Soap Making at Home for Kids

Easy Soap Making at Home for Kids

ENCOURAGING FAMILIES TO STAY TOGETHER
(this is a nice way for families to bond and experiment together during lockdown) 

The product will be safe for everyone to use.

Materials

- Soap base (any unscented soap or glycerin soap base). Store bought baby soap can work as base. Castile soaps may also be sold at your local supermarket.

- Oats powder

- Olive oil or coconut oil

- Vitamin E oil (or capsule)

- Coloring

- Optional - honey or aloe vera

Instruction

1. Grate soap using a fine grater or shave using a knife

2. Blend oats in blender until powdered

3. Use extra virgin Olive oil or locally made coconut oil (can find at local market)

4. Vitamin E can be bought at the local pharmacy

5. Experiment with colors you can find at home (powder - annatto/recardo, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cocoa, neem, sage, spinach, etc.) or a few drops of liquid coloring (that is safe to use on skin - read label). Beets and carrots can be used.

*This makes it more exciting.

You can add essential oil if you like (this can be found at the local pharmacy)

*if you do not have some of these (e.g. neem, spinach, sage) in dried form, simply leave them out in open sunlight for a day (you can speed this up by putting into oven on low heat)

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- Warm soap base on stove top or in microwave until melted. Be very careful.

- Quickly add in all the ingredients and stir constantly until all are mixed in completely.

- Pour mixture into a mold (preferably a silicone mold). If you do not have one, simply use a cupcake pan.

- Leave the soap to harden (castile base soap hardens quickly. If using glycerin base, you can put in refrigerator to solidify faster.

- If using a cupcake pan, you may need to heat the bottom of the pan to loosen the soap to enable it to come out (you can use a water bath). You will simply need to bend the silicone container to get the soap out. 

Recipe

1 cup grated soap base

1/4 cup oats powder

1 1/2 tablespoon olive or coconut oil

1/2 tsp vitamin E or 1 capsule

Coloring - you decide on this (don't go over 2 tbsp of powder or 5 drops of liquid)

2 tbsp. honey or 2 tbsp. aloe vera gel (optional)

You are free to experiment. 

All these materials are safe to use on the body. 

Most, if not all, can be found at home.

Enjoy a refreshing and moisturizing bath with the soap you made at home

Kaydoc's experiment

I made two kinds of soap using a castile soap base and a glycerin soap base. 

(Both unscented)

Picture #1 - Castile soap (white). Glycerin soap base (transparent) 

Picture #2 - materials I used (Top left to right: neem infused in coconut oil, grated castle soap, vitamin E oil. Bottom left to right: Oats powder, Glycerin shavings) 

I made my own neem oil that I used in the recipe. I got fresh neem leaves and blended these in a magic bullet. I added these into a bowl of coconut oil. 

Blended neem leaves in coconut oil

I warmed the oil in a water bath (added to a pot of boiling water). I strained off the liquid (using a cheesecloth to remove leaves) into a mason jar.

The only ingredients I did not use in my recipes were honey and aloe vera. I will include these next time.

I did not add coloring to my first soap (castile soap). I used a lot of oats powder 

(I plan to use this soap to exfoliate my skin, expecially my face)

I added pink soap coloring to the glycerin soap

(I will use this as a bath soap or to wash my hands)

 

❤❤❤

This surely can be a great gift for Mommy next month

 

Why not get started?

****

We will learn to make soap from scratch together next time

DUF Flour Lab Challenge

DUF Flour Lab Challenge 

(Porridge from white or wheat flour)

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Traditional Pulali Making by Dolores

 Nothing beats cooking on the fire hearth. 

This takes us back to "home."

We can all remember waking up (as children) to bright 😄 from Mommy and Daddy as they call us for our warm bowl of Pulali.

Yummy!

Pulali is an excellent source of energy. 

……………..

Our parents and grandparents did the best they could in their time. 

They trained us to grow up strong, self-sufficient, and resilient. 

*

They did the best they could with what they had.

*Let us not forget these wise teachings, especially during these trying times. 

Sharing the Love by Pastor Wayne and Family

Video done by Abi Lopez

Take time out to teach your children (and other family members and friends) how to appreciate their heritage in a warm and friendly environment.

Karen's Final Product

Using slightly parched flour and a combination of coconut milk and evaporated milk.


You can make variations of this porridge. 

