Editor’s Note: In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that the NeighbourWood Walk for next week would be out at Cumberland Community Forest. I blame it on birthday brain. We aren’t in Cumberland next week. We’re out at Ship’s Point in Fanny Bay.

Sorry about that.

Read on and it may make sense to you why my brain is a wee bit scrambled:)

My baby…she’s 3 today.

I’m a big, teary-eyed sap and if I don’t start talking about crafting, you’re going to get the whole scoop on my 72-hour labor and her crazy birth.

It seems impossible to me it was three years ago on a 35-degree California day…and I don’t yet know if that’s because it seems like yesterday, or if it seems like a lifetime. She keeps telling me she’s turning 14. Maybe we’ve breached the time-space continuum or something Star Trek geeky like that because some days I think 14 is just about right.

Anyway, I dig presents. But not so much that I want the tiny person to think that presents are the only reason we celebrate holidays and bake cake.

So, I had a theory this year that – as a thank you to the mass of tiny people she insisted on inviting to her party – she and I would hand make the gifts in her loot bags.

Surprisingly, the whole concept of making a whack of cool stuff for her friends received no opposition from the birthday girl whatsoever.

We made a list of the cool things she wanted to make, figured out how to make them with a limited junk factor, and set out on our mission.

This Spring, we took one of Carol Anne Parkinson’s Kindermusik classes and our daughter totally fell in love. We also learned a bunch of amazing beach and surf songs that vibe well with the surfer girl and her beach lifestyle.

That’s where we learned about seashell maracas, and the tiny person wanted to make sure all of her friends had a set to birthday boogie down with too.

They are so easy to make, it’s not even funny.

Here’s what you need:

- A morning out on a rocky beach (Royston beaches are great for this) collecting clam shells. Two shells per maraca, four for a set.

- Dried beans, rice or other dried food.

- A glue gun (parents only, wow those are hot)

Directions:

1. Find two clam shells that match well together.

2. Fill one half with beans.

3. Hot glue everything together. Make sure to fill in the holes and get it all sealed up so the beans don’t shake out.

4. Let them dry for a bit and you have some great new homemade instruments.

NOTE: I highly recommend not letting the kiddos bang them together. We broke one doing that:)