A month or so ago, my good friend Barb from A Life in Balance wrote a post on How to Rainbow Loom Frugally. It was a hit! Her kids have been really into creating charms using the Rainbow Loom so she was kind enough to write a round up for The Vintage Mom on some of the videos they have been using to create Christmas ones! Thanks Barb!
This past summer, the Rainbow Loom craze hit the kids in our neighborhood. The neighborhood girls would gather on our back porch teaching each other new loom patterns and helping the younger girls learn how to loom. Initially, it seemed to a girl-only activity until my super creative 8 year old son saw the loom and the patterns. Truly the Rainbow Loom appeals to a wide range of ages and boys and girls alike.
Our Rainbow Loom sessions as a family took off when we discovered charms, little designs for the loom which can be worked into bracelets or necklaces or serve as playthings on their own. Made By Mommy.com, a site run by a stay-at-home mom, offers the best videos for making Rainbow Loom charms. She keeps the camera focused on the loom and keeps a diagram of the loom set up in the beginning of the video in case you miss a step.
I find charms to be a good project for ages 8 and up, depending on the patience and abilities of the child. My son has an ability to read diagrams and understand patterns, a trait which has come in handy when he plays with Legos. He also has the patience and willingness to take his time with the more complicated charms which his older 10 year old brother and younger 6 year old sister do not have.
To get started, you’ll need at least one Rainbow Loom kit. The loom kit comes with 600 bands, however you may want to pick up one extra bag of each Christmas color ahead of time. My previous post for Lauryn gives the run-down on the best places to buy Rainbow Loom supplies frugally. I also recommend picking up an extra hook, either a Loom hook or a “F” or “G” crochet hook with an extra wide handle. Some of the charms require a lot of bands which puts a lot of stress on the hooks.
Christmas Charms
Some of these charms can be made without the Rainbow Loom. Made Mommy has the hook-only charms listed at the top of her YouTube channel. I found my 8 year old son did better with the hook-only Rainbow Loom charms than my 6 year old daughters, thanks to the extra coordination required.
Wreath
Santa Hat
Candy Cane
Gingerbread Man
Christmas Lights
Snowflake
Ugly Sweater
Christmas Tree
Barb is a mom of 5 kids who spends her day keeping track of socks, stuffed animals, library books, and a 5 year old when she isn’t writing about all the frugality, gardening, cooking, and reading she manages to fit in between the chaotic moments. She can be found at A Life in Balance.
