Toothpick Art and Sculpture: Toothpick Bridges
You can be sure that everyone on earth has seen a toothpick even at least once in their lives. After all, it is the oldest dental instrument since Neanderthals walked the earth. Yes, even these pre-modern men needed to clean their teeth too you know. Well, the toothpicks they used way back then didn't exactly look like the ones we use today. But they did use some form of toothpick back then as we do today. Most of the toothpicks we use today are made of wood or plastic. In some places, they also use metal and bone, which will require some of us to stretch our imaginations a little bit. Now, there's more to a toothpick than just something to clean our teeth with. Toothpicks can actually be used as a sculpting medium. They're actually great stuff to use for arts and crafts for kids. Sculpting with Toothpicks Believe it or not, some artists make use of crazy forms of media to create some of the fabulous art we see nowadays. Some artists fancy the use of toothpicks to create their art. They make boats, copy famous buildings, trains, and create toothpick bridges. These are all miniatures and they are pretty neat especially when kids get to make them. Toothpick Bridges for Kids Making toothpick bridges is a great arts and crafts idea to teach young children. The materials you'll need are pretty simple – just grab some toothpicks and some glue and you have your stuff ready. Of course, you need to plan things before you start working on the toothpicks. Grown ups can create a simple bridge plan so the kids won't have to work on something too complicated. You might want to avoid creating bridges with the wide curves if you're creating one for the first time with your children. Work on straight lines and angles for the first bridge and don't make one that is too big or too elaborate. If your kids have little toy cars then you might want to make the bridge wide enough for those toys to go cross over. Remember that it will take a lot of patience when working with kids especially when you're doing a construction project along with them. One more thing you should remember is that you don't need to rush things. The glue for the bridge takes time to dry up and it will also take some time to get the toothpicks to line up the way they should. If you rush things then the bridge is more likely to collapse. The time spent building toothpick bridges can become quality time spent with your kids. You're literally building bridges of trust that will last a lifetime. References: http://www.deartips.com/tips-for-building-toothpick-bridges.html http://www.artsandcraftsforkids.org/