How to Make Dandelion Jelly

Discipline: Science & Nature
Age Range: 10+, with adult supervision
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
What You Need: access to the stove (with adult supervision); medium saucepan: stirring spoon; 3 to 4 jars with lids

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Ingredients for Dandelion Jelly:
3 cups packed very fresh dandelion blossoms from unsprayed plants, about 4 ounces
4 cups of water
4 cups of sugar
1 box powdered pectin to reduce the amount of sugar
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
1 drop yellow food coloring, optional

Sierra Nevada Journeys Educator Shares Her Experience Making Dandelion Jelly

My name is Sarah, and I work at Sierra Journeys’ Grizzly Creek Ranch as an outdoor science instructor. I’ve been loving my time in the Sierra mountains, exploring new areas, trying new activities, and making new friends. The other day I was out in our yard and I saw a patch of dandelions, which reminded me that one of my friend’s back home had told me about something called dandelion jelly. So, I looked online and after finding a couple of different recipes, (Recipe 1 and Recipe 2) I decided to try my hand at making dandelion jelly.

I recruited my friend Nolan and we went on a dandelion hunting adventure around town. We started by picking the dandelions in our yard. Then, we explored our neighborhood looking for dandelions, and ultimately we ended up at the town park, where there was an abundance of dandelions (and some fuzzy bumblebees) — success! We picked as many as we thought we might need while being sure to leave some for the bees to get pollen and nectar.

Back home with our dandelions, it was time to cut off the flower parts. We wanted to get rid of the green parts because they would make the jelly too bitter. We used a full bowl of dandelion petals. We didn’t measure, but it seemed like we had enough, so we went for it. Next, we boiled water and poured 4 cups over the petals. We let it cool, then poured it into a container so we could put it in the fridge to steep overnight. This made dandelion tea, the base for the dandelion jelly.

We strained the dandelions out of the dandelion tea so that we were left with just the liquid. Squishing the flowers helped get all the liquid out. We were supposed to have 4 cups of liquid, but ours only turned out to be about 3 ½ cups, so we added an extra half cup of water to get to 4 cups. We heated the liquid over medium heat and added four cups of sugar. If I made this again, I think I might try to use a little less sugar; our end result tasted a little too sweet for my liking. We brought it to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes before taking it off the heat. The recipe called for pectin, but our grocery store didn’t have any available, so we used gelatin instead. Pectin is typically used to make jam and jelly and creates a less solid product that gelatin, which is used to make geletin. I would really like to try this again sometime with pectin and see how it turns out differently. If you were using pectin, you would add it with the sugar, but gelatin needs to be added later, so we let the liquid cool before adding two packets of gelatin powder. Once we had stirred in the gelatin and it was fully dissolved, we filled three jars, put lids on, and stuck them in the fridge.

The next morning when we opened the jars, we had jelly. Well, the consistency was more like gelatin (likely because we had to use gelatin instead of pectin), but it still tasted good and that’s what matters. I’m looking forward to trying this again and making some adjustments to the recipe.

Are there any edible plants like dandelions in your area? See if you can find any interesting recipes using the plants in your neighborhood.

Sources:

Homestead Acres. 2020. How To Make Dandelion Jelly. [online] Available at: <https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-make-dandelion-jelly/> [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Serena Ball, R., 2020. [online] Teaspoonofspice.com. Available at: <https://teaspoonofspice.com/make-dandelion-jelly/> [Accessed 1 May 2020].

Bird Feeder Craft

Discipline: Nature Craft
Age Range: all ages
Estimated Time: 15 minutes plus observation time
What You Need: one apple, birdseed, yarn or string; peanut butter; knife (with adult supervision); writing utensil; paper or printer (optional)

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When the weather changes seasons from colder weather to the sunny skies of spring, many birds are building nests and preparing to have their young. Spend time together as a family creating this bird feeder together! When the bird feeder is finished you can hang it up outside and watch all the birds that visit your yard.

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Instructions:

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  1. With a parent’s help or permission, carefully use a knife to cut horizontal slices of an apple. They should be around a ½ inch thick.

  2. Use a pen or pencil to poke a hole near the top edge of each apple slice. Be sure not to poke too close to the edge, or the apple may break!

  3. Spread peanut butter to cover both sides of each apple slice. If you are having trouble getting the peanut butter to stick, consider dabbing the sides of the apple slice with a paper towel to dry it off before spreading the peanut butter.

