Here's a twist on the rhythm sticks that Australian aborigines use in ceremonial dances: decorated paint stirrers that let your child be a one-man percussion section, clapping along to his favorite music.
| Prep Time: About 2 to 3 hours | |
| What you need: | |
| Four paint stirrer sticks
Acrylic paint (we used brown, white, black, and yellow) Paintbrush Cotton swabs Tacky glue | |
| Seasons: Year round | |
| Materials: wood | |
| Instructions: | |
| 1. | To make a set, paint one side and all the edges of the 4 sticks with a base color (we used brown), then let them dry. |
| 2. |  Next, use other colors to paint on decorative bands and
animal motifs, such as the lizard and snake shown here. Use
cotton swabs to add dot accents. |
| 3. |  Once all the paint has dried, glue the sticks together in
pairs, painted side out, so that you have 2 double-sided sticks.
Let the glue dry before clapping them together.
The Story of Dot Painting The indigenous people of Australia, or Aborigines, use dot painting as a form of storytelling. With dots of paint traditionally made from natural pigments, they create patterns and images of plants and animals that represent their culture's creation myths, which date back tens of thousands of years. |
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