This was the grossest class ever! We found it interesting that many things we
consider gross have to do with our bodies - like farting and burping and vomiting.  But without these things, we'd be in trouble, biologically speaking! For our project we made fake vomit. If your fake vomit didn't set completely and stayed a little soft and gooey, here is the recipe we used if you want to
try again.

Fake Vomit Recipe

(1) First, put together the undigested food that is being vomited up.  Mix together in a bowl:
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 tablespoon cocoa powder

(2) Now you want to make some bile.  This super strong alkaline chemical is what helps you digest your food in your stomach.

 In a separate cup, mix together:
1/4 cup of warm water
1 packet of gelatin (We used clear gelatin)
2-3 drops of yellow food coloring

Stir up the gelatin and water until all the gelatin is dissolved. 


(3) Repeat Step (2) in a separate cup and set this second cup aside for now.


(4) Then pour the first cup of gelatin mix into the bowl with the undigested food and mix everything together until well blended.  If necessary, add a little more water, but be careful not to add too much or it will become runny.

The mixture should start to thicken as the gelatin cools and sets. Dump it onto a plate.  Pour the second cup with the gelatin mixture over the pile.  Let it run down and off the edges. 

Now put your plate in the fridge.  The gelatin should set enough to peel the whole thing off the plate within an hour or so.

Place it on your front step or sidewalk to surprise your friends!

Everything we used in class this week was edible, other than the soap and laundry detergent.  This is the one time you get to taste everything in the lab!
For making soap creations at home, the size we used works best when you  put them in the microwave for 30 seconds.  They still work great as soap, and they will float like icebergs in the bath tub.

So you may not have realized it, but you can make musical instruments out of carrots...and other vegetables.  I learned this at the World Museum of Carrots, which I found during my research for this week's class.  Who knew?!
There are some unusual collections out there, like the British Lawnmower Museum, the Mustard Museum, and the Underwater Museum (which you have to visit by going underwater because all the exhibits are down there).
Museums originally started with the Library of Alexandria (a true home for the muses), then as British explorers built their collections, everyone had to have a "Cabinet of Curiosities."  These eventually grew into a "Roomful of Curiosities" until they got so big they had to be donated to a university.  I can imagine some British wife becoming exasperated with the piles of unorganized curiosities taking over the house, and complaining "Either this goes or I do!" Thus the modern museum was born.