Many people just see a stick as a stick but a stick has many uses and is actually a fantastic resource for play and learning. Read below 5 different ways to use a stick;
5 different ways to use a stick
- Journey Stick
Take a length of string / wool with you on a walk. At the beginning of the walk find a stick and tie and wrap the string / wool around the stick (see picture). Then get your children to collect items from their walk (leaves, seeds, bark, feathers, grasses etc) and then thread them onto the stick. By the end of the walk they will have a journey stick full of treasure and memories. Kids love them!
- Nature Paint Brushes
Collect a handful of strong sticks (approx 15cm long), get some string / wool and attached some nature items to one end of the sticks e.g. herbs, leaves, flower heads, feather etc. You will then have made some nature paint brushes. Now give your child some paper and paint so they can use the nature paint brushes for mark making.
- Hapa Zome Butterfly
Get a piece of plain white or cream fabric, a hammer and some flower petals and fresh leaves. Fold the piece of fabric in two and inside the folded fabric add the flower petals. Place the folded fabric on a flat surface that can take the pressure of a hammer. Now hammer the folder fabric and petals to reveal all the colourful natural dyes that have come out of the petals and leaves.
Then draw a butterfly shape, gather some sticks and use them to make the butterflies body.
- Bug House
Get an old plant pot. Gather sticks and twigs from around the garden or during a walk. Fill the plant pot with the sticks and twigs until it is packed full and the sticks don’t fall out! Then place the filled pot in a ‘hidden’ quiet spot in the garden for the insects to find and set up home.
- Flag Pole
Cut a rectangle of fabric and decorate with pens or paints or use the Hapa Zome technique descriped in Idea 3. Then make two holes in the fabric – top and bottom with some scissors and push a stick through the holes. Make sure the stick is longer that the height of the flag fabric. Now you have a flag which you can wave.
These are just 5 ways you can use sticks, sticks are also great for counting, making shelters for toy animals, building a naughts and crosses board. Can you think of any other ways to use a stick for play and learning?
If you have found this blog post useful here are 5 water play ideas and 5 tips for bug hunting which you may also enjoy reading.
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