Thrifty Decorating

DIY Fall Mantel

2017-11-11T17:55:00.001-05:00

Yes--it has been forever and ever and ever since I have blogged. I have returned to the classroom where I teach 9th grade science and have no extra time, but I still enjoy relaxing with a craft.

I used cotton balls, brown paper and sticks from a dead tree in our yard to create this wreath. Oh...and a LOT of hot glue!

Happy Fall Decorating!

my word for 2013....

2012-12-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

I don't often jump on the bandwagon of New Year's resolutions.....

it's just too easy to set unrealistic goals and expectations and

never meet them.

How many people make New Year's resolutions only to forget where they put the list the following week? Guilty! I know that I have done it!

We commit to exercising regularly....dieting....getting out of debt....quitting
smoking....organizing our house!

There's a reason plastic containers and exercise equipment go on sale the first week of January! Somehow, in the date...January 1, 2013, we see new beginnings....hope....a fresh start.

But, how often, come March, the exercise equipment is collecting dust in a
corner....the plastic bins are empty and missing lids and our credit card
statement sits unopened on the desk for fear of seeing the actual bill.

Last year, I watched a lot of bloggers choose a "word of the year".

I didn't pick one because I just couldn't think of a word that I could fulfill.

I didn't want to look back in a year and think.....oh yeah, that's right, I picked
a word of the year...oops, forgot about that!

Recently, I've been reading the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst and it
has really been challenging me....in a good way.

As I have been reading, I think that I found my word for 2013......

Too many times we expect that by giving our unmet expectations and goals a new name.....resolutions......we somehow think that they'll miraculously be accomplished.

Instead, this year, I just want to see progress.....a slower measure of movement forward.

I may not organize my entire house....that overwhelms me to a point where I just don't know where to begin. Instead, I can organize my pantry....progress.

I may still lose my temper, get annoyed, and yell at my kids, but I am going to do it less......and those

times when I make the right choice, I am going to mark that as....progress.

I have the tendency to over-commit and then find myself overwhelmed....I'm

going to start with one thing to drop from my busy schedule....progress.

Do you want to join me this year.....a new year that will be marked with progress.

"Gourmet" Muffins from a $0.50 Mix

2012-12-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

I am a bit embarrassed to confess this, but there are moments when I

feel like I just don't have time to even cream butter and sugar together....

The pace of this season in my life feels a little frantic, so making an array

of home-baked good feels like an unreachable goal, but my kids love

sweets and treats.

The other night, I looked in my fridge and saw half of a bag of cranberries

left over and I remembered that I had one of those $0.50 blueberry muffin mixes.

Now, on their own, the muffin mixes can be gross, but with a few "extra" ingredients, I realized that I can make "gourmet" muffins!

Take 1 package of your dry muffin mix....

Add-ins:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (this was an original ingredient from the package)

1 egg

1/3-1/2 cup flour

1/2 bag of cranberries

sugar for sprinking

I just mixed in all the extras but the cranberries. Add enough flour to

make a thick, almost paste-like consistency.

Add in the cranberries and spoon into muffin papers.

I then like to sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar over the top of the muffins.

Bake at 425 degrees about 15-18 minutes, just until the tops are brown.

You'll end up with "homemade" muffins in no time.......and no creaming involved!!

Do you have any creative "shortcuts"??

Muslin-Wrapped Garland

2012-11-30T07:59:00.000-05:00

I recently saw this muslin garland idea at Down to Earth Style and was

impressed by the ease and price to make it.

I tore my muslin into strips that were about 12 inches long, folded them,

and tied them into knots.

Total cost: $8.00

2 yards of muslin from Walmart..................$4.00

Twinkle lights from The Dollar General.........$4.00

For the complete look, I used Dollar Tree wreaths that I took apart and wired

together as a garland. I also had a different type of pine garland that I bought at our local Goodwill.

I stuffed in some pine cones that I bought at Michael's and red berries from

The Dollar Tree....the whole mantle was put together for about $15.

Here's last year's mantle....

Yikes!......I'm not quite feeling the love. That's even the same starter pine garland!

What a difference layering makes!

This year I feel way more natural....using greens, pinecones, muslin, and burlap through my house.

Which one do you like??