  4. Cover the peanut butter apple in birdseed! Turning over both sides of the slice in a bowl of birdseed works great for this part of the activity.

  5. Cut off around 1ft of yarn and thread it through the hole you made in the top of your apple. If it is tricky to find your original hole, just poke a new one! Then, tie off the yarn with an overhand knot.

  6. Hang your bird feeder wherever you’d like! Trees and hooks near windows are great for observing birds from your own home.

  7. If your bird feeder runs out of seed, or falls off of its yarn, feel free to repeat this process and make as many bird feeders as you would like.

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Spend some time each day watching your new bird feeder to see what types of birds visit. It might take a few days for the birds to find your feeder, so don’t worry if you don’t have any visits the first day.

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Helpful Hints
If you’d like, you can complete this craft using a pinecone instead of apple slices! Tie a string around the top portion of the cone and then smear peanut butter all over the scales of the pinecone. Sprinkle seeds over the cone so that they stick to the peanut butter. Discuss which method might attract more birds and why.

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you notice about the birds that visit your feeder?

  2. Are they large? Small?

  3. Do they have any specific colors or patterns that are obvious?

Download the Making Observation Activity Page to record your findings or write them down in a notebook to help keep track of your observations

A Resource to Identify the Birds You Observe

This website is an excellent resource for identifying and learning about the birds that live near you

The Scientific Method by Making Pancakes (Video)

Discipline: Science & Nature
Age Range: 10+, with adult supervision
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
What You Need: Pancake mix (ingredients per the directions on the pancake mix package: milk or water and egg), a fying pan and stovetop

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Use the scientific method to find the ratio of pancake mix to water that makes the fluffiest pancakes, or “pan clocks.” Follow along with Krissy and Lauren as they make observations; ask a question; form a hypothesis; design an experiment; collect data; analyze the results; and draw a conclusion. You can use the same method to investigate any questions you have at home!

After viewing the 6.5-minute video, download the how-to guide for using The Scientific Method.

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Meet a Tree (Video)

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Discipline: Teambuilding, SEL, and Science & Nature
Age Range: 6+
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
What You Need: A partner, a bandana or blindfold, and an outdoor space with trees (alternatively, an indoor space and some rocks)

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Practice your observational skills and connect with nature by meeting a tree! In this activity, partners will trade-off leading their partner to a tree blindfolded, “meeting” the tree using senses other than vision, and attempting to find their tree after removing their blindfold based on the observations they have made.

In this 5-minute video, you’ll also find an option to try this activity indoors using rocks. Afterwards, review and discuss the reflections questions below.

Reflection Questions:

  1. What senses or techniques did you use to find your tree or rock?

  2. What sense did you use the least?

  3. How can you use these skills to observe other things in the future?

Overcoming Psychological Barriers of Athletes After Life-Altering Accidents

Andy Stephens, School and Community Group Manager with Sierra Nevada Journeys, was recently featured in Why People Return to the Sport That Nearly Killed Them by Outside magazine. His master’s thesis focused on athletes who return to their sports after traumatic injuries. Andy of course, when asked about it, he said, “I’m really not one to seek out any attention.” The article is an inspiring piece that shows people who have suffered unimaginably doing activities they love and their journey to returning to their sport with new vigor and respect.

Andy studied the psychological process of the athletes to understand it and help others who may be going through a similar process.

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“I was lucky enough to join with an adaptive winter sports nonprofit during my graduate work. It became quickly apparent to me that while we were working with athletes to physically recover, there as a missing piece to their recovery — the mental and identity components. I had my own traumatic medical emergency which really helped inform my understanding of the struggles adaptive athletes have in redefining their identity. It impossible to explain how exciting it is to see athletes lean into their new strengths and develop this whole new way of viewing their new reality,” said Andy.  

“I was pulled toward working with an organization like Sierra Nevada Journeys because I wanted to be a part of helping drive growth in youth on a larger scale,” he added. Sierra Nevada Journeys’ curriculum focuses not only on STEM but also on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Some of the work that happens during Overnight Outdoor Learning at Grizzly Creek Ranch for fifth and sixth graders is geared toward team building and SEL. These aspects create a learning environment that focuses on science, critical thinking, outdoor stewardship, and SEL, which is a natural fit for Andy’s journey as a mentor for youth.

