Yummy Beginner Crochet Kit - Easy & Fun Crochet Project

I have to confess that crocheting has been a struggle for me over the years. My brain just can't seem to figure out how to crochet so it is a very big challenge for me when I pick it back up again to try for the millionth time! I still consider myself a beginner crocheter so tackling a new crochet project, especially for a beginner was something I was ready to try.

 

Crochet Kit

This super cute kit from Lion Brand Yarns & Ribblr (@yummyfriendsworld) just captured my attention and so of course I had to give it a try. 

For full disclosure I am an affiliate therefore if you purchase anything through the links provided I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I do want you to know that my opinions are my own and I promise to be honest with you as to how this kit went as I worked my way through the crochet pattern. I made plenty of mistakes but I learned so much and I'm really proud to show you the finished results. 

Before I get to the finished project let's walk through what is in this kit and what to expect if you choose to purchase your own kit. 

Lion Brand Yarns & Ribblr shipped the kit directly to me and I was very excited to open it up. I was happily surprised with the kit box which reminded me of a mini cardboard to go box - it is so cute!

These kits become available on September 16 so make sure to get your kit right away!  

The little box was stuffed with all kinds of goodies too.

Kit Supplies

Here is a list of all the supplies that came in this kit:

• Brown yarn
• black yarn
• light pink yarn
• dark pink yarn
• small pair of scissors
• darning needle & case
• felt squares in a variety of colors
• red mini pom pom
• fiberfill stuffing
• 3 stitch markers
• plastic eyes
• glue
• crochet hook 4mm
• plastic storage case with printed-on ruler

Lion Brand is Counting down to Christmas: 30% off Yarn/Kits when you use code 24CTC30 at checkout. Offer valid 9/27-9/29. 

Along with all of these supplies, the kit had a sticker sheet with the three cute little characters you can make for each individual kit, a QR code to scan to access the online video and written instructions, a collectible character card, and the GOLDEN TICKET CARD! The Golden Ticket card has a tag for socials which you can post and then claim a prize. How fun!

Get your kit HERE and crochet along with me! 

After I unboxed all the supplies I scanned the QR code which brought me to a site with the instructional videos and typed instructions for the project. Let me just say here that I have watched and tried to follow numerous how-to crochet videos over the years and I feel reasonably confident that I have found really good ones but the video from Ribblr was so far the best one I've watched. I went into this project pretty skeptical that this video series would successfully teach me how to crochet and I was pleasantly surprised that it did its job! I actually was able to follow along and understand the steps. Great job Ribblr! 

How To Crochet

The project starts off teaching how to chain, single crochet, and how to start a magic circle. Not going to lie but that magic circle with added stitches took me several tries. I finally got mine to look like the one in the video and I was so proud of myself. What is really cool about these online lessons is that the written portion includes very detailed instructions and then it also has the crochet pattern instructions so you can learn that as well to use on future projects. As you go along the program tracks your progress and crosses off what you complete so you can just easily jump back in where you left off too. 

The Yarn

Let's talk yarn for a quick second. In my past attempts to crochet, I tried a variety of yarns to help me catch on but the only thing that kept happening was my crochet hook getting stuck on frayed or pulled sections of yarn. 

The yarn in this kit is different! It is silky smooth kind of like a mix between thick embroidery floss and parachute cord but not as stiff. It is VERY easy to work with and VERY forgiving for a beginner. Thank you Lion Brand Yarns for putting this fabulous yarn in this kit. I think this made all the difference in my ability to successfully complete this project! 

Yummy Friends Crochet It Yourself Kit

Here is the start of my magic circle and how the cone portion of the project was progressing after a few rounds of single crochet and adding stitches. 

The ice cream top is coming along now! I have to admit that somewhere along the line I made a mistake on the cone and so my finished cone is different than the final project pictures on the box and instructions. I decided to use my mulligan at this point and just leave it rather than unravel the top and start over. I personally like how my version turned out and so that's all that matters, right?

Time to add the dripping chocolate sauce to the ice cream top! The colorful felt pieces became the chocolate sauce with sprinkles! The cherry on top is the little red pom pom. (sorry - I forgot to take pics of the sprinkles and cherry step but you can see it in the final pics at the end)

Now it was time to start on the cone part of the project with another magic circle! I think I got the hang of this now.

After the crocheting was done it was time to stuff the cone with the fiberfill stuffing. This kit came with plenty of stuffing! 

After the cone was stuffed I attached the ice cream top to the cone using the glue and for extra stability I added some stitches around the perimeter to keep it securely attached (always looking for a reason to sew something!)

Time to turn this cone into an axolotl with some side gills! I learned how to half double crochet for this step and I think I did a good job with this new stitch. 