Amazing Art Blog

2012-11-28T11:48:00.004-05:00

{Winter Tree Art}

I recently stumbled across an amazing art blog that is just too good not to share with you all....

Since I am more of a science/math person, art tends to be my homeschooling weakness.

I didn't take many (any) art classes beyond elementary school and my drawing

skills are quite pathetic.

So.....art tends to get a slim showing in our homeschool portfolios.....but not this year.

This year, I am being assisted by the blog Deep Space Sparkle. Patty is an art teacher who shares these gorgeous art lessons....for FREE!!

She also includes step-by-step instructions with photos.

Here are some of her projects...

{Snowmen based on the book Snowmen at Night}

{Watercolor Birch Trees}

{Planet and Galaxy Art}

We recently did the watercolor birch trees and they turned out gorgeous!! Even my non-artsy son has a project for his portfolio that looks artistic.

My daughter and I are off to make the winter trees today.

If you are looking for more homeschooling ideas, check out my Pinterest Board!

Dropcloth Ruffle Pillow

2012-11-22T19:03:00.000-05:00

Using THIS as my inspiration, I used dropcloth to make more neutral {inexpensive!} pillows for my living room chairs.

Remember the before.....

Here's the after.....

Instead of buying new furniture, I spent about $35 on a 12 x 9 dropcloth

from Home Depot.

It took 3 packages of drop cloth to recover 2 living room chairs and 6 dining room chairs.

The cute basket on the left was from Goodwill....$4!!! Don't you just love a great deal!

HERE's the tutorial for the Faux Grain Sack pillows.

Now to tackle the couch......

Faux Grainsack Pillows

2012-11-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

I love dropcloth! It is just so inexpensive to decorate with!

Recently, I have been continuing to work on my family room furniture. It's about

10 years old and the fabric is falling apart!

Armed with drop cloth, heavy-duty needles and a tutorial from Miss Mustard Seed,

I began recovering my chairs.

Marian's tutorials are amazing and I successfully neutralized my room, but I was still left with the "coordinating" floral pillows.

So using the same technique that I used here with my dining room chairs....

......I made myself some pillows.

I'm thinking about making some red-striped pillows to get ready for Christmas!

Inexpensive Fall Wreath Idea

2012-10-23T06:45:00.000-04:00

Have you decorated for fall?

About 2 years ago, I made a wreath using materials from The Dollar Tree
and I am still using it on my front door!

The whole project cost about $3.00!

1 piece of foam board: $1.00
2 packs of leaves: 2@$1.00

I love the look of a square wreath....it's just unique!

What fall decorations did you recycle this year??

Fall Mantle Reveal

2012-10-18T06:47:00.000-04:00

I'm staying out of any political discourse, but the reality is......with

gas prices pushing $4.00 per gallon, life is expensive!

So when it comes to decorating, my options are to {mostly} use what I have.

One thing that I've had for maybe 2 years now is my corn husk wreath...

I used corn husks that I bought at a Mexican food store and cut them into triangular strips.

{Warning....it takes a lot of hot glue and many burned fingers to complete this!}

The next thing that I had was dropcloth, burlap, felt and sticks.

There are many tutorials on Pinterest that show how to make the stuffed pumpkins.

I resorted to my method of using old pillows to stuff them....free, again!

My one splurge was the "wheat"...and it's not actually wheat.

I used a foam form from The Dollar Tree and hot glued a wheat-like grass

to the form.

If I had been patient, I could have gotten it for free in my backyard.....I'm not patient!

{The printable was free from Dear Lillie.}

So for spending practically nothing.....I was able to create a simple fall mantle

out of what was lying around my home and yard!

Do you decorate for fall or Halloween?

Fall Mantle Peek

2012-10-17T16:32:00.000-04:00

I know that I have been missing for months.....it has been a much

needed break from blogging. I realized that I had some evaluating to do

about why I was actually blogging.

During this break, I've been doing minimal crafting and maximum homeschooling.

We hit Junior High this year and WOW....it takes a whole lot more time and energy on my part!

So my posting here will not be regular....expect it to be sporadic, but

I will be visiting a little more often than every 3 months!

For now.....here's a sneak peek at my fall mantle...