• You can use the flour as is (white or wheat) or parch it lightly. If using white flour, you can also parch it until golden brown. 
• You can decide on the milk you want to use. Commonly used are evaporated milk and coconut milk (together or separately).
• You can add dumpling (flour dough made into small circles - or other shapes) to the porridge.
• You can top it with spices of your choice, nuts, or seeds.
• you can color it with syrup (e.g. chocolate, strawberry, cherry, etc.) 

          *options are endless.

Why not give this a try?

As you do, be sure to dance to the Pulali song by Adrian "the Doc" Martinez

………………...

We will continue to take you back home. Enjoy.
Share the love...

Next challenge will be to make home-made flour pancake or waffle.

Stay connected.

Cassava Flour Tortilla

Cassava Flour Tortilla

(By KayDoc)

Cassava tuber is a root vegetable that grows in warm tropical climates. It has the ability to thrive on marginal and low fertility lands.

For persons who are familiar with the making of banana flour, note that making cassava flour follows the same procedure (refer back to the blog on banana drying).

STEP ONE: Making the flour

1. Cassava tuber is washed and peeled. You can cut the tuber into 2 inch blocks to maintain some control as you work with it.

From my back yard

2. The tuber is sliced thinly lengthwise and placed on a sheet of zinc to dry.

3. Like in banana drying, you need to ensure that the sun is hot when you prepare this. Do not allow dew water to fall on it in the evening. Repeat the drying process for a few days (until the slices are dry).

4. You can pound the dried cassava using mortar and pestle or simply put into a food processer or blender to produce the flour. 

STEP TWO: Making the tortilla dough

(the preparation is similar to the making of corn tortilla)

Ingredients (can yield up to 12 tortillas)

2 cups cassava flour

2tbsp baking powder (or 1 egg)

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter or 4 oz oil of choice

1/2 cup water

Materials

tortilla masher

clear plastic

Instructions

1.Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl

2. Make dough into 1/2 inch balls

3. Put a ball at a time between two pieces of clear plastic on the tortilla masher

4. Press down the masher

5. Bake tortilla for one minute

Baking the tortilla

The tortilla can be used like flour tortilla and eaten with eggs, beans, stew meat, fish, peanut butter, jam, syrup, etc. 

You can also spice up the meal by being creative. 

Below, I hashed fish and seasoned it with salt and herbs and added tomato, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic. I topped it with sour cream (you can use ranch dressing, ketchup, or a vinaigrette). 

 See my production below

(waiting for Gwen to give it a name)

 I grated carrot and cabbage on top of it.

*****

Everyone in Dangriga can plant sweet cassava sticks in their yard. You do NOT need to hassle yourself taking care of it once it is in the ground.

There are many local small farmers in this town. They are willing to share their expertise (and resources) with those of us who are serious. They have also expressed the desire to see more people go back to eating local and healthy. 

Cassava takes between 6 to 12 months to mature (this depend on the variety planted).

Let's all give this a try. 

More to come on products from Cassava. 

  

Updates on DUF activities

Updates on DUF activities during "stay home" period

We continue to challenge you to plant your own food. God has given us everything we need for life... 

There is really no excuse for not putting something into the ground in your space (yard, verandah, rooftop, etc.). Living in town is no excuse. See for yourselves that it is doable!

Most vegetables and short term crops do not need a lot of space. As a matter of fact, most, if not all, can be planted in containers. Some can be placed on trellis.

Updates from Sedella

(rooftop garden)

Bed preparation

 

Update from Dolores

(Small space garden)

 

  Excellent use of small space 
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Additional

Update from Pastor Wayne

(backyard gardening)

Proudly harvesting

 

 A great way to know what you are eating

 

Drying green bananas

 Sweet potatoes

 Update from Karen

(container gardening and using trellis)

  

Container gardening

 

Using trellis

 Update from Tasher

 Happy Urban Farmer

(plum juice is a great thirst quencher - peel and remove seeds, add ginger, lime and sugar. 

Blend and strain)

 

Creative designs (container planting using old tires)

*Reusing materials - environmentally friendly practice

Update from Adrian

 

Small trees planted in back yard

We are also calling on you to change your perspectives on farming. You do NOT need a huge plot of land to grow your own fruits and vegetables.

Look at planting your own food as food security (which can translate to independence - not having to live on someone else's mercy).

For those of us who have jobs or have accumulated some money, know that in difficult times like now, these really cannot sustain us.

Money has no value when there is nothing to buy! 


Urban gardening has many benefits. These include a healthy mind (stress free), good source of exercise, a feeling of accomplishment, healthy eating practices, among many others. You also will save a lot of money.

You will learn more as you continue to follow us.  Join us. Follow us on facebook. 

Leave comments and questions.