Projects and Activities

My projects include my interest in weather, particularly violent weather, making boats, hiking and art. Below, I will share them with you.

Cheesemaking - Dad and I like to make fresh mozzarella cheese. We get a gallon of pasteurized whole milk fresh from a local farm. Then we add 2 teaspoons of citric acid, and heat it to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. We then add rennet (1/4 of tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup of chlorine-free water), and stir for a minute or so. After about 3-5 minutes, it curdles. Then we cut the curd into one inch squares, and separate the curd from the whey. We then put it in the microwave for one minute, and then work the curd to remove more of the whey, which is saved to make ricotta cheese later. We then microwave it again for twice for 35 seconds until it is glossy and stretchy. Then I like to form it into cheese sticks. Yummmmmmm!!!!!!!!!! (My Dad says that we should give credit where credit is due, and tell you we got the recipe from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. owned by "Ricki").

Hiking - Dad and I like to go hiking. We started hiking at the Schuykill Center for Environmental Education when I was very small (approx. 2 years old). As I grew older, we've been to more difficult trails. My favorite places to hike include the Wissahickon Valley, Mill Grove, Marsh Creek and French Creek State Park.

Art - I have many art projects. I like to draw, paint, use pastels, make prints in art class and crayon resists. I had an art show for my grandparents and Aunt Carol's family last Thanksgiving.

Boat - After a visit to the Independence Seaport Museum, I had the idea to make a boat. Dad and I made the boat from a piece of styrofoam, with a plywood keel, bamboo masts, and a sail made from Dad's old shirt. Mom helped me to sew decorative patterns on the sail. Dad and I went down to the Wissahickon to launch the boat. It worked well until it hit a rapids, flipped over, and got caught on a rock. We made a field modification by strapping an old Gatorade bottle to it, which functioned as a pontoon. We then released it, and it went so far down the creek that we couldn't keep up. Although we lost track of it initially, we eventually found it upside down beyond a rapid. I think that it got flipped over in the hydraulic downstream of the rapids. We had to hike down to the next bridge and cross over to the other shore to recover it (the Wissahickon was too broad to cross easily). We are going to make some modifications and try again.