Pipecleaners: aka Manna from heaven. Have you ever heard the phrase "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?" Between you, me and the wall I think it was really a metaphor for trying to thread any string-like substance when trying to make jewelry for several impatient girls in princess costumes at once. This life hack involves pipecleaners, the materials that not only bend to your will but probably shape space-time as we know it. For easy jewelry making grab a handful of these with some beads and you got yourself the easiest-to-string set of bracelets and necklaces you'll ever make. Offer a variety of colors, and the kids'll be too busy picking out favorite colors to be picky. |
It seems perfectly harmless at first. A little shake here, a gentle swish there. But then there's always one patron that ruins it for everyone. You know the kid I'm talking about. The one that makes you smile painfully as they eat your supplies while mom (or could she possibly be their sister/neighbor/dealer?) plays on their phone that is if you're lucky enough not to be ding-dong-ditched as an unanticipated babysitter. Two words: GLITTER EVERYWHERE. When art programs can often seem like the first five chaotic minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" the frustration can really settle in for a librarian. Therefore, here's a few tried and true field dressings to help make it past the beach front. Glitter: Mix with a touch of rice in a salt shaker. If they want to empty to whole thing into the carpet, why not make the kid work for it am I right? It makes it last longer, and it's a lot more economical in the end then spending what little free time you have vacuuming, picking out the bits of dirt, and refilling glitter containers. Glue: Never use a bottle when a glue stick will do. In fact, why not skip the glue all together unless you absolutely have to use it. I have made quick work of most fixing and fastening with tape and a well-meaning stapler. It might not look as "pretty" but it gets the finished product to the patron faster, and (assuming they don't leave their art project under a computer table to rot) its anticipated life span isn't as long as you would hope anyway. Though we all have those fleeting visions of coming up with a craft idea so spectacular the kids will place it in their keepsake box until they day they hand it down to their children, and their children's children. Be realistic about the outcomes and expectations of your craft. Let the kids have fun, and don't be heartbroken when every piece isn't hung in the Louvre. It's all about the experience and playing with the work. Crappy t-shirts: Best bloody investment you'll ever make. Nothing has ever left me in a state of complete befuddlement more than a parent who brings their child to an art program wearing the most expensive all-white-stain-magnet-clothes they can conceive of. Art is messy. Children are messy. And kids at an art programs are the modern day reincarnation of Shiva the Destroyer of Worlds. This small investment of your money and time at a local Goodwill will save you hours of "Are you going to pay for that?" arguments over the kids' ruined clothes.
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