Beaded Rainbow Craft: Turn tried-and-true craft supplies into a glittering rainbow, perfect for any weather

What brightens up a day more than sunshine and an upbeat song? Rainbow crafts! Here’s a simple, creative project that kids of all ages will enjoy making. Toddlers can help sort the beads into different colour groupings. Young, school-aged kids will love creating their own repeated patterns using beads and gems, and older kids will enjoy the mindfulness and creative focus they experience when they put down their phones and devices, and turn simple, colourful craft supplies into a unique project #MadeByMe.

There are so many things you can do with this beaded rainbow craft once completed. You can hang it in a window to add sparkling, colourful rays of light in a room, or you can hang it in a baby’s room to add joy above the crib or changing table. The beaded rainbow craft also makes a great gift topper, or a fun DIY project kids can do with their friends over Zoom.

To make this project, all you need is the Kid Made Modern Arts And Crafts Library, available at your local Staples store and staples.ca. This giant craft box is filled with creative treasures, and it has everything you need to make this beautiful beaded rainbow with ease.

From the Arts And Crafts Library, pull out the following supplies:

- White glue

- Scissors

- Two plain popsicle sticks

- 10-15 pompoms of the same colour (ideally white with blue or plain white)

- 1 pipe cleaner in each colour of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

- Wooden beads in each colour of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

- See-through gems in each colour of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

Before you get started:

• Work on a clean, dry surface to ensure your project doesn’t get damaged while you create. Similarly, consider covering your work area with a plastic mat or a garbage bag before you begin so the glue doesn’t damage the table surface.

• The kid-friendly white glue included in the Arts And Crafts Library needs several hours to dry. If you want to play with your finished project sooner, consider using another glue instead such as hot glue or a fast-drying glue (both with parental supervision).

How to make the project:

Step 1: Overlap the two popsicle sticks by 2” (5 cm) and glue them in place.

Step 2: Thread each pipe cleaner with beads and gems of the same, matching colour, creating your own pattern on each strand. Leave at least 3/8” (1 cm) of pipe cleaner uncovered at each end.

Step 3: Curve your beaded pipe cleaners into arcs, then lay them on the table following a rainbow colour sequence. Each pipe cleaner needs to be smaller than the colour above it, so trim down each pipe cleaner and remove the extra beads.

Step 4: Glue one end of each pipe cleaner onto one side of the lengthened popsicle stick.

Step 5: Curve the pipe cleaners in order to glue the other side down on the popsicle stick. To make the pipe cleaners fit, you will most likely need to further trim them and remove additional beads. Step 6: Glue the pom poms across the popsicle stick, covering all of the pipe cleaner ends. Voilà!

About Denise Wild: Denise Wild is a DIY Expert who appears regularly on morning shows across North America spreading the love of crafting and DIY. Follow her on Instagram @medenisewild or visit her website at denisewild.com.