Here is where I went a little rogue with the project instructions. See that frilly layer of dark pink between the cone and the ice cream? Yeah, that is what I did to "cover up" my mistake with the ice cream. I crocheted two rows of single crochet until it was long enough to go around the cone then I stitched it onto the ice cream just above the cone. 

Here is the finished Ice Cream Azolotl Ari - Complete with sprinkles and a cherry on top! He is so cute and my kids just love it. I'm proud of my attempt at this project and I really think the key to it turning out as good as it did was the fabulous instructions from Ribblr. 

Crochet It Yourself Kits

These crochet it yourself kits consist of three options - Ice Cream Axolotl Ari, Cookie Turtle Tim, and Boba Cow Charlie. I highly recommend you check them all out and pick the one (or all) you want to make. These kits are perfect for older children and adults who want to learn how to crochet something fun other than just making a wash cloth. I think they would also make a great Christmas or birthday gift to give to that crafty someone in your life too. 

Thank you Lion Brand Yarns and Ribblr for this really fun and unique crafting opportunity. 

Amazing & Fun Science Experiments For Kids To Do This Summer

Are you looking for ways to get your kids excited about science? Sometimes all you need is a little extra help and a few amazing and fun experiments. 

One of the easiest, low-prep ways to accomplish this is by implementing your science lessons with a monthly science kit. These monthly kits contain ALL of the supplies and instructions so you don't have to do any special shopping or prepping beforehand. 

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for the Generation Genius science subscription kit and recently they sent me a kit to try out in our homeschool. Today I'm going to share with you what my 10-year-old 4th grader learned, what experiments he did, and his overall like/dislike of this kit. I did not receive any compensation, besides a free kit, and all opinions are mine.

MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES WE HAVE TRIED IN THE PAST:

We have tried many different subscription kits over the years in our homeschool. In many cases, the kits have been a great addition to our school days by adding a little excitement or newness to our daily routine. There have been some monthly kits we really loved and some that were just OK. Here is a list of the kits we have used so far:

• Kiwi Co - Kiwi Crate
• Kiwi Co - Doodle Crate
• Kiwi Co - Tinker Crate
• Kiwi Co - Maker Crate
• Kiwi Co - Eureka Crate
• Let's Make Art - Watercolor Painting
• Let's Make Art - Mixed Media
• Annie's Kit Club - Young Woodworkers Kit
• Raddish Kids Cooking Kit

Whew, that's a lot of kits! 

When the Generation Genius kit arrived I let my 10-year-old 4th grade son take a crack at it! I have to admit that at first, he was not very excited about a science kit because he thought it would be "baby-ish" and boring. Even though these were his initial feelings he still decided to open up the box and try it. 

After opening the box we found three separate and sealed individual experiments inside. Each experiment comes nicely labeled and ready to be used with all the supplies you need (except for tap water). 

Since my son is only 10 years old and still needs some help and adult supervision I fully expected to work on the kit alongside him. We pulled out experiment #1, cut open the bag, and got started. 

GETTING STARTED WITH THE GENERATION GENIUS SCIENCE KIT

I expected to find an instruction sheet inside the first bag like other kits we've done but there wasn't anything like that in the kit. After searching the rest of the box and its contents and not finding any instruction sheets I decided to check out the kit website to look for instructions. After a few minutes of searching, I discovered that instead of printed-out instructions Generation Genius uses video instructions taught by Dr. Jeff. 

After getting the video ready to play for experiment #1 my son was well on his way with the first experiment. 

Here are my thoughts on the Generation Genius Science Kit instruction video:

• The video is a professional production that thoroughly explains the kit contents in detail and at an age-appropriate level. 
• Dr. Jeff has a great teaching personality and does not "talk down" to his audience. He presents the scientific objectives of the experiment using real scientific terms and explains how the experiment student will see this lesson happen when they use the kit.
• The video has automatic pauses built in so that students can stay on track and follow along with the instructions at a reasonable pace. The experiments are meant to be done while the student watches the video 

Get your kit today!

GENERATION GENIUS SCIENCE KIT EXPERIMENTS

As I mentioned before, each box comes with three full experiments! The three experiments in our kit were:

1 - Liquid Worms

2 - Light Painting

3 - The Countdown Reaction

Without explaining all the scientific details each experiment taught - I'll leave that to Dr. Jeff, I think telling you what my son and I thought about each one would be more helpful if you are looking for an educational science kit. I will just highlight a few things for each experiment as well as give you my son's rating of the experiment on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 stars being the best.

LIQUID WORMS EXPERIMENT

This kit comes with this large, amazing, almost indestructible "splat" mat to keep any spills and messes contained and to protect the surface, a.k.a the kitchen table, from any potential harm. As a mom, this little detail within the kit was so very much appreciated! Honestly, none of the other types of kits we have tried had one of these protective mats included (bonus points for Generation Genius!!)

