Epic Rubber Band Crafts Book Review

If you have worked with a rubber band loom, you know that you can make some amazing bracelets with it, but have you tried making other things? If you want to take your loom creations to the next level, you should check out all of the unique projects in this book titled Epic Rubber Band Crafts.

The author, Colleen Dorsey, teaches you how to make 15 fun and fashionable projects using easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions and photos. There are also diagrams for each project that will help you with rubber band placement. She also includes a section that teaches you the basics of using the loom along with a section of some helpful tips and hints.

Amongst the projects, you will find directions for making a couple of different bracelets — a Vine Bracelet which you can add beads to and a Fringe Bracelet that can double as a hair scrunchie. Other jewelry items you can make are a Loopy Loop necklace and a combination bracelet and ring. This book is about so much more than rubber band jewelry though…

You can build a robot. To do this, you need to use two looms, side by side, and 220 bands. If you want to make something a little cuter than a robot (at least in some people’s eyes), you can form a cute little penguin using 102 bands. If you are in the mood for something a little faster and easier, try your hand at using simple chaining to make a trick pencil or a light sword.

Of course, these are only a handful of the projects shared in this book. You will find hours of fun making a cell phone case, glamorous beaded curtain and so much more.

A few years ago I shared some pumpkin themed sensory activities for kids, but I wanted to get a little more general and do some fall sensory ideas that can take you from Halloween al the way to Thanksgiving.

Playdough is a classic sensory activity, especially if kids can help make it, too. These playdough recipes from The Montessori Twin Mama are fall colored and scented with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice (I honestly don’t know what the difference is!). Or try this fun maple playdough from Happy Toddler Playtime.

Throw together some cookie cutters, googly eyes and other fun things to make an easy fall playdough tray (similar to what I did on this Halloween playdough activity).

How about some fall themed slime? Natural Beach Living gave a basic slime recipe a fall twist with food coloring and glitter. Leaf shaped sequins make it even more fun. Little Bins for Little Hands also has a cinnamon slime, which is great for fall but can also carry you all the way through Christmas.

Raising Wild Things Sensory has some great easy to make fall themed sensory bottles, which you can add fall things to, or pompoms or whatever kind of I spy items you might want to include. They also have a fun apple moon sand sensory bin that has me wondering if you could add something scented to moon sand (I always hated the smell!).

And of course there are all kinds of sensory bins you can make for fall. I like this apple picking one from Happy Toddler Playtime that uses fake leaves and little apple toys. It has the added challenge of trying to pick the apples up through a mesh of branches — kind of like a low-tech game of Operation!

You can also do a short-lived sensory bin with real leaves, or use any kind of beans, brown rice, oats or lentils to make your base. Some more great ideas can be found at Fab Everyday. Their post includes some specific Halloween and Thanksgiving themed sensory bins, too.

Have you read?

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