A Toy to Welcome Spring

Spring is a wonderful time to make Ribbon Sticks, beloved by preschoolers and school age youngsters to run and twirl with when it's finally nice enough to pay outside. These are variations of the ribbon apparatus that was so much fun to watch in last summer's Olympic gymnastic competition. You'll need:

• a dowel, 1/2" or 5/8" thick, depending on child's age. Dowels come in 36" lengths, which is wonderful as is for older kids. Cut your dowel to the length you think is best for your child; 12" is about as short as you should go. The wonder of these sticks comes from the reach they give a child. Long ones are like a wand. There's something about the ribbons flying over their heads as they move that children of all ages love. Maybe it's a feeling of enclosure?)
  
  
• an eyelet screw
  
  
• a package of fishing swivels
  
  
• ribbon in vibrant, bright colors! I like the 2" width, but you may prefer lots of very narrow ribbon. You can mix solids and patterns to suit yourself. make them 1 yard long and use at least 3 different ribbons. For older kids you can use one ribbon, 3 yards long, perhaps in a rainbow pattern. Keeping a ribbon this long from touching the ground is an absorbing challenge! 3 and 4 year olds will probably do best with the short, multiple ribbons. Fives will enjoy both. Older kids may be bored with the short ribbons.
  
  
• paper clips
  
  

Where to Shop:

Eyelets and dowels are cheapest in a building supply warehouse and they will usually cut it to the length you want for no extra charge. They may even round off the ends for you. Otherwise, you'll need a piece of sandpaper to do it yourself. Dowels can also be found in the large craft stores like Michael's and come pre-rounded. Dowels are under a dollar in my area. Fishing swivels can be found in a sporting goods store. They come about 8 to a package and cost under a dollar. Choose a size that's large enough for you to handle easily and suits the width of ribbon you're going to use. One end of them is like a safety pen and the other is a little ring. Find ribbon at garage sales, outlet malls and on sale at your fabric/craft stores. Your time frame for waiting for the best deals obviously depends on where you live and when spring is likely to arrive.

Technique:

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

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