Bottle-to-Boot Game

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Discipline: Teambuilding
Age Range: 7+
Estimated Time: 10+ minutes
What You Need: Two chairs, two shoes, a minimum of five people so round up your entire family; one water bottle (or something strong enough to have shoes thrown at it without damage)

Introduction: This is an active game and can be played outdoors or in a large indoor space such as a basement or garage area.

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Instructions:
1. Place two chairs facing each other, about 7-to-10-feet apart. Place the water bottle in the center — between the two chairs — with one shoe on either side of the bottle.

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2. Choose one person to be the “facilitator.” The facilitator’s job is to call out numbers to both teams once the game begins and make the official call on who wins the points on each round the game. They will also ensure that both teams are following the rules throughout the game. 

3. Separate everyone else into two equal teams and have each person count off, “one” through however many people are playing the game. Teams should stand on opposite sides facing each other, in the order of their numbers. For example, Team A: 1,2,3,4; Team B: 1,2,3,4.

4. The facilitator will yell out a single number and whoever the number pertains to will run to grab a shoe, run back to sit in a chair (either chair is open for the taking). Then, the two players try to knock the water bottle down remaining seated in their chair.

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5. The first team to knock the water bottle down ears a point!

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6. After a few rounds, the facilitator can combine players. The players must combine elbows before grabbing the shoe. One person must sit in the chair while someone kneels next to them. Facilitator announces, “Team A players 1, 2 and 3 and Team B plays 1, 2 and 3, grab the elbows of each other and work together to grab the water bottle, return to the chair and attempt to throw the shoe at the bottle, all while remaining locked together at the elbow.”

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7. If people break their bond with their teammates, they must sit in the chair and wait five seconds until they can try again. The winner is the first team that scores ten points.

Rules:

  1. Your team can only have one shoe in your hand at a time. However, it does not matter which shoe.

  2. Your team must be sitting in a chair to throw the shoe at the water bottle. However, it does not matter which chair.

  3. Your team cannot block the other team from hitting the bottle.

  4. A round is not over until the water bottle is knocked over by one of the teams.

How to Empty an Egg Without Cracking It

Discipline: Physical Science
Age Range: 8+ (adult supervision required)
Estimated Time: 10 minutes for activity; 60 minutes of drying time for the eggs
What You Need: a clean bowl; needle or thumbtack; toothpick or straightened paperclip; clear tape or masking tape; raw eggs; a towel or paper towels; soap and water

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Eggs are one of nature’s most ingenious inventions! Chicken eggshells are tough yet delicate, and surprisingly, can stay whole even if you pierce them with a needle! If you’ve ever wished your decorated eggs aren’t cracked open and turned into deviled eggs, here’s a fun way to make them last longer.

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Instructions:

  1. Take out eggs from the refrigerator and let them sit until they are room temperature.

  2. Place a small piece of tape on the top (the pointy thick end) of the egg and the bottom (the fatter end) of the egg.

  3. Using a needle, poke a hole in the top of the egg through the tape. Hold the egg over the bowl to catch any of the liquid that drips out; do the same with the bottom of the egg. Wiggle the needle around in the egg to make the hole in the bottom bigger than the hole on the top.

  4. Take the paperclip or toothpick and stick it in the hole in the bottom of the egg. Gently swirl the end of the paperclip inside the egg, being careful not to damage the hole. You can also do this with a needle.

  5. Flip the egg over and blow air into the top of the egg, letting the contents of the egg drip into the bowl from the bottom hole. Rinse the eggshell with warm soapy water. Be sure to clean the inside and outside of the egg. Leave your egg pointy side-up to drip dry.

Once the egg is completely dry, you can start decorating!

Eggs are one of nature’s most ingenious inventions! Chicken eggshells are tough yet delicate, and surprisingly, can stay whole even if you pierce them with a needle! If you’ve ever wished your decorated eggs aren’t cracked open and turned into deviled eggs, here’s a fun way to make them last longer.

Helpful Hints
Egg shells can be very delicate. Putting a small amount of tape in the areas you intend on poking the holes in will lessen the chances of the egg cracking. When blowing into the top of the egg, if you notice none of the liquid is coming out the bottom of the egg, stop and try to break up the yolk inside the egg. If you blow too hard into the egg while nothing is coming out the pressure may make the egg explode.

