Sticks are free, readily available and handy for a whole heap of fun! From art to STEM, imagination and identification – the humble stick can do it all and so much more.
Despite how great they are, and that they are free, I have seen schools who have banned them. I get it, they can lead to scrapes, bumps and ouchies. But the easiest way to deal with that is to teach the children how to handle them safely!
Stick rules will vary depending on your location but some of our simple rules are
- no running with sticks
- no throwing sticks
- carry it with your thumb over the top
- no waving and no fighting
If you need some more convincing about sticks then check out Juliet Robertson’s blog here
So, what can you do with the humble stick – read on to find out!
- Make a recipe or magic potion – you can even use our free mud kitchen recipes
- Sort them by length, colour, texture, type of tree
- Create a resource with each type of tree in your playground or on your walk
- Create some nature weaving
- Magic a magic wand – even big kids enjoy this!
- Practice your whittling skills
- Use other natural finds to create a piece of art
- Make a natural frame
- Create a wall hanging
- Make a spider web
- Use them to make a mini den for a wee creature
- Build a nest for birds – can it balance on a tree without falling apart?
- Play pick up sticks
- Make the alphabet – or just the first letter of your name
- Use as drumsticks to make some music
- Try and make a stick tower taller than you
- Make a xylophone
- Play Pooh Sticks (drop it off one side of a bridge and see whose floats fastest to the other side)
- Make a Christmas star
- Roast a marshmallow
Get the easy to print PDF here
