Magic Bravery Beans

Our household has been a dangerous place for headbands lately. Headbands are breaking left and right. You could almost call it an epidemic. I thought that the problem was Miss Bloom playing too rough at recess or sharing her hair stuff with her friends. Then a few of our Daisy friends let it slip at an event over the weekend that Miss Bloom has been breaking her headbands on purpose at school. What?!?


We had a little talk yesterday and it turns out that she isn't actually breaking them "on purpose." The problem is that she gets so nervous when it is her turn to speak in front of the class that she wants something hard to squeeze. And her headband is usually the easiest thing to find. I told her that I needed to think about it, but we would come up with a solution. After she went to sleep last night, I got to work on my version of a homemade stress ball: Magic Bravery Beans.

I cut out two simple circles: one from red broadcloth and the other from that sparkle fabric that never seems to go away.

Laying them on top of each other, I folded over the edges to create a rolled hem.

Then I sewed a basting stitch about an inