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How to Be the Greatest Grandparent Ever
By Russell Wild and Jean-Noel Bassior
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Make an Ice Sculpture
Aaron Costic, National Ice Carving Association champion
Costic uses chain saws and blowtorches for his humongous, award-winning pieces, but we asked him to show us how to create something simple, a Christmas tree.
"Start by filling a cylindrical plastic pitcher with water and freeze it," says Costic. "When you slide the contents out, you'll have a perfect, cylindrical block of ice."
Don't go adding green food coloring for effect. "In the end, that looks worse than you'd think," he says.
Next, start chipping away at the ice with a pair of garden shears or a screw driver, using them like an ice pick. With short, quick strokes, carve an inverted cone shape, narrow at the top and widening to the block's round base. Soon you'll have a roughed-out tree. "You'll be surprised at how quickly the ice falls away," says Costic. "But you may want to have a spare frozen block or two standing by just in case you crack the sculpture down the middle."
Smooth the really rough spots out with a disk sander. Or you can use a hot clothes iron to melt away the chisel marks—and at the same time use the edge of the iron to sculpt branches. For a smooth, shiny finish, dunk the carved tree in water and refreeze it.
For a final touch, use an electric drill to cut holes in the tree and insert small decorations in them. Place the tree in the freezer, and the decorations will be frozen in place.
"When you're all done, your creation should last for a good six hours outside the freezer," says Costic.
Hammer a Nail
Bob Vila, host of the TV show Bob Vila's Home Again
When you're driving nails in close to the end of a board, within an inch of the end, you're quite likely to split the wood. That is, unless you—terribly savvy grandparent that you are—learn this little carpentry trick from America's best-known handyman:
"Lay the nail flat on a scrap of wood and give the pointed end a good firm tap with your hammer," says Vila. "That will flatten the point." Start hammering your nail with the flat edge aligned with the grain of the wood. Now you can pound away without fear, says Vila. "The flattening should allow the nail to whisk right through the wood without creating the stress that so often makes the board crack."
Spin a Basketball on Your Finger
Meadowlark Lemon, former star of the Harlem Globetrotters
This trick is not nearly as hard as it looks. "Practice for 15 minutes a day, and in a week or so you'll have it spinning in place—I promise," says Lemon. "And once you get the hang of it, you can spin the basketball on anything—a pencil, a baseball bat, or a soda pop bottle!"
Cup it
Hold the basketball with the fingertips of both hands, one hand on top, the other hand on the bottom of the ball.
Twist it
With a quick flick of your bottom wrist and hand, send the ball into a clockwise spin while simultaneously slipping your finger dead center underneath the ball.
Make a point
"I've seen players use different fingers, but I always use my index finger. Make the finger perfectly straight and rigid, pointed straight up to the sky. I actually like to spin the ball on my fingernail," says Lemon.
Let go
Remove your upper hand. Of course, the ball will fly off your finger. That's okay. Expect that to happen the first 100 times or so, until you learn to find dead center on the ball, and do it quickly enough so that the ball doesn't lose its spin.
Whistle
"Within a week you'll be ready for your first public performance."
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