On the Grill Potato Packs

2012-07-31T16:15:00.000-04:00

I have been a little AWOL....but I have been loving my break from blogging!

As I have mentioned before, my boys have been swimming....and

swimming...and swimming!

It has, by far, been the most exciting summer of swimming!

They each made it as far as they could in their individual events, placing 9th and 11th!

While I have not felt like blogging, I have been doing a lot of summer cooking

on the grill. It has just been TOO hot to turn on the oven!

Here's a quick and easy side dish that you can make on the grill....

This is one of the easiest side dishes to throw together and can be

made a variety of ways!

The first thing that I do is slice the potatoes and cook them for about 5 minutes

in the microwave. This decreases the cooking time on the grill and insures

sure that the potatoes are cooked through.

Here is what I put in my first packet:

I've also been know to throw in some mushrooms!

After assembling the packet, you can add pats of butter of the top

or I drizzled some olive oil over this version.

My kids don't like all the veggies, so I made a simpler version for them, leaving

out the "extra" veggies!

After you add and season your ingredients, just seal your packet and put it on the grill. Cook it for about 10 minutes until it's steaming and smelling delicious!

You could make these on the grill or over a camp fire....it's one of my favorite summer sides!

Contest Winners!

2012-07-30T13:49:00.001-04:00

A BIG thank you to everyone who participated in "It Pays to be Cheap Contest"!

We had SO many awesome entries, it was really hard to choose winners. Be sure to check out all of the amazing projects under $10... you will be inspired!

HERE ARE THE WINNERS:

$20 Target Gift Card from Cheap Crafty Mama goes to:

Dresser Makeover by Embracing Change

125x125 sidebar ad for 30 days ($15 value) from Chic on a Shoestring Decorating goes to:

"Bloom" Spring Pillow from Creatively Living

Craft stash goodie bag ($25 value) from How to Nest for Less goes to:

Mod Podge Shoes from Practically Functional

290x140 ad space for 1 month ($20 value) from Nifty Thrifty Things goes to:

Branch Coat Rack by Garden Therapy

]

Vinyl kitchen chalkboard labels and a Chalkboard menu board from Thrifty Decorating goes to:

Remade Chairs from City Farmhouse

Brought to you by some of your favorite "creative on a budget" blogs:

It PAYS to be Cheap!

2012-07-23T06:35:00.003-04:00

Are you a thrifty crafter? Well this contest is for you!

Brought to you by some of your favorite "creative on a budget" blogs:

We want to see your all-time best projects for under $10!

Here are the fabulous prizes:

(each hostess will choose a winner for the prize they donate)

$20 Target Gift Card from Cheap Crafty Mama

125x125 sidebar ad for 30 days ($15 value) from Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

craft stash goodie bag ($25 value) from How to Nest for Less

290x140 ad space for 1 month ($20 value) from Nifty Thrifty Things

Vinyl kitchen chalkboard labels and a Chalkboard menu board from Thrifty Decorating

RULES:

*For each entry you need to follow 1 of the co-hosts (via FB, RSS, or email)
-that means you can link up to 5 projects!

*All projects need to cost less than $10 to make.

*Each co-host will choose a winner for their prize
-we are looking for the coolest and cheapest projects!

*Be sure to check out some of the other entries so
you can give them some comment love and be inspired!

*The contest closes Friday, July 27th at midnight and winners will be announced Monday, July 30th!

*We would love for you to display our button on your post or blog to invite more people to join the contest!

Thrifty Thursday....

2012-07-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

I have been avoiding this post for a couple of weeks now....

I have loved hosting a Thrifty Thursday link party for over a year, but I

am just not able to keep up with it.....

I have loved looking through your links and seeing your creativity....and so do

other people. The link party draws some of my highest weekly traffic!

I will miss "meeting" you all here on a Wednesday night, but I am

excited to free up more time to be with my kids.

THANK YOU to everyone who has partied here on Thursdays!!!

DIY Sidewalk Chalk

2012-07-16T22:28:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick and easy idea for "bored" kids....DIY sidewalk chalk.

All that you need is cornstarch and water.

I mixed 2 cups of cornstarch with 2 cups of water until I got a thin enough consistency to paint with.

