Kids are pretty resourceful when it comes to crafting something out of nothing. A stick transforms into a sword, a horse, a wand, a baton and the list goes on. Today let’s look at transforming that stick into a whistle. I have three wood whistles how-tos, spanning degrees of difficulty and skill levels.  Common sense dictates that an adult handles the knife and cutting responsibilities while kids help selecting and collecting the perfect materials.

First up, a Squash Stem Whistle. Summer squash runs rampant in the garden and this craft makes use of their hollow stems. This is by far the easiest of the three and simple instructions can be found here.  Be mindful to scroll down to the bottom of the page and heed the tips and warnings.

Then there’s the “legendary” Willow Whistle. This sweet video tutorial is narrated by a dad who sincerely reminds us that “willow whistles do not contribute to global warming and are made from a renewable resource.” Good to know.  This is a particularly cool looking toy, especially when some of the leaves are left attached.

Finally, we look at the amazing Twig Whistles created by a talented UK based woodworker named Treewright. There is obvious skill that goes into the creation of his natural noisemakers which you’ll see  in the video below. Intimidated?, not to worry - Treewright makes finished whistles available through his web shop.

And I couldn’t finish this post without sharing an art project called Woodwind created by a student, Anna Kovárová, at Konstfact - the largest university college of arts, crafts, design and art education in Sweden. Anna carved a side-blown flute out of a living oak branch, while still attached to the tree. Her intent is to “return to the tree during the years to come, to play a piece and see how the living material will change the sound.” You can see an artsy fartsy video of Anna playing her tree flute here.

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