inside and out. Look at all of your faucets and turn them on and off to make sure they are watertight. This includes faucets in your bathroom, in your kitchen, and on the outside of your home. Make sure to place any leaks on your to-do list immediately. Most leaky faucets can be easily fixed by replacing their gaskets. However, sometimes they are worn out and need to be totally replaced.  Cockroaches can stay alive for a long time if they have a constant water source. Look for leaks under sinks and behind appliances as well. These hidden leaks make perfect breeding grounds for water bugs. Cockroaches can get into your home by squeezing into very small gaps around doors and windows. Fill gaps with caulking, foam, or other sealing supplies so that bugs cannot enter. You can also replace individual doors and windows if gaps cannot be filled effectively.  There are a variety of ways to seal gaps around doors and windows. They include, but are not limited to, using expanding foam, wood shims, or metal flanges. If you have a gap under your outside door, consider putting a draft sweep at the bottom of the door. all holes in your insulation and walls. This will remove ways for the water bugs to get into your home and set up a nest. Inspect all of your walls, including in your basement, if you have one, and entry points for pipes and utilities and cracks or damage to the building. Use a flashlight to look at every surface and determine if there are any areas where you can feel air coming in from the outside. If you find holes, fill them with a patch, expanding foam, or another type of filler.  Pay particular attention to spots in your walls where pipes enter the home. These are not always sealed well and make an easy route for water bugs to get in. Filling holes in concrete will also reduce the accumulation of water, which can help the water bugs survive. on your windows and doors. Water bugs can come in through any open window or door that doesn't have a screen on it. To avoid this, get tight-fitting screens and make sure they are in place any time your windows are open. Also put a screen door on any doors you like to keep open.    First, measure the width and height of the opening so that you can get a screen that fits exactly. Then go to your local home improvement or hardware store find a screen that will fit perfectly. If your local stores don't have anything the fits the bill, you may need to order a replacement online.

Summary: Fix leaky faucets Look for and fix any gaps around doors or windows. Fill Place screens


Many people prefer the taste and texture of a peeled eggplant to that of an eggplant with its skin left intact, but the skin is edible, so you may not need to peel it off.  The peel provides dietary fiber, so it is nutritionally beneficial.  Unfortunately, the skin is also tough and bitter, making it somewhat unpleasant to eat. The necessity of peeling often depends on how the eggplant will be used. If you intend to roast or grill the vegetable in slices, leaving the skin on can help hold the flesh together. On the other hand, if you intend to cut the eggplant into cubes, quickly stir-fry slices of it, or bread it before cooking, the flesh should hold together even without the skin. As a general rule, always peel older eggplants that are nearly over-ripe. As an eggplant ages, the skin gets tougher and becomes more difficult to cook. Young, tender eggplants can be cooked with the skin on or off. Doing this leaves some of the skin on the eggplant. The amount of skin that remains is enough to help hold the flesh of the eggplant together. To peel the eggplant in stripes, follow the standard peeling procedure with one exception: instead of removing the skin in side-by-side strips, skip over a 1-inch (2.5-cm) section of skin before peeling off your next strip. The end result will be an eggplant with stripes of skin still intact at relatively even intervals around the perimeter of the vegetable. If you intend to cut the eggplant into lengthwise slices or planks, leaving most of the skin on is advisable. You should still peel off a section of skin on the front and back of the eggplant, however.  Stand the eggplant upright on its end and remove a lengthwise strip of skin from one side. Remove another lengthwise strip of skin from the side directly opposite this first side, then cut the eggplant in lengthwise slices running parallel to these new bare spots. The sides of each slice should retain their peels, while the front and back of each slice should reveal the flesh of the eggplant. Doing this will allow the flesh to take on more color and flavor as you cook it. Even though the skin is usually removed before you cook the eggplant, you can separate the flesh of a cooked eggplant from its skin relatively easily before serving or consuming it.  You can use a paring knife to peel off the cooked skin. Wait for the eggplant to cool slightly so that you can handle it without burning your fingers. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the slice or section of eggplant in place, then use your dominant hand to carefully slice off the skin, removing as little flesh as possible in the process. The skin should separate from the flesh of the vegetable with relative ease at this point. Depending on how soft the eggplant is after you cook it, you may even be able to peel the skin off using your fingers. Alternatively, if you're the only one eating the eggplant and do not need to worry about serving a portion to someone else, you can separate the skin from the flesh by simply scooping the flesh out with  a spoon or fork as you eat it, leaving the burnt, bitter peel on your plate.

Summary: Consider leaving the skin on. Peel the eggplant in a striped fashion. Peel only partially when cutting into slices. Remove the skin after you cook the eggplant.


Arrange the chairs in a horseshoe shape or a semi-circle to facilitate conversation and post the ground rules on a board or wall where all participants can see them. Ensure a blank piece of paper on a board or wall, or a writing board, to brainstorm or document ideas and notes from the participants. Activities or games can increase engagement and participation. Activities may occur in small or large groups. Depending on the ground rules of the workshop, invite participants to ask questions either throughout the workshop or in scheduled time slots.

Summary: Set up the room or space to encourage discussion. Incorporate interactive activities into your workshop. Include a question and answer portion.


Your foam ball or ball halves will be the eyes of your puppet. If you just have a foam ball, then you will need to cut it in half. Then, take the two halves of the foam ball and lay them flat side down. Next, use the precision knife to cut off a piece of the foam near the edge. When you are finished, you should have two foam ball halves that have a flat edge on one side. You should be able to place the foam pieces side-by-side and they should fit together. Cut out two thin strips of black craft foam. Then, use hot glue to attach these strips to the rounded parts of the foam so that they look like the edges of eyelids.  Next, cut off a piece of your second fuzzy sock. The piece should be wide enough and long enough to wrap all the way around the foam ball. Glue the sock material over the eyelid area to create the fuzzy eyelids. Cut off any excess sock material from the edges of the eyelids. Cut out two 1.5 centimeter circles from the black craft foam.  Then, cut out a small wedge from each of the circles. Next, glue the circles onto the rounded foam part of the eyes so that the wedges are pointing in the same direction (either to the right or to the left). Once your eyes are finished, you can glue them to your sock. Glue the eyes onto the fuzzy side of the sock, opposite the puppet’s mouth. The flat sides of the eye pieces should be facing each other. The eyes should also be placed close together so that the fuzzy sock borders are touching.
Summary: Shape the foam for the eyes. Make the eyelids. Add the pupils. Attach the eyes.