If you don't add enough water, then you'll end up with Oobleck.....

After I mixed a big bowl of the cornstarch and water, I divided it evenly

and added the food coloring.

My colors are not really bright because I was almost out of food coloring.

Then, we just grabbed a bunch of brushes and started to decorate the driveway.

It washes off a lot easier than regular sidewalk chalk!

What fun activities have you been doing this summer?

Thrifty Thursday #68

2012-07-11T23:20:00.000-04:00

I'm late....I'm late!!

We had a big swimming invitational last night and then our huge meet that

we hosted today....translation....a tired and over-committed mama!

All-in-all it was highly successful.....one son brought home 3 medals and

one son brought home 3 ribbons.

So...I am SO sorry, but I didn't have time to choose features this week.

....I'll try to be more organized next week!

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button or a text link somewhere
in your post so that others can link back.

Beef Wonton Cups

2012-07-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get myself organized and make some freezer meals for my days

in the fall that I know are going to be busy.

For inspiration, I have been using the A Turtle's Life for Me blog post on freezer cooking

and football freezer cooking......SO helpful!

I saw this recipe on the football freezer cooking post and

tweeked it a little for my family.

My hubby, especially, likes to eat healthy, so I filled these with tons of fresh veggies!

I used about 1 pound of beef and about 1 cup of each veggie.....you

know me, I just don't measure!

Missing from the picture are the won-ton wrappers.....I searched high and low in my grocery

store for these and the 16 year old teenie-bopper cashier was no help in locating them!

I finally found my won-ton wrappers in the produce aisle above what were

called the "stir-fry" veggies.....go figure!

You will want to precook the wrapper....note, when Natalie says to keep the wrappers "open" she means that when you put them in the cupcake pan, any indentation will harden making it impossible to actually fill it!

Yep....I learned that the hard way!

I used a mini-cupcake pan sprayed with cooking oil and cooked the

empty shells for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the wrappers cooked, I fried my lean beef, drained the grease and then

added red onions, red peppers, mushrooms, and fresh basil.

Once everything was cooked, I added about 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese.

I used a tablespoon to fill my wrappers with the beef/veggie mixture. Then, I put them back in the oven for about 7-10 minutes until they browned.

{My oven temp is off and I've been too lazy to adjust it. If you have a hot oven, keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't get too brown!}

I froze a bunch of them and we've already tried reheating them and they are delicious!!

For the less adventurous eater's in my household, I made some taco cups, too.

I just took plain beef, seasoned it with taco seasoning and mixed in the cheddar cheese.

It makes eating "tacos" fun!

Hope that you all are staying cool in these hot temps!

Thrifty Thursday #67

2012-07-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Fourth of July!!!

I have been absent around the blog because I have been enjoying a lot of this...

My boys spend the summer swimming and I spend the summer cheering!

We've just been having a lot of family time and it has felt GREAT not to have the

pressure of "needing to complete projects!" over my head!

So I am glad that you all are doing projects and sharing them every week

here at Thrifty Thursday!

Would you believe this shelf used to be a door?? Shabby Love

transformed an old door into a usable kitchen shelf!

Pondered Primed Perfect also made some creative shelving using twine and a glue gun!

Design, Dining & Diapers created this DIY eye chart and has an awesome tutorial!

Cherished Bliss shared this beautiful Pink Lemonade birthday party....so fun!

Cookin' Up Good Times made these red, white and blue lava flows using

drink mixes but made them non-alcoholic for kids!

I've seen a lot of mason jar soap dispensers, but this from

Ugly Duckling Transformations is especially cute!

Finally....for a fun summertime idea, how about this watermelon

pedicure from Fancy Frugal Life?

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab one of my buttons!

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button or a text link somewhere
in your post so that others can link back.

Thrifty Thursday #66

2012-06-27T19:00:00.001-04:00

Less than 24 hours till hubby is home.....I think I can, I think I can........

Truly, my kids have been amazing, but there's just something about not having

another adult in the house that wears....me....down!

I think it's because I have to answer every.....single...question....and they

ask A LOT of questions! For which, I am usually grateful, but am just a

little out of answers!

I'm excited to get to the features that week because, once again, you all shared

FABULOUS projects! There continues to be such an amazing pool of talent

among you all!

