Sparkle Craft: Morse Code Bracelets
In the The Willowbee Tree story, “Being Yourself”, it's summertime, and the Willowbee children are enjoying a visit from their cousins.
Piper and Little Ty love how their cousins like to play rowdy, noisy games, but Clancy does not. He tries to be more like the others, but it is difficult and tiring.
When the Willow Tree takes him to the Galapagos Islands and introduces him to the many strange and unique animals there, Clancy learns the value of being himself.
Sometimes we all need a little reminder of the value of who we are. Whether you call it a “mantra” or “choosing a word” to focus on, it's always nice to have a reminder of what makes you unique when life gets difficult.
These bracelets put that chosen word right where you'll see it every day.
Morse code is a simple way of spelling out words with only two symbols. By using dots and dashes (or long pulses and short ones), you can spell out any message you want. This project substitutes dots and dashes with colored beads.
In auditory morse code, a short pulse is a “dot”, a long pulse is a “dash”, and the silence in between indicates spaces between letters. To translate this to a bracelet, all you need do is pick three colors—one for dots, one for dashes, and one spaces.
While you can't write lengthy letters on your wrist with this method, you can easily spell out a word or two. Whether it's a goal or an inspiring spirit animal or even just the affirmation of writing out your own name, focusing on a word can help remind you of the value of being yourself and working towards what you love.
Morse Code Bracelets
Materials
Small colored beads
Embroidery floss
Needle
Morse code chart
Directions
You can use any size beads for this, but I recommend choosing smaller ones so that the size of the beads doesn't limit your word length.
Cut a length of embroidery floss, and tie a large knot about a third of the way into the length of it. Choose three colors of beads (one for spaces, one for dots, one for dashes) and the word you want to spell.
Begin with a “space” bead, then use a morse code chart to spell out your word with “dot” and “dash” beads, putting one space bead between each letter.
Once you've spelled the word, finish with a final space bead, then tie another large knot at the end of the beads.
Tie the bracelet around your child's wrist, cutting off any excess embroidery floss, and enjoy your unique word.
About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
