stained glass decorations
TRANSCRIPT
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8/13/2019 Stained glass decorations
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THE SCIENCE LAB
Make & Do Activity Kit
500 Harris St Ultimo
PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238
Australia
Tel: 02 6217 0111
http://play.powerhousemuseum.com
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Gelatine decorations
The different properties of gelatine, when heated andmixed with water, can be used to make stained glass
decorations. Decorate your Christmas tree, hang
them in a window or decorate a gift.
Time:20 minutes + 2-3 days hardening
Difficulty:Hints: Lighter colours work best for this activityas light will pass through the gelatine more easily. Thehot water steps should be done by an adult.
Adult step:Put 5
tablespoons of water into a
saucepan and bring to the
boil. Drop in 1-2 drops of
food colouring at this stage
if you want colour.
1.
Adult step:Turn down
to a low heat. Pour in 3
tablespoons of gelatine
powder while stirring. Mix
until dissolved.
2.
Adult step: Keep on low
heat for 30 seconds more
or until the mixture thickens.
Pour mixture into the plastic
lid.
3.
At this stage add the glitter
evenly to the gelatine and
mix. With a spoon, push any
froth or bubbles to the side
of your lid as they will cloud
your decoration surface.
4.
Allow to cool and harden
for about 45 minutes. Then
gently lift the edge and peel
back your gelatine from the
lid.
5.
Using the templates and
a butter knife or biscuit
cutters, cut out your shapes.
Use the straw to cut a hole
at the edge to thread with
ribbon. See Drying notes.
6.
hot water
a saucepan
mixing spoon
tablespoon
a butter knife
a straw
powdered gelatine
a plastic lid with lip
narrow ribbon
silver or gold glitter
What you will need:
Optional:
500 Harris st. Ultimo
PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238Australia Tel: 02 9217 0111
http://play.powerhousemuseum.com
Creative Commons Licence for use of this work
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia Licence (CC BY-NC 3.0 AU)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/
food colouring biscuit cutters
Drying notes:
The drying stage will take 2-3 days. The gelatine will
tend to dry faster on the outside. This will tend to warp
the shape as it will curl. To prevent this you can keep
turning the shape. When it hardens further, sandwich it
between baking paper and place a heavy book on top.
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8/13/2019 Stained glass decorations
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500 Harris St Ultimo
PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238
Australia
Tel: 02 6217 0111
http://play.powerhousemuseum.com
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 2.5 License.
THE SCIENCE LAB
Make & Do Activity Kit
What is going on?
Gelatine is a form of protein
called collagen
Collogen molecules line up to
form fibres. These fibres dont
dissolve in water. The fibres form a network that
holds the cells in place.
When collagen is heated it forms a smaller protein
called gelatine. Gelatine does dissolve in water.
When gelatin cools again it makes a semi solid
mass or gel. Your gelatin decorations will set hard
like plastic in 2-3 days.
Did you know?Collagen in your own body
Collagen is found in the bodies of all animals,
including our own. It makes up more than a quarter
of all protein content in a mammals body.
It is an important structural protein and is mostly
found in tendons, ligaments and skin as well as
corneas, cartilage, bones and blood vessels.
Collagen is an ancient glue
Collagen can also be made into an effective
adhesive. Glue made from collagen was used by
ancient Egyptians 4 000 years ago. 1 500 year old
Native American bows have been found that used
collagen glues to hold them together.
The oldest collagen glue ever found was carbon-
dated to more than 8 000 years ago. It had been
used as a protective lining inside rope baskets and
to glue the handles onto stone utensils.
Gelatine decorations
What else can I do?
Different colours shapes and sizes
This activity can be done using different colours
of food colouring as well as different sizes and
shapes. Experiment with glitters, sequins and other
additives.
Below is an example of decorations made with
biscuit cutters and coloured with red and green
food colouring. Some of the shapes have 2 colours.
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