Sometimes my kids come into my craft room, fiddle around, touch everything they can get their hands on, and beg to make a project. While I have a ton of materials at my disposal, sometimes in the midst of developing new work, I can’t just clear the canvas and start an in-depth craft at the drop of a pom-pom.

So that’s when I grab for simple, mark-making projects like these. Using rubber bands and a few other household items that everyone has, you can make three different painting tools that will yield surprisingly clever results.

Rubber-Band Stamps

1. Cut small rectangles of cardboard, a bit larger than the circumference of the rubber band that you’re using.
2. Lay a rubber band down on a protected surface, apply glue to the top edge, and set a cardboard rectangle on top of it. Let dry.
3. Gently press the rubber band stamp onto the ink pad and stamp onto a piece of paper.

Rubber-Band Roller

1. Stretch five to eight rubber bands around the tape roll
2. Roll the tape roll in a thin layer of paint or on an ink pad and then roll it onto a piece of paper to create multiple stripes.

Rubber-Band Paintbrush

1. Gather six to eight rubber bands at the end of a pencil and wrap another rubber band around them to secure.
2. Dip the rubber bands into paint and use like a paintbrush.

Excerpted from Project Kid by Amanda Kingloff (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Alexandra Grablewski

June 9, 2016| Everyday Crafts, Kids Rooms, Uncategorized