Thanks for visiting and linking every week!!

Reason #2,317 to own a Silhouette....these beautiful latitude/longitude signs from The Concrete Cottage.

Art is Beauty transformed an ugly dresser into this gorgeous piece of art!

I love this chalkboard gallery wall designed by Toolbox Teenah.

The Ivy Cottage shared the recipe for this homemade blueberry

cheesecake ice cream...yum!

Another fun summer recipe was linked by Saving 4 Six....Pink Lemonade Pound Cake!

I doubt they are healthy, but these taco fries from The Crafty
Blog Stalker sure do look good!

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab one of my buttons!

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button or a text link somewhere
in your post so that others can link back.

Kitchen Cleaner for a lot less....

2012-06-26T17:23:00.000-04:00

Things have been quiet around the blog this week because they have been

BUSY at home!

My hubby is in Northern Ireland on a mission trip and has been gone for over a week.

It's usually about this point that I start feeling a....little....bit....C-RAZY!!!

Before he leaves I always have these big plans to read.....get projects done....relax...

WHO AM I KIDDING???

He leaves and I accumulate all of his chores and mine!!

How do I manage to forget that every year???

Before I share my "enlightened" idea about kitchen cleaner, I need to brag a bit on my boys because they are what inspired my need to go cheap on cleaner.

My boys are swimmers.
You see, my hubby is 6'5" tall....

For a person to get that tall, you must grow a LOT and that is what hubby did, except

that he would grow in spurts. He'd start the baseball season with

20'" arms and end the season with 22" arms....that makes for a lot of strikeouts!

So when our kids were young we talked about what types of sports we could put them in......where we saw them being successful. Baseball was out!

We landed on swimming.
It's a sport made for long...lanky....grow-4-inches-in-a-year people with big feet.

Now, just to keep it real, this mama has ABSOLUTELY no ability for swimming.

I could tread water if necessary.....maybe even do a lap if being chased by

sharks, but putting my head underwater.....doesn't happen!

Every year my kids jokingly ask at the start of pool season..."Hey, Mom, gonna get your head wet this year?"

"No, children, you see, my chemically treated hair may just explode if it touches chlorine!"
{That and I HATE water up my nose!}

So when my boys look like this....

and this...

and bring home some first place ribbons, I gotta get a little excited because I

had absolutely nothing to do with it!

But....isn't this supposed to be a post about KITCHEN CLEANER??

Oh yeah.....so the reason I need to cut costs with kitchen cleaner is because my

boys are swimming and eating EVERY OUNCE OF FOOD IN SIGHT!!!

Seriously, I am going broke on bananas alone. So the other day I thought,

why don't I just buy a concentrated bottle of cleaner that I usually use to mop

floors and dilute it to make my spray cleaner??

Before I diluted it, I checked the back of the bottle, and wouldn't you know, but

they actually had instructions for how to do this!!!

Take your concentrated cleaner...

Measure out 4 ounces....the bottle calls for 1 ounce/15 ounces water,
but I wanted to make mine stronger.

I then used my empty bottle of cleaner and filled it with 28 ounces of warmer water.
{Because 4 oz cleaner + 28 ounces water = a 32 ounce bottle!}

So what do you save by doing this??

Let's do the math:

Lysol concentrated cleaner: $2.79/40 ounces
{If you use 4 ounces per bottle, it can make 10 32-ounce bottles of cleaner}

Total cost: $0.28/bottle!!!

AND you're reusing a plastic bottle!

You're Welcome!

Nikon D3100 Giveaway from GroopDealz

2012-06-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

About 18 months ago I switched from a point and click camera to our

Nikon D3100....I can't even imagine what life was like before!

I LOVE my camera. It is easy to use and takes great pictures...the error is

usually on my part! :)

If you would like to win one, GroopDealz is giving one away!!

You can enter below through Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thrifty Thursday #65

2012-06-20T19:00:00.002-04:00

We are back from the beach and had such a good time!
I'd love to post some pictures, but it's going to take me forever to go through them all and get them edited!

Do you ever find yourself not taking pictures because of the hassle of editing them??? I'm getting really bad about that and am backlogged on about a billion photos!

