Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
It is the middle of summer. Hot & muggy. A perfect treat is an ice cold, yummy flavored popcicle! Well, perfect treat for people who like popcicles and don’t have weird issues with eating things off of wood sticks… like me 
I can’t stand it because I can taste the wood and I have the same response that many would when someone takes their nails down a chalkboard. Ick. I feel like vomiting or screaming just thinking about it.
Ok, now that you have been grossed out and have no appetite for popsicles (and think I’m a total freak), let’s talk about how to reuse those little rounded wooden sticks. The ideas honestly are endless, but here are a few of my favorites:
1) Make more popcicles!!! Yay – more of the goodness. Make your own popcicles (click here for 116 recipes) with various juices, fruits, puddings, and more. Look at that pic? So tasty looking (even me with the weird wood stick issue thinks those look appetizing).
2) Counters – a great educational tool. You could buy tubs of various counters such as “poker” chips or teddy bears, or could you just count these old sticks. Paint them if you like for more interest.
3) Label your plantings in your garden, especially if you’re planting seeds. You can write directly on the sticks to label individual plants or rows.
4) Various craft projects – you can Google tons of crafts for kids using popcicle sticks. There is the classic picture frame or this inventive kitchen utensil holder.
5) Paint stirrer.
6) Bookmarks – decorated or plain
7) Kalimba. I found this picture on Flickr and had to Google to find out the a kalimba is a percussion instrument. Seemed intereting so I thought I’d share it too 
