Map of Pahdu
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King Sevvy sends out a dozen of the Royal Guards in six different directions to look for Renetta and Tem.
You can create a map of where they’re searching using your imagination—and the information about Pahdu that you’ve read so far.
What You’ll Need
• Colored pencils
• Paper
STEP 1
List the names of the towns and places you want to include on your map. You can add the Gencarelli’s farm, the Knights’ hideaway, Cronald, Royal City and other towns mentioned in the book.
Also list any landmarks you want to include, such as the Roon River.
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STEP 2
Draw a map that has all the points of interest you’ve listed.
Hint
Medieval maps were sometimes illustrated with castles, houses, people, boats, monsters and such. These helped tell the story of the people and places on the map. For example, a map showing different lands might have illustrations of each country’s people dressed in their native clothing.
You may want to add some of these elements to your map.
Activity 32 / Learn Sign Language
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Pia uses her hands to translate the words that Nici says to her deaf friends.
Formal sign language has been used since the 1600s to bridge the gap between the hearing and non-hearing worlds. Some schools even offer signing as “foreign” language option. Video sign language dictionaries make it easier than ever to learn how to sign.
What You’ll Need
• Internet connection
STEP 1
Find a video sign language dictionary online.
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STEP 2
Learn the signs for MAGIC and HAIR.
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STEP 3
Learn how to fingerspell T, H and E.
STEP 4
Sign T-H-E MAGIC HAIR to your friends and see if they can guess what’s you are saying.
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Extra
Learn to sign a few lines of dialog from the book. If you have friends who are also learning sign language, you can each take a character.
Activity 33 / Create a Windlass
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The mechanism that Tem uses to lift and lower the bucket into the well is called a windlass.
To see how a windlass works, you can build your own with a few simple materials.
What You’ll Need
• Tennis ball container or something similar
• Sand, rocks or coins
• 3 large paper clips
• Tape
• 2 bendable drinking straws
• String
• Scissors
• 1 small paper cup
• Coins or other weights
STEP 1
Put sand, rocks or coins in the tennis ball container to make it heavier.
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​STEP 2
Take two of the paperclips and bend the small loop away from the large loop. Leave the large loop untouched.
STEP 3
Tape the paperclips to opposite sides of the container with the large loops above the top of the rim. The loops should be high enough to allow a straw to pass through.
STEP 4
Place the long end of a bendable straw through the loops. Bend the short end upward.
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STEP 5
Bend the second straw at the flexible joint. Press the long end into the short end of the first straw.
STEP 6
Turn the handle (the short end of the second straw) to make sure the straw can rotate easily within the paperclips.
STEP 7
Punch two small holes on opposite sides toward the top of the paper cup.
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STEP 8
Unbend a paperclip so that it creates a handle for the cup. This should look like a bucket handle with the two ends of the paperclip turned up and looped through the holes in the paper cup.
STEP 9
Cut a piece of string about 2” shorter than your container.
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STEP 10
On the side of the straw opposite the handle, tape one end of the string about 1” from the end.
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STEP 11
Tie the other end of the string to the cup handle.
STEP 12
Add coins or weight to the cup while it’s resting on the table.
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STEP 13
Turn the handle one way to lift the cup and the opposite way to lower it.
Hint
If you don’t have an empty tennis ball container, you can tape two unopened soda cans together.
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Extra
Place the coins in the paper cup before attaching the string to it. Lift it by the handle to see how much effort it takes to pull it up. Then see how easy it is to lift with the windlass.
Activity 34 / Build a Sailboat
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Nici and the Cronald children sail down the Roon River in a sailboat that they built.
While you might not be able to build a boat big enough for your friends, you can make a small replica that will actually sail.
What You’ll Need
• Milk carton, quart-size
• Small box (about the size of a soap bar)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Drinking straw
• Construction or other heavy paper
• String
• Tape
STEP 1
Cut the milk carton in half lengthwise.
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STEP 2
Punch a hole in the middle of one of the large, flat sides of the small box. The hole should be a little smaller that than the straw.
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STEP 3
Glue the small box inside the middle of the milk carton.
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STEP 4
Cut a sail out of the construction paper approximately 6” high x 8” wide.
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STEP 5
Punch a hole at the top and bottom of the sail. Thread the straw through the holes.
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STEP 6
Press the bottom of the straw into the hole in the small box.
STEP 7
Tape one end of the string to the back of the boat.
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STEP 8
Wrap a loop around the top of the straw mast and then tape the other end of the string to the front of the boat. Trim off any excess string.
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Hint
If you would like to decorate your boat and sail, do so before you put all the pieces together.
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Extra
Experiment with the angle of your sail to see what makes your boat move faster. To do this, you’ll need:
- Child’s plastic play pool or other open stretch of water
- Hair dryer
- String
- Stopwatch or clock with a minute hand
- Paper
- Pen
1) Place the string across the far end of the pool to create a finish line.
2) Twist the mast so that the sail is straight across the bow (the middle of the boat).
3) Place the boat in the water so that the front is aimed at the finish line.
4) Turn on the hair dryer and aim it at the back of the boat.
WARNING: DO NOT LET THE HAIR DRYER OR PLUG GET WET. THIS COULD CAUSE ELECTRICAL SHOCK.
5) Time how long it takes the boat to reach the finish line.
6) Bring the boat back to the starting point and repeat two more times.
7) Write down your three times and find the average. To do this, add up all three scores. Then divide the total by three. The result is your average time.
8) Twist the mast so that the sail is at a 45Ëš angle and aim the front of the boat toward the finish line, just like before.
9) Turn on the hair dryer and aim it at the back of the boat like you did before.
10) Time the boat’s trip to the finish line.
11) Repeat two more times at this angle and determine the average time.
Which average time was faster? Can you figure out why?
Activity 35 / Design Queen Mabelline’s Gown
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In this chapter, King Sevvy’s wedding to his queen begins. Since Mabelline’s gown is not described in detail in the book, you can use your imagination to picture what it looks like.
What You’ll Need
• Colored pencils or markers
• Paper
STEP 1
Research typical fashions from the Middle Ages.
STEP 2
Create your design based on the gowns from the time—or draw a completely unique design.
Extra
Make a doll-size sample of your gown.
Activity 36 / Draw Your Favorite Scene
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Throughout The Magic Hair, you’ve read about all kinds of exciting adventures.
Now that you’ve completed the book, think back to one scene that is very memorable for you. Then illustrate that scene.
What You’ll Need
• Colored pencils or markers
• Paper
• Chalk (optional)
STEP 1
Reread the chapter where your scene takes place to remember all the details.
STEP 2
Create your drawing.
Extras
• Create a street painting of your illustration using the instructions from the Chapter 3 / Activity.
• Draw several scenes that help tell the whole story. Create a slideshow of your illustrations.