Candle Day with Aunt Bea
1Aunt Bea set a box of supplies on the kitchen table. Inside were a bag of wax, a little glass jar, and a long white wick. "Today we will make a candle," she told Jada. Jada had never made anything like it before, but it sounded simple and fun.
2First, Aunt Bea melted the wax in a pot on the stove. "Hot wax can burn, so I will do this part," she said. Jada watched the hard white chips turn into a clear, shiny puddle. Then Aunt Bea let her add a few drops of maple scent.
3Next, Jada pressed the end of the wick to the bottom of the jar, right in the middle. Then Aunt Bea poured the warm wax around it. The wick began to wobble and lean to one side. Jada tied the top of the wick to a pencil and laid the pencil across the jar. Now the wick stood up straight.
4Then came the hardest part of their candle experiment: waiting. The wax needed a whole afternoon to cool and harden. Aunt Bea set the jar on the windowsill, and Jada checked it again and again. Little by little, the wax turned from clear to creamy white.
5That evening, Aunt Bea trimmed the wick and lit the candle. A tiny flame flickered, and the kitchen began to smell like maple syrup. Jada smiled in the warm candlelight. "It is perfect," she said with a giggle. "Can we make another one tomorrow?"
