Summer is family, barbecues, and picnics. It is the time of year when we get together and enjoy the lazy days of summer.
This summer is no different -- a large family reunion is coming up. I wanted an activity that we could do together and give our grandparents to display at the beloved lake house. I also wanted a project that young and old would have fun doing together.
My craft guidelines were:
- it had to be inexpensive because there’s a lot of us
- it had to be a project that could be left out and we could work on at different times during the day
- it had to be a project with individual pieces to reflect each one of our personalities.
Here is what I came up with … wind chimes.
I found a tree branch and spray painted it red. Then I tied a rope to it for hanging. My husband helped me prepare spoons to hang on the branch. He hit each one with a nail and hammer to make a place for the drill bit to sit, and he then drilled holes in all the spoon handles.
I tried choosing spoons that had thin handles to make it easier to drill through. The spoons were found at a thrift store for five spoons for $1.00, or 24 cents each. If your family has many members, have them each bring a quarter and set up a jar to help with the cost. Choose spoons of different styles and sizes. They will make interesting sounds when they clang together.
Every member of a family is different, so each of your spoons should also be different.
I purchased paint pens that would work on metal for my project. I felt the pens would be easier than paint brushes for all sizes and ages of family members. The paint pens were my most expensive purchase. I was able to get a pack of colors for $7.00. Families know all about sharing, so don’t worry if you don’t have enough markers for each person.
Oh, we had fun personalizing the spoons. Some family members made them into people. Others used their name and favorite colors or team logos. We even had a spoon to represent the family pet! The children picked the biggest spoons, which left the adults with the tea size spoons. When all the spoons were dry, we used rope to tie them to the branch. What lovely music they made! Every year we go to the lake and admire our project.
It is music to our ears.
**This project would work well not only for family get-togethers but also scouting events. It is a nice project for Boy Scouts to create and give for a nursing home garden or Girl Scouts to make as a service project for a hospital garden. It may even be a fun project for a preschool teacher or classroom teacher gift.
Make some music this month with Spoons and don’t worry about breaking the budget!
~ Kara (Studio Pink)