Currently, my house is functioning as a tiny sweatshop. It’s a factory alright – a factory of all things Rainbow Loom. Maybe you’ve seen the sleeves of rubber bracelets or maybe your home is similar to mine with floors littered with microscopic, neon rubber bands and tiny fingers working away taking orders on new color combinations or specified stitches. I may curse those piles of unworn bracelets/key rings/necklaces/dog collars/doorknob decorations/jump ropes/hair bands/on a daily (hourly) basis, but when weekend mornings roll around, I praise that thing and its genius creator. No such “toy” has captivated the creative minds and diligence of my kids the way this thing has.

“Let’s make something!” is a cry heard almost every day at our house. And I get it. I know all too well that itch to do something creative with my hands. I know when it needs to be scratched. Then it dawned on me as I gazed at those girls weaving away on their little looms….

This isn’t just an obsession with a toy. This is a primal urge.

When did our urge to do things with our hands become a pastime? When did we begin creating just for creation’s sake?

In August I was at the AmericanMuseum of Natural History (if you haven’t been recently as an adult, just trust me and go), and I was astounded by the craftsmanship of the Native American items on display.

I mean, when was the last time you whipped up something like this in your free time?basket

Or how about something like this cute cup, made from materials you…found?

cup

Or maybe while your honey was out, he killed a deer, and you skinned the beast, tanned the hide to a perfect suppleness added a few beads to make something like this?

skirt

Yeah. Me too. Which got me thinking.

I may be crafty but I’m sure not making anything with this level of skill.

So often we assume that we are more evolved than primitive peoples. These “crafts” challenge this very notion. They stand square in the face of that cake from a box I made last weekend. But those Rainbow Loom bracelets are still pretty impressive.

How do you scratch your creative itches? Let me know in the comments.