Submitted by Julie Kellum, Indiana
Idea posted December 16, 2002
Question: I asked parents for scarves and I got 3 - not enough. What about streamers? Maybe hook them to a craft stick? Is this a good idea? Do you think I could make them sturdy enough to handle all my little ones?
Answer: I laminated construction paper fall leaves and stapled a strip of matching laminated paper and crepe paper fall colored streamers about 18" long to the leaves. They lasted for several years. The children just slipped their fingers in the loop and held on with their thumb. I did the same with snowflakes and light blue and white paper.
I did luck into about 12 scarves at a church rummage sale a few years, but I haven't gotten enough for a class yet. I just can't stand to spend what the catalogs are asking for the kind of scarf that was everywhere when I was a kid. And very cheap!
I modernized my leaves this year when I got them out. The staples had rusted so much I decided to pull them out and used a glue gun to attach a tongue depressor sized popsicle stick and a 36" fall colored ribbon folded in half. I just glued the fold of the ribbon and stick at the same time, and they've held up well this fall. So I'm still using those leaves I laminated about 15 years ago!