At this point, my son was still very skeptical at this point but willing to do the first experiment. This first experiment includes two different activities to try. In the first activity, the student created liquid art and in the second activity, the student made liquid worms.

The science lessons from this experiment were to see how a chemical reaction between two natural resources can form new synthetic materials as well as learn what viscosity is. One of the chemicals used in this kit was sodium alginate. This is a thick liquid chemical that actually comes from seaweed, a fact my son thought was so cool! The second chemical is calcium lactate gluconate which is found in calcium vitamins.

My skeptical student tried both activities and to our surprise, this experiment blew our minds! As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words", and I think from this picture you can see how amazed and excited my little guy was with the liquid worms. 

Pros of this experiment:

• unique - introduced something new!
• comes with all supplies you need
• has plenty of supplies to repeat this experiment over and over
• allows the child to use their imagination 
• splat mat keeps everything clean
• rubber gloves & safety goggles that are kid size
• included 2 activities
• the video explains real-world uses for the chemicals used

Cons:

• fairly messy (again, the splat mat is awesome)
• the liquid worms get discarded when you are all done (this is my son's only disappointment)

LIGHT PAINTING EXPERIMENT

On to the second experiment which was light painting. This experiment allowed my son to learn about light and how ultraviolet light differs from other light like red and green light. Inside the experiment bag, there were three different colored lights, two sheets of special paper, and a spinning wheel covered in a special paper. 

This experiment requires your student to be in a dark room which for us is our pantry. After watching the video and then testing which of the three lights, red, green, or ultraviolet worked best on the special paper my son was ready to create his own designs with the UV light in our dark pantry. 

We taped both pieces of special paper to a wall in our pantry where he spent the next hour (yes, a full hour!) experimenting! He even cut out different shapes from a piece of paper, taped it to the special paper, and then used the UV light around the shape to create different prints. This experiment really encouraged him to use his imagination!

The second activity included a spinning disk covered in the special paper that when spun created amazing spiral patterns when the ultraviolet light tip was touched to the paper. 

Pros of this experiment:

• student can do this experiment over and over!
• good quality equipment is provided in the kit
• an engaging video that explained the differences in light in an easy-to-understand way
• allowed for imaginative discovery
• no mess at all

Cons:

• the special paper provided in the kit was small (8.5" x 11") - it would have been nice to have a larger size piece of paper to use
• once the student "drew" on the paper it took quite a while for the light image to fade

CHEMICAL CLOCK REACTIONS

The last experiment from this kit was the iodine chemical reaction countdown. 

The chemicals used:

• puffed starch 
• sodium iodide
• hydrogen peroxide
• vitamin c pellet
• destain

By the time my son got to this third experiment, he was a total fan of the Generation Genius science kit! Because this kit included chemicals (like the worm kit) he knew it was going to be cool before he even started it. There is just something cool about using chemicals so he opened up the bag, cued up the video, and got started. 

The main science lesson from this kit was about chemical clock reactions which is a process where a periodic change in color will be observed with the progress of a reaction. 

This kit really required the student to follow the directions exactly as Dr. Jeff explained to them so that it would work properly. As a parent, I appreciated the "following directions carefully" portion of this experiment since this seems to be a constant struggle with my ten-year-old. Because he was so into this science kit and he knew beforehand that he struggles with listening and following directions he suggested that we replay the video a few times so he could get everything right and not mess up the last experiment. (proud mom moment!!) 

There is plenty of chemicals supplied in this kit for the student to try this experiment over and over as well as allowing the student to try mixing the chemicals in different proportions and observe what happens. 

Oh, and did you see from the supply list that it included DESTAIN! Yep, Dr. Jeff thought of everything so dear ole mom doesn't need to scour the internet or even call Generation Genius to ask how to get the blue chemical stain out of your dear little one's favorite shirt! Thank you so much Generation Genius for covering all of the bases for us moms. And if you are wondering, yes, I did have to use a little destain on some of my son's clothing and yes, it did work!

Pros of this experiment:

• plenty of chemicals were supplied to allow for lots of experimentation 
• destain - need I say more!
• an interesting and engaging experiment that is age appropriate

Cons:

• a little messy but, again there is destain!

To say we are thrilled with Generation Genius is an understatement! My son absolutely loved this kit and is now begging for more. 

If you find teaching science in your homeschool a little lackluster consider adding the monthly Generation Genius science kit to help add some interest to your lessons! 

Generation Genius science kits can be used by individual students, in co-ops, public and private schools as well as a summer school option. Shipping is free with a 3-month subscription and the monthly price is very affordable too. To start your subscription or to just try out one month click here now!