18 | JANUARY 21 • 2021

I

f you are a parent of a pre-
schooler and possess an
ample supply of last year’s
coveted rolls of toilet tissue and
paper towels, hang onto that
cardboard center. According to
Arielle Endelman, creator of the
recently launched Instagram
crafting site @itsmarthajewart,
the humble cardboard roll can
be used for countless projects
to keep preschoolers occupied
during these long pandemic
months.
When Endelman, of West
Bloomfield, is not working from
home at her job as director of
admissions for Frankel Jewish
Academy, she is keeping her
3-year-old son Blake entertained
though the joy of arts and crafts.
Endelman and Blake began
their foray into craftiness at the
beginning of the pandemic by
collecting those toilet paper
rolls and turning two into a
pair of make-believe binoculars
that kept him entertained and
exploring through the spring
and summer.
As the seasons changed and
fall set in, Endelman and Blake
created collages of Thanksgiving
turkeys made with feathers and

stray buttons. It was at this point
that she and Blake had amassed
quite the crafting portfolio. Her
husband and sister suggested
she photograph the creations
and upload them to a dedicated
Instagram account to share ideas
with other families.
“My husband and sister have
called me ‘Martha Jewart’ as a
joke, and the name stuck,
” said
Endelman. “So, when I saw that
name was available, I used it for
a new Instagram account.
”
Now, @itsmarthajewart has
about 250 followers. The posts
are photos of mainly collage-like
projects pasted to construction
paper: an airplane with paper
clips for wings flying through
a blue sky dotted with cotton
puff clouds; dinosaur silhouettes
painted and cut out and glued
on shimmery paper, and a “snow
globe” with a snowman made of
white paper circle cutouts with
pipe cleaners for arms and a thin
piece of yarn for a scarf.
In addition to secular craft
ideas, @itsmarthajewart also
includes projects for Jewish hol-
idays.
For Chanukah, Endelman
and Blake created a latke frying

pan by covering a paper plate
with aluminum foil and formed
“latkes” with torn bits of brown
construction paper. Endelman
also posted about simple science
experiments that involved mix-
ing water with oil.
“Craft projects can also lead
the way into simple science
experiments with things most
everyone has in their pantry,
including food coloring and veg-
etable oil.
”
For a more kinetic craft to
create a firework display to cele-
brate New Year’s, Endelman cut
the end of some toilet paper rolls
into fringes. Blake dunked the
fringed ends into colored paint
and then slammed them onto
construction paper.
Endelman said all these crafts
are simple and can be done
quickly, which makes them ideal
for parents trying to juggle child-
care while working from home.
“Kids having lots of screen
time has become unavoidable,
”
Edelman admits. “But if you
have a small space or box dedi-
cated to crafts stocked with sup-
plies like crayons, paper plates
and pipe cleaners, you your and
kids can take half-hour breaks
away from the screen and create
something that is fun and expe-
riential.
”
Endelman said that she is
amazed at the “genuine feeling
of community” the Instagram
account is creating across par-
ents from a wide range of back-
grounds and geographic areas.
“I have moms from all
over the country and also

Switzerland, Sweden and
Israel,
” Endelman said.
“I may not have many follow-
ers yet, but what I have found
is that we are building a com-
munity about coming up with
how to engage small children in
something creative during this
pandemic.
”

TU B’SHEVAT IDEAS
As Tu b’Shevat (Jan. 27)
approaches, Endelman suggested
the following crafting or science
experiment ideas to introduce
preschoolers to the New Year of
the Trees:
• Go on a nature walk, collect
twigs and use them as paint
brushes.
• Create a tree: Dip feet in
brown paint and step on con-
struction paper. Make branches
with handprints and leaves and
fruit with fingerprints.
• Dye a bag of rice green with
vinegar and food coloring. Print
or draw the outlines of a tree
trunk and leaves. Cover the tree
shape with glue and then with
the green rice. Shake off excess
rice to create tree with textured
green leaves.
• Once again, put those toilet
paper rolls to use. Print out or
draw a tree trunk. Then, pinch
the toilet paper roll end into a
leaf shape and dip in various
color paints to make leaves.
“It’s all about those toilet paper
rolls,
” Endelman reminded. “For
preschool crafts, they are like
gold.
”

Got Kiddos
at Home?

IN
THED
JEWS

FAR LEFT: Blake

Endelman, 3, uses a

pair of make-believe

binoculars he made

with toilet paper rolls.

Keep them busy
with ideas from
‘Martha Jewart.’

STACY GITTLEMAN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ARIELLE ENDELMAN