I'm excited to share this week's features....you all had some fabulous projects linked up!

Homespun Happenings made these "old" crates using pallet wood, an

old leather belt and a metal labels from a yard sale....and she only spent $1.50!!

To truly appreciate the makeover of this chair from 551 East Furniture

Designs, you need to compare the before...

to the after....isn't it gorgeous!

Chase the Star turned an old dinette set into this fun table for the kid's playroom!

Country Mama Cooks created this absolutely beautiful planter using

a tomato cage and a hanging basket!

These soft pretzels from Feeding My Temple not only look delicious,

but they also don't look too complicated to make!

Love Grows Wild shared a excellent way to keep your leftover paint

organized....mason jars!!

Are you interested in designing new blog buttons? Projects Around

the House has a very clear tutorial for how to do-it-yourself!

Finally, Jewelry Making Journal shared a great tutorial for how to make

this mixed metal wrap bracelet...it would look great with any outfit!

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab one of my buttons!

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button somewhere in

your post or blog so that others can link back.

You can also party with Johnnie

at Saved by Love Creations!

Over at The 36th Avenue

2012-06-19T12:35:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to be sharing my Old Window Pot Rack at

The 36th Avenue today!!

The 36th Avenue is one of my absolute favorite blogs!!

You can find amazing recipes, fun crafts, beautiful room makeovers

and just gorgeous, inspiring pictures!

Thanks so much, Desiree, for allowing me to visit today!

Distressed Chalkpaint Corner Hutch

2012-06-18T04:00:00.002-04:00

I shared earlier with you about my first experience bidding in a silent auction and

how I had to outbid a sweet little grandpa for this hutch....

She was a beauty wasn't she! I had some friends scratching their heads as to

why I was nervously bidding on this piece, but I had a vision!

And here's what I saw in my head....

My photos don't really capture her in all of her glory, but she IS a beauty!

I made my own chalkpaint and painted and distressed her.

I even added a topcoat of Annie Sloan's wax.

The round knobs are just spraypainted with black spraypaint and I bought inexpensive

black handles for the drawers at my True Value hardware store.

I took the glass out of the doors and went to my shed for some chicken wire which I just stapled right to the back of the doors....cobwebs and all!

I mixed up some more homemade chalkpaint and using a sample can of paint, I painted the inside a pretty blue color. I've been using sample cans more often for smaller projects.

I realize that there are not hardeners in sample cans, but if the painted area is not going to get heavy wear, the DIY chalkpaint recipe helps it to hold up!

I've had some major scores recently at Goodwill and have been outfitting the hutch with white dishes. I got the soup tureen for $5.00!!! Woohoo!!

I think that I skipped out of the Goodwill that day!

Homeschooling: Cleaning up an oil spill

2012-06-15T04:24:00.000-04:00

Have you started hearing, "I'm bored!" yet???

I thought that I would share a fun project that we did this year that

can get "bored" kids excited about science!

I taught an elementary chemistry class this past year for our co-op and one of

our lessons was on organic compounds. After I had the kids learn how to name simple alkanes, we talked about how oil is a hydrocarbon.

Then, we recreated an oil spill!

The students were given an "environment" complete with animals and plants! Our animals consisted of fake fur and feathers. The kids just went outside and found some leaves for plants.

To really recreate the ocean, you can add blue food coloring and salt. We also had the students build an island of rocks in the center of their pan.

My oil was just canola oil, but we decided that it would have been a lot more fun had we used some motor oil!

We required the students to "purchase" all of their clean-up materials setting a

maximum spending budget of $20,000,000.

Off to the side we had a "Wildlife Rescue Center" that contained a bowl with soap and some paper towels. Students had to pay extra to use that station to clean their animals.

I have tried to find out where I got this lab originally and cannot find the source. Here is the table that listed the "cost" of their supplies. Be easy on me if the link doesn't work right away. It's my first attempt using Google documents.

Oil Spill Data Table

If anyone knows a source or direct link, please let me know. I'd much rather use that!

The class was a huge success and I know that many students in the class went home and "instructed" their younger siblings and recreated another spill at home!

The students also learned how tedious it is to remove all of the oil and how limited they are by a budget! Great life lessons!

I love when kids get excited about science!