When is my child old enough for needle and thread?

There are many thoughts on how old a child should be before you trust them with a needle, but teaching the concept can begin during toddlerhood.

As soon as a child starts grasping things with their thumb and pointer finger, introduce simple lacing toys. Don't expect to be able to explain how to do it and have lacing pros. Instead, let them fumble through it and get a feel for cause and effect.

As they get older, you can upcycle some great things into lacing tools. Cut shapes.out of old maps, laminate them, punch holes around the edges, and string an old shoelace through the holes. Cut a cereal box up and punch holes around the edges. Punch holes in old greeting cards. The possibilities are limitless.

Once they become lacing pros, it's time to move up to yarn, yarn needles, and plastic mesh.  Again, don't expect a masterpiece. The process is the important part, not the product.

Before you know it, they'll be ready for the real thing. There's no need for expensive craft kits. Just get an embroidery hoop small enough for them to maneuver, some embroidery floss, and a tapestry needle.  Cut a piece from an old tee shirt just big enough to fit in the hoop. You will probably have to thread it the first 100 times, but let them try until they ask you to do it. If they feel discouraged, remind them that it takes a lot of practice. When you thread the needle, tie a knot around the eye so the thread doesn't come off a million times.  Tie a knot in the end of the thread, and show them how to pull it through the fabric. Again, this is a process-not-product activity.

It's never too late to get started, and you'll be giving them a valuable gift that goes far beyond poking a needle through an old piece of tee shirt.

Trust me, you're gonna love it!

Bubble art

What you'll need:
1. 1 straw for every child
2. 1 small bowl for every child
3. Bubbles or dish soap
4. Liquid watercolor paint
5. 1 needle(adult use)
6. Butcher paper

What you'll do:
1. Use needle to poke through straw 1" up from the bottom so kiddos can't suck soap into mouths.
2. Put small amount of bubbles or soap in small bowl
3. Add a few drops of liquid watercolor
4. Place butcher paper down on table or even on the ground in the driveway
5. Place bowl on top of paper
6. Give child straw and let them blow bubbles.

Many timea this project does not produce useable art. It's process focused rather than product focused.

Trust me, you're gonna love it!!

May's Sister to Sister class is making marble magnets

Two-and-a-half months ago, the ladies at Metro came together for the first Sister to Sister class bringing women together and supporting the Women's Vocational Program in Ghana.  So far we've upcycled tee shirts, made candy dishes, and on Tuesday May 22 at 7pm we'll come together again and make marble magnets! 

There is no cost, but you will have to bring some glass marbles-the kind with the flat bottom that you can get at the dollar store, magnets, and we'll need donations of scrapbook paper (can be leftover scraps) and old magazines! For a better idea of this craft, check out Running With Glitter's blog post.

Also, we ask that each person donate $5 to the Ghanna Women's Vocational Training program so women who otherwise couldn't support their family can learn a craft or trade and never go hungry again.

This class is open to women of the public from any walk of life.  Plan on good conversation, great ladies, and a fun way to make birthday gifts for everyone you know this year!  

Bring a friend :-)

For more information, you can email thebiblechick@yahoo.com.  

Craft Challenge-May 2012

I hear a lot of people wishing they were craftier.  People think you have to turn out beautiful family heirloom quality pieces in order to be considered creative, but I’m here to tell you that there is a crafty side to all of us.  No matter what level of crafter you are, we are going to challenge you to move to the next level.

Reclaimed Rubbish isn’t only about two giggling girls trying to craft the world into better environmental awareness, we are also teachers, art coaches, and creativity consultants.  This means our mission includes stretching your brain and making you work for it.

The rules are simple.  During the first week of every month, there will be a challenge.  The rules for that challenge will be posted, and please, do look for loopholes.  Your imagination is the limit, and size does not matter.  Work within your space.  If the challenge has to do with a car, that doesn’t’ mean you have to drag one into your apartment.  Work within the limits of your space.  Think micro art.  Think jewelry.  Think household items.  Think yard art.  Think sculpture.  Think canvas.  Think sewing.  Think paper craft.  Think of everything.

There will be a winner every month chosen by us (Thing One and Thing Two), and there will be a prize, but the catch to that is that the prize is even a surprise.  We don’t want the point to be competition.  We want the point to be people coming together and creating things they didn’t ever think of creating.  The only way you can cheat is by not creating your project yourself, in which case, we would give you a big tisk-tisk and ask you to try again next month.  

The reason for only one challenge per month is simple.  We are all crazy-insane-busy people who can’t spend all of our time throwing things together.  We have enough on our plate with kids, school, sports, church, dates, movies…and, well, you get the point.  This should be fun, not overwhelming.

TELL YOUR FAMILY, TELL YOUR FRIENDS, SCREAM IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!  THE CHALLENGE BEGINS NOW!  

May’s challenge has very few rules.  

1. You must create something
2. It must convey what your favorite childhood toy is
3. You cannot spend any money on materials

When you have completed your masterpiece, email a short description of what you used and how it happened, attach a picture, and email it to reclaimedrubbish@gmail.com no later than May 31^st, 2012.  The winner will be announced during the month of June along with the announcement of what your prize will be. 

Now, get crafting!!!

Fantastic Flubber

Flubber photo from OMSI flubber experiment

This flubber recipe is so simple, you'll be making it in every color of the rainbow before you know it!

What you'll need:

• Two bowls
• 1 1/2 cups of either white or clear Elmer's glue
• 4 cups water
• 4 Tablespoons borax(all natural laundry soap found in the laundry section at your supermarket)
• Liquid food coloring or liquid water color

What you'll do:

• In 1 bowl, mix 2 cups of water with the Elmer's glue.
•  Squirt in a few drops of color.
• In separate bowl, mix 2 cups of water with borax until completely dissolved.
• Add borax mixture a LITTLE at a time.  Add some, stir some, add some, stir some.  I recommend mixing with your hand until the flubber is the consistency you want it to be.    DO NOT add the entire borax mixture.  You will have cement instead of flubber.

Optional additions:

1. For sparkle flubber, add small amounts of glitter to the glue mixture before adding the borax mixture.  Add until you have the amount you want.  Glitter will come off on hands as it is played with, so keep this in mind when choosing how much.
2. For glow in the dark flubber, add 1/2 Tablespoon of glow in the dark powder to the BORAX mixture before adding to the glue mixture.  
3. Clear glue makes clear flubber.  There is no need for extra coloring if you don't want to.

Quick fixes to the recipe: If your flubber is too thick and falls apart instead of stretching, add small amounts of water and mix with your hands until desired consistency.

Store flubber in a ziploc bag and use over and over again until it starts to dry out and flake off.

Things to do with flubber:

1. Use a straw to blow flubber bubbles by sticking one end into the straw and blow slowly.
2. Put flubber on an old cheese grater and watch what happens.  
3. Put a flubber ball on top of a small up-side-down glass and watch what happens.
4. Ask your kids what they think will happen before you do every experiment.  Talk about the differences or similarities between the forecast and what actually happened.

If flubber gets on clothing or in carpet, vinegar takes it right out.  Mayonnaise will take it out of hair.