Rain Stick Craft

Spring has sprung already in the Pacific Northwest! And Little Scribblers Art Club has sent out the first round of spring crafts. This project really suits all ages, but what's amazing about this craft is that Little Scribblers (ones, twos, threes, and special needs) are totally capable of participating in most of the process with a great end product!

Supplies:

• Craft tube* or paper towel tube
• Washable finger paints
• Paint brush (optional)
• Washable white glue
• 2 fabric squares (5" x 5" recommended)
• 2 rubber bands
• aluminum foil
• rice (or other filling)

1) The first part is best done together. Hold the tube while your Little Scribbler paints it using fingers or a paint brush.
---We recommend paint because the rounded surface is difficult for Little Scribblers to color when using crayons or colored pencils. For the really adventurous out there, paint the tube with glue and add decorations (papers being best as other smaller options become choking hazards).---

2) Allow the paint to dry.
3) Now you're going to hold one end of the tube while your Little Scribbler squeezes glue around the other end of the tube. Cover 1-2” of the end of the tube (all around it) by turning the tube while your Little Scribbler simply squeezes glue out.
---This is great squeezing practice for your child, especially since the glue does not need to be beautiful nor does it have to go in a very specific, small place.---
4) Place one fabric square on the end of the tube so that it covers the opening and then press it into the glue.
5) Wrap the rubber band around the end twice and allow to dry.
---Little Scribblers Art Club only uses latex-free rubber bands so you don't have to worry about allergens.---
6) While the glue is drying, get ready to fill the tube: pull out a piece of aluminum foil about 3-4 times the size of your tube. Crumple it into a long snake-like piece and then fold it in half. 

7) Twist the two parts into a double-helix shape, like a DNA strand.
---In the past I've just twisted them around with my fingers, but using a dowel (or in this case a fairy wand I found on the floor) to twist the aluminum foil around really helps to get the initial shape. These twists are what stop the rice from just falling from one end to the other. The more bumping along the rice does on its way down, the better sound you'll get. This is the reason for the double-helix and not just a crumpled mess or a single twirled piece.---

8) Place the aluminum foil into the tube. Invite your Little Scribbler to dump in about a Tablespoon of rice or other filler (and know ahead of time that you are probably inviting a mess, too :) ). 
9) Now it's time to repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 in order to seal the tube. 
10) Allow to dry before inviting your Little Scribbler to create the sound of rain by rocking the Rain Stick back and forth.

*One caution about craft tubes: we buy brand new cardboard craft tubes for Little Scribblers Art Club because toilet paper tubes can be contaminated with fecal matter. Please use our craft tubes or a paper towel tube to keep your Little Scribbler safe!

Did you experiment with a different filler? Tell us about it in the comments!

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Backward and Forward

I know, I've been neglectful. Here. On the Blogosphere.
But looking back on 2014, I'm happy to have accomplished quite a bit.
1) Completed two test groups for Winter and Spring crafts.
2) Added a new craft category that combines crafting and learning: Craftivities.
3) More than doubled our customer base.
4) Started volunteering in my daughter's preschool to test Fall crafts.
5) Raised $58 for Abby and Anna's Yard during November and December.

Goals for 2015 & 2016
1) Complete all test groups.
2) Streamline.
3) Be present on Blogger, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
4) Get that website revamped. :)
5) And most importantly: do more art with my own kiddo at home.


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It Takes a Community...

When I was in high school, I babysat for a family with three kiddos. The oldest was a self-entertainer. The middle, I could play babies with and she'd be happy (she even named one of her baby dolls after me--quite an honor). The youngest, well he was never happy without his mama. One of the most helpful things in managing all three of those kids at age 16, was a subscription art club that the oldest girl could take out when I was there watching the three of them. Now I was down to two kids to entertain...after Donald stopped crying, anyway.

And that's the beauty of life...things come around full circle.

I'm now the founder of Little Scribblers Art Club, a subscription art club for toddlers, twos, and children with special needs. I'm appreciating several influences in this process...consider this my thank you and acknowledgements page. :)

1) Summer baby art classes at my local community center that made me want to keep going through the year.

2) That art club from long ago...that made me search the Internet high and low for just such a thing for my own toddler. 

3) A bad experience with a toddler art club by mail. Look at that, something positive from something negative! :)

4) Friends who were on board with trying things out in a test group with their own toddlers and preschoolers: Annette, Tauna, and Ben & Stephanie (with my godkids)!

5) My bestie, who designs like no other! Having an amazing graphic designer backing you is pretty awesome.

6) My Early Childhood Education program at George Fox University. Who knew I'd ever use those art classes? Not me!

7) A blogger who freely gave art ideas to me and reshaped my thinking about whether this was a club for a particular age or developmental stage.

8) Another friend who used his photography talent and shared business tips.

9) A magazine that influenced the eco-friendly practices and even the formatting of the direction pages in Little Scribblers Art Club.

10) My early supporters, friends and family, mostly found here, other test groups, friends who let me use pictures of their kids doing art, people who let me yak about the business end of things even though I know nothing about the business end of things, supply companies who make sure their products are environmentally conscious and have slave-free initiatives, mentors like Bernie, a cousin who spent time cutting yarn and sorting glitter, a particular post office that was super helpful and friendly, a husband who has taken on the "Vice President" title even though there is no such thing in our company (but, hey, at least he contributes to the work load) and I'm sure this list will be ever growing...

And of course, my own Little Scribbler:

www.littlescribblersartclub.com

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