Reflection Questions

  1. Why did you swirl the paperclip inside the egg?

  2. What do you think would happen if you had not broken down the egg yolk before attempting to blow it out of the shell?

Habitat Scavenger Hunt

Discipline: Life Science
Age Range: 7-12
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
What You Need: Habitat Scavenger Hunt activity sheet and an area outdoors

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Instructions: This activity focuses on finding habitats in your area.

Ask: “Do you know what a habitat is?” 

A Habitat is the nature home of a plant or animal. 

Ask: “Did you know there are four parts of a habitat. Can you guess what they are? What four things do all animals or plants, need to survive?”

The four parts of a habitat are food, water, shelter, and space.

Ask: “Do you think there could be habitats outside?”

Go outside with your Habitat Scavenger Hunt activity sheet and see if we can find all of the different parts of a habitat. Draw or write down all of the different examples you see in the appropriate box. You have a green box on your activity sheet for the examples of food that you find, a blue box for the examples of water, a red box for space, and a black box for shelter.

Remember to use your observation skills to help you find examples of habitats. What do you feel, see, hear, or smell? What animals could use the things you found?

New Words
Observation: Making an observation means to learn and notice more about the world around us using our five senses.
Habitat: the four things an organism needs to survive; food, water, shelter, and space.  

Helpful Hints
Adults, if you are doing this activity with your child(ren), ask them the questions and have a discussion before looking for the parts of a habitat.

Game of Things, a New Twist on Family Game Night

Discipline: Social Emotional Learning
Age Range: All ages
Estimated Time: At least 5 minutes to no limit
What You Need: Paper and pens

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Introduction: If you’ve ever been to Sierra Nevada Journey’s Grizzly Creek Ranch, you know we love to play games! They’re a fun way for families to bond. Game of Things is a great way to get the whole family together for a night of laughs, all while getting to know each other a little better. This game is best played with at least four people, but there is no limit to the number of players.

Instructions: This game starts with one person creating a prompt. For example, what are three things you would bring with you if you had to live on an island for a week? All players, including the person who created the prompt, will then write their answer and their name on a small piece of paper. The person who created the prompt will then collect all the pieces of paper and read them to the whole group.

Once all answers have been read aloud, the person to the left of the reader will attempt to match one of the answers with the person who wrote it. If they are correct, they will hold on to the piece of paper and try to match another answer with a player. If they are incorrect, the next player in the circle will attempt to match an answer to a player. This will continue until all of the pieces of paper have been matched with who wrote them.

The only player who does not guess is the person who created the prompt and read the answers aloud. Once all of the answers have been matched with a player, a new player will then create a prompt and the process begins again.

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Color A Watershed and Predict Which Way the Water Will Flow

Discipline: Environmental Science and Watershed Science
Age Range: 7-12
Estimated Time: 10-20 minutes
What You Need: A blue washable marker; a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil (roughly 10” x 10”); and a spray bottle filled with water

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Instructions:

  1. Crumple your parchment paper or aluminum foil into a loose ball.

  2. Un-crumple your parchment paper or foil, but don’t smooth out all of the bumps and wrinkles. Lay the paper or foil in front of you on a table or tray. This wrinkly paper or foil represents an area of land. Notice the mountains and valleys.

  3. Imagine that it is about to rain on your area of land. Where do you think the water will flow? Where will it end up? Use your blue washable marker to trace where you think the water will go on your paper or foil.

  4. Let’s make it rain! Make sure your paper or foil is on a surface that can get a little wet (a table with a placemat or a cookie sheet are great options). Hold your spray bottle about 8-to-12 inches above your area of land. Spray the bottle a few times, creating an even mist over the whole area of land. Keep spraying until the water begins to flow.

  5. What did you notice when it rained on your area of land? Did the water go where you predicted it would?

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You have just created a model of a watershed. A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains to a certain place. This even includes water that is underground! Because of gravity, water always flows downhill from high areas to low areas. Everything on that land is also inside the watershed. In fact, you live in a watershed too! All land is divided into watersheds, based on where the water that falls on that place flows and drains.

Click here to find out in which watershed region you live.

NGSS Standards: SEP: Developing & using models; CC: Systems & system models, Patterns, Energy & matter; DCI: ESS 2: Earth’s systems

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