"Not A Creature Was Stirring..."

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

"Not A Creature Was Stirring..."
“Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even--- a squirrel, a snake, a spider, a grasshopper. Well, as we all know, the peace of Christmas can often be disturbed in unexpected ways.

Take the movie “Christmas Vacation.” Can anyone forget the scene when the squirrel jumps out of the Christmas tree and into Chevy Chase’s living room? Later in the movie a cat chews on an electrical wire and sets itself and the tree on fire. Is it slapstick comedy or reality?

One Christmas afternoon years ago, I was sipping my tea and enjoying a tranquil moment in my living room, when I was startled by something flying through the air. Before I could move, I was again surprised by a fluttering sound and a second object shooting from the Christmas tree. To my amazement, there were two grasshoppers staring at me from the carpet. The warmth of the house had convinced them that it was time to emerge from their home.

My sister had a similar experience when she got up one morning, after having decorated her tree, and found spiders crawling around the bottom of the tree. Every morning, she found the same invasion of the spiders going on. The tree was full of spider eggs. I still laugh at the thought of her jumping around the tree in her pajamas killing the spiders but refusing to take the tree down until Christmas night.

A family in Zebulon, NC recently discovered a corn snake in their newly erected artificial tree which had been stored in the garage. Their six year old discovered the foot long visitor when she was turning on the tree. Although the non-venomous snake won the hearts of the children, the mother wanted nothing to do with him. “Tinsel” as the kids named him now lives in the woods near their house.

It doesn’t seem to matter if the tree is real or fake, creatures will inhabit it. A little precaution is in order when bringing the tree into your house, although rarely would these accidental visitors be harmful to you or your home.

A vigorous shaking will likely loosen any inhabitants. Then inspect it visually for egg casings, etc. Aerosol inspect sprays are flammable and should not be sprayed on the Christmas tree. Most trees are free of invaders or the ones that are there are unnoticeable.

Pine bark adelgids are harmless and sedentary and do not leave the tree. Aphids are sometimes found, but they are usually host specific and will not feed on your houseplants. Sometimes certain bark beetles bore into the trunk of a tree, but they are not a threat because the wood in a home is too dry to attract them. Other creature such as mites, praying mantis, scale insects and spiders are other harmless insects which might be found on your tree.

Here’s hoping all of your holiday guests come with invitations!

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The Kitchen is a Perfect Laboratory

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

The Kitchen is a Perfect Laboratory
When my daughter called me and had some questions about how to boil an egg, I thought I had failed in an important area of mothering. Then my other daughter came to visit us in October and requested that I cook our traditional Christmas meal so that she could observe and take detailed notes. Her in-laws were coming for the Thanksgiving feast, and she was terrified.

Of course, I had taken for granted that they had been observing my performance in the kitchen and had learned everything they needed to know over the years. In reflection, I realized that my lessons in the kitchen should have been more deliberate. In many homes, holiday traditions begin in the kitchen. It is a perfect place to teach children from two to twenty about the art and science of cooking.

Just a few of the science topics that can be explored include chemistry, measurement, nutrition, and changing solids into liquids. Other skills include sequencing, safety, reading, working together, and organizing. The history of foods, family stories about recipes, social skills, and sharing with others are also important subjects that can be taught.

Safety is a vital topic to teach children and should include how to keep all of the surfaces sanitary as well as how to use the various culinary tools. Other things like using sturdy stools when reaching for things, cooking on the back burners, plugging in appliances, and turning the pot handles to the back of the stove are important techniques to teach. Just being careful in the kitchen should be emphasized.

So many math skills can be reinforced and taught while cooking. Measuring dry and liquid ingredients, doubling quantities, timing the process, and even shopping for the food provide invaluable opportunities to teach important math skills.

Making candy and using sugar and salt is the time to discuss crystals and how they change in the cooking process. The chemical reactions of baking powder and yeast are demonstrated in making bread. When working with eggs, the proteins change as they are beaten and mixed. Pickling is an ancient technique designed to reduce spoilage using vinegar, which kills bacteria or salt brine, thereby increasing fermentation, which promotes good bacteria.

Seasonings are an interesting study about cultures around the world and how they change the way food is experienced. The way the human nose and taste buds work together to provide the enjoyment of food is a fascinating topic.

So much of who we are and how we became what we are can be traced through our history of food. Most families’ food traditions are a blend several cultures. Gathering around the table is a way of connecting with each other. The sharing and brotherhood that is expressed during a meal can be experienced in few other places. While you are doing your holiday cooking, invite a child to explore the science of it with you.

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