The question "if you could make anything for kids, what would it be?" generates enthusiastic answers from the boys and girls gathered at Fibre-Craft Materials Corp.® during a Kids Day™ event held July 13, 2010, at the corporate headquarters in Niles, Ill.

“An evil robot!”

“I’d make an action figure look like you.

“I’d design clothes for my doll. When I grow up, I want to make Barbie dolls.”

“I want to design stickers!”

Inviting kids into our office to create arts and crafts projects, learn about how products are made, meet the product designers and tour the huge warehouse is a monthly event at Fibre-Craft®. But the slim blonde woman walking from table to table, leaning down to talk to the kids and helping them with their crafts, is not a regular sight.

In fact, Carolyn Kepcher is a reality TV celebrity who visited Fibre-Craft® last month to film part of the Back-to-School episode for her new show, “Work Her Way.” She is best known for her appearances on the first few seasons of “The Apprentice.” Her new show is aimed at working women. The Back-to-School episode featuring Creative Hands® and our Kids Day here will air nationally on WE TV at 7 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010.



In keeping with the episode’s theme, the kids work on back-to-school crafts, including foam folders and pencil toppers.

“What’s your favorite subject in school?” asks product designer Natalie Rozansky.

The kids shout out:

“Gym—you don’t have to work.”

“Lunch, recess and gym.”

“The playground!”

“I like reading and art.”

“I like science a lot—we get to do experiments.”

Natalie leads the kids on a tour of the warehouse. They watch in amazement as the shrink-wrapping machine whirls and does its job. They get even more excited seeing the forklift in action.

“Whoa!”

“Cool!”

“Yeah!"

“It’s pretty neat!”



Back inside the Fibre-Craft® showroom, the kids, ages 4 to 10, are seated again. Another project they create is called All About Me, where they decorate a foam person cut-out with Creative Hands® foam stickers, glitter glue, feathers and other craft materials to reflect their personality. One girl adorns her “me model” with star-shaped foam stickers for shoes and feathers for hair. A boy puts music-related foam stickers and popsicle sticks all over his.

John Porubsky, the product designer in charge of the project, asks for volunteers to come up to the front and show off their creation.

“This is you as a rock star. Cool,” he says to one girl. To other kids: “I can tell you like cars. I like your big smile … I think we have a Blackhawks fan here. That’s pretty cool.”

The last project before the pizza party is a friendship bracelet the kids make by twisting two Fuzzy Stix™ together. Some of the kids make the bracelets for their newest friends—the helpers who have been stationed by their table all morning.

Wearing name tags and gazing around in wonder, the kindergartners slowly file into the room along with their teacher, Persephone Kelly. On the far wall is a large drop-down projection screen.

“Mrs. Kelly’s class!” A boy named Andre exclaims as he sees his teacher’s name appear on the screen, followed by the names of his 17 classmates at Elizabeth Meyer School in Skokie, Ill.

It’s 10 a.m. Thursday, April 22, at the Fibre-Craft Materials Corp. headquarters in Niles, Ill. This is just another Kids Day, one of the programs regularly held at the arts and crafts company’s office to connect with the community and learn more about what kids like.

But first comes a question crucial for any group of young students. “Before we start, does anyone have to go the bathroom?” asks I-Wen Kim, Fibre-Craft’s product development director.

Two girls raise their hands. A third pipes up: “Me too!”

They’re shown to the bathroom just outside the doors as Heidi Growosky, Fibre-Craft’s product development supervisor, talks about the Creative Hands® brand and conveys in simple terms how a craft goes from a concept in someone’s head to its arrival on store shelves.



“What does yellow and blue make?” Heidi asks. The students reply green. “What about a yellow marker on blue foam?”

“It’ll just make the yellow color because it’s on blue foam,” one girl named Leta says.

Nodding, Heidi goes on to explain how special markers, like the ones made by Fibre-Craft, stay the right color on foam. “Are you ready to have some fun now?”

“Let’s get started!” one boy shouts.

Now it’s down to business. A total of 11 Fibre-Craft employees from different departments—all wearing lime-green smocks with “get sm’ARt” and the Creative Hands® trademark splashed across the front—station themselves around the room to lend a helping hand wherever it’s needed. There are seven worktables, each with a tray containing all the supplies essential for arts and crafts projects: glue, glitter pens, sequins, feathers.

For the first project, the kids get to decorate a foam person however they want.

“Look, I’ve already put glue all over my person!” a boy named Lucas says as he is handed a paper napkin.

“I’m done. I’ve made myself happy!” Andre says, referring to the expression on his foam person.

“I broke this with my thumb,” Lucas says, holding up a Fuzzy Stix™.

“Your thumb is your strongest finger,” Andre says sagely.

“You forgot your hair,” Lucas says, pointing to project.

“I don’t want hair,” Andre replies. “I’m the first one done!” he adds proudly.



Meanwhile, Ms. Kelly is glancing around the room, a smile on her face. “They’re all mesmerized—it’s so cute.”

Next comes the warehouse tour, where the kids measure its length in footsteps, walk inside one of the trucks backed up to the docking area and witness some of the machinery at work, including a large shrink-wrapping device and some very tall forklifts.

“Oh man! Whoa! That thing can actually touch the ceiling!” Lucas exclaims while watching the forklift demonstration. Just moments before he had been asking: “When is it going to be lunchtime?”

Returning to the first room, the kids start on another project, one specifically designed for Earth Day. They’re each given an empty toilet roll and a piece of colored tissue paper to make the body of a bird. Then, with string, googly eyes and other components, they’re able to accessorize their creation.

Soon it’s lunchtime, and the kids are happily eating pizza while watching Pixar short films on the large drop-down projection screen. Afterward, they receive Creative Hands® goody bags from Fibre-Craft. Before leaving, at Ms. Kelly’s prompting the Fibre-Craft staff receives a treat of their own: an Elvis thank-you. The kindergartners perform one of Elvis Presley’s signature moves while mimicking a favorite saying of his: “Thank you very much.”

The room became filled with Viking Ships, Race Cars, Fairy Huts and Princess Castles during Kids Day on March 18, 2010. Second-graders from Mrs. Claudine Mele's at Wheeling's Walt Whitman Elementary School joined us at our Fibre-Craft Materials Corp. headquarters in Niles, Ill. The students had a wonderful time hearing about an exciting line of games called Edu-tivities, which are designed to make learning fun for kids. They also did two projects. The first was All About Me, which encourages kids to express their personalities through visual art. The second involved Creative Hands Fun Kit project ideas. The day also featured a warehouse tour, a pizza lunch and goody bags.

On October 15, we were joined by Ms. Steffan's 2nd grade class from North Elementary School. The kids had a great time with several Halloween projects, such as making their own unique Halloween decorations. Likewise, the "All About Me" project that made its debut last month went over so well that we revisited it with this group, and it proved every bit as popular. The day also featured a Halloween-themed bowling game, which was also a a big hit.

Ms. Steffan's students enjoyed themselves so much, they took the time to send us thank you letters!

On August 28, Creative Hands welcomed a great group of kids from the Leaning Tower YMCA. One highlight of the day was a new project called "All About Me," which encouraged the kids to express their personalities through visual art. The children also had an opportunity to try out an exciting new line of games called Edu-tivities, which are designed with the goal of making learning fun for kids. We are thrilled that they were such a big hit!

On June 18 we held a very special Family Kids' Day during which we brought in our own kids for a day of creative crafting and fun.  Needless to say, this was a fantastic treat for everyone involved!

Ms. Maurer's Kindergarten class from Elizabeth Meyer School took part in our Kids' Day for the month of May.  The day's featured projects included puppets made from paper bags and fun summer hats.

On April 23, Ms. Osiecki's Kindergarten class and art teacher Sally Maurer from School District 73.5 in Chicago joined us for a fun-filled Kids' Day featuring special Mother's Day crafts.

On March 19, we hosted Ms. Mele's 2nd grade class from Walt Whitman Elementary School.

On February 12, we were joined by Ms. Miller's Kindergarten group from All Aboard Learning Express.