DIY: Making a Pick Pad Three Ways – a comparison

My teen, Scout, recently came to me and said, “I have a blog post idea. Let’s make a pick pad.” I had no idea what this was, but when your kid comes to you and says hey let’s do this, you make it happen if you can.

So what is a pick pad? A pick pad is a type of fidget made with small items that you are supposed to pick out of the pad. A version looks like this:

It’s talked about a lot on Tik Tok and recommended for people with anxiety or people who like to pick, like people who pick at their cuticles or bite their nails. But it fits solidly in the fidget category. We’ve posted about homemade fidgets before (see end post).

We tried making these 3 different ways, and we’re going to talk about them here and then tell you whether or not they would work as a tween/teen library program.

Basic Supplies Needed No Matter What Version You Do:

• Small beads and other items to go into your pick pad
• Silicone molds
• A flat surface with protection, like a silicone mat or table cloth
• Gloves (it’s messy)
• A container to put your silicone mold in to catch accidental overflow (we used a paper plate)
• A stir stick (used to stir or smooth out surface)

Version 1: Silicone Rubber

In addition to the above, for this version you will need:

• Mixing cups
• Rubber Mold Kit

This is the first version that we tried, and I DO NOT RECOMMEND it at all. First, the rubber mold kit was expensive and only filled 2 molds. That’s an expensive library program. Also, it took far too long to dry. The directions said it would take 2 to 4 hours, and it took much longer than that. Remember, I am speaking here purely from a library programming point of view.

Version 2: Regular Glue

You can make this with regular, old fashioned school glue. It’s definitely cheaper, but it still takes quite a while to dry.

A Side Note: Instead of using just plain glue, you can go through the steps to make slime. Slime is the only version in which you can pick out the elements and then put them back in and repeat. All the other version are kind of a one and done type of thing.

Version 3: Hot Glue

This version uses exactly what it says: a hot glue gun. The big draw back is that hot glue is, well, hot. I have used hot glue guns in teen programming for years and did once have a teen badly burn themselves. But all in all, this one dried the fastest. And it’s still relatively inexpensive because we often already have multiple glue guns on hand.

So you know how I mentioned above that this is a kind of one and done type of thing, the truth is that after you pick all the elements out of the pick pad, if its made out of hot glue and you have a heat gun, you can re-melt the hot glue and make another pick pad. But most of our tweens/teens won’t have the means to do this at home, so it still falls under the one and done category.

The Steps to Making Your Pick Pad:

Prepare your surface. This includes laying down your table covering and placing your silicone mold onto a paper plate.

Fill the bottom layer of your silicone mold with beads (or whatever you are using). Set the remaining beads aside until you fill the silicone mold with whatever version you are using.

Here you will then fill the mold with either your rubber mold mixture, your regular glue or your hot glue.

Then, top off with more beads and set it aside to dry/cool.

Your dry time will depend on what version you choose. Remember: hot glue has the quickest dry time, but it’s very important that you do not touch it until it is totally cool. If you use a method with longer drying time, you will need to write names on plates and set them aside in a safe place to dry.

Unmold your pick pad.

Have fun picking the beads and such out of your pad – like while you are listening to an audio book!

The Teen’s Opinion:

She loved making this craft. She loves fidgets and found this to be fun to both make and pick apart. I recently walked into her room and noticed that she was making multiple ones.

Will it Work as a Library Program?

The short answer is: yes. I recommend the hot glue or a slime method as it has the least amount of drying time and is more affordable. Regular glue works okay. I do not recommend the rubber mold because it is both expensive and takes forever to dry.

Dyslexia Awareness Month: Let’s Talk Fidgets, including DIY Fidget Toys, with the help of My Tween Scout

MakerSpace: DIY Fidget Spinners in Three Ways

MakerSpace: DIY Fidget Spinners Three MORE Ways

Filed under: DIY, Teen Program in a Box, Teen Programming, Teen Programming in a Box