January Brand Ambassador of the Month, playfulcrafts!

We are excited to feature our January Brand Ambassador of the Month, playfulcrafts! Rachel gives us a look into her life and her very creative and educational crafts! Read below to find out more about her and see her amazing projects!

Follow: @playfulcrafts

Q: Tell us a little about yourself! What is the inspiration behind your Instagram page?

Hi! My name is Rachel. I'm a nurse turned SAHM of 4 boys, age 4 and under. As many moms know, when you have kids, it's easy to "lose yourself" a bit. After putting my career on the back burner to be at home for the early years, I was feeling a little lost. Then, I discovered the play account community on Instagram. This wonderful community of fellow parents engaging in creative play has helped reignite my childhood passion for crafting/creating!

Q: It has been so wonderful seeing the creativity in your posts while also incorporating learning. What inspired you to want to be a Brand Ambassador?

I was inspired to become a brand ambassador after falling in love with the products & the people behind this awesome company. I enjoy coming up with creative posts to showcase the different products!

Q: What is your favorite product of ours that you have tried? We would love to hear more about why you love this product, and if you have any tips or tricks when using it? Is there anything in particular that has helped you in incorporating science, math and art together?

Kwik Stix paint sticks are 100% my all time favorite! We use them allll the time & go through them pretty quickly. The jumbos are great for big cardboard box projects. The originals we use for everyday crafting. The Thin Stix are great for detailing.

In regard to incorporating science, math, & art - I try to slowly introduce math concepts while we craft. For example: "draw 3 red lines. Now, draw 2 more. How many are there total?" Sneaking in the learning while creating makes it more fun! We sneak in a bit of science when color mixing. When you mix paint stick colors (before they dry), you can create new colors. For example: "What color will the red turn when you paint yellow on top?"

Q: What is one of your favorite projects you have created using our products? There are so many fantastic ones you have posted, and we want to know which creation stands out to you!

Our absolute favorite project that we created as a whole family was our Flower Tower cardboard box creation! We used HUGE boxes to make a 2 room fort. Everyone pitched in decorating it with Kwik Stix paint sticks! The fort stayed in our living room for over a month (which is probably why it stands out to me as our favorite haha).

Q: What’s next for you? Any plans or activities planned for this New Year and into 2022?

Honestly, we are just trying to keep up with everything. I'm trying to figure out our schedule with the boys for the next school year in 2022 (Louka will be doing 1 more year of PreK, Niko will be starting at the 2 day co-operative preschool..). It's a little overwhelming trying to get the 4 boys in a routine that makes logistical sense for me (coordinating nap times with school pick ups etc).

Instagram will forever be my creative outlet where I can escape the chaos & stress for a bit and have FUN! It can definitely distract me from cleaning the house during nap time, but I'd be lying if I said that was a bad thing! haha!

Click on the images below to be brought to @playfulcrafts full post to see how these crafts were created!