Popsicle sticks can be used for building and painting.
Popsicle art activities are inexpensive and allow for plenty of creativity. Because Popsicles melt quickly, most Popsicle arts & crafts utilize the wooden craft stick. Any age group can enjoy using the simple materials and can easily produce anything from sculptures and wall art to paintings, ornaments and even functional boxes and containers. Since the sticks are wood, they can be easily stained or painted when finished. Almost all craft and hobby shops sell wooden craft sticks.
Sculptures and Wall Art
Popsicle (or wooden craft) sticks can be used to make wall art with paint, basic white craft glue and cardboard. Use paint that is specifically recommended for wood. Gather at least 50 sticks and choose four to five colors of paint that go well together. Paint an even amount of craft sticks each color. Organize the sticks on the cardboard by laying them flat, color-side up and side by side. Alternate colors, create a color progression or divide the sticks by color. Glue them onto the cardboard and hang your new art piece on the wall. Popsicle sticks can also be used to carve a sculpture out of soap. Visualize your 3-D sculpture and use a stick to carve away on a new block of soap.
Paintings
Full Popsicles can be used to make watercolor paintings. Buy a box of assorted flavors of Popsicles; you can also make ice pop water colors by adding different colors of food coloring to water in ice trays add freezing them with craft sticks inside. On a sheet of watercolor paper, hold the Popsicle stick like a paintbrush and color with the Popsicle ices. The painting will look like watercolor artwork. To create a more abstract piece, use multicolored or swirled color Popsicles.
Ornaments
Use wooden craft sticks to create handmade Christmas tree ornaments. For example, make a snowman ornament with black and white paint, a Popsicle stick, three small buttons, two pompoms and colored felt. Paint the stick white, glue buttons down the length, glue pompom on either side of the top to make ear muffs, cut an orange felt triangle out for the nose, cut out a felt strip for a scarf and paint on eyes and a smile. Glue a string loop behind the ornament with rubber cement for hanging. For an additional ornament, glue three Popsicle sticks in a triangular shape, and glue two crisscrossed in the middle for support. Paint the tree green and glue cut-out construction paper ornaments to it. Tie a string loop to the ornament and hang it on the tree.
Boxes and Holders
Popsicle sticks can also be used to make small boxes: glue together four even stacks of craft sticks. These are the four walls of your box. Secure the walls together by gluing them onto a flat layer of sticks. Create a top for your box by lining up sticks to match the length and width of the box. Glue several sticks across the layer of sticks to hold them together. Make a Popsicle stick pencil holder with cardboard and a toilet paper tube. Glue a circle of cardboard over one side of the toilet paper tube to create the bottom of the pencil holder. Glue Popsicle sticks vertically around the tube for decoration. Stain or paint the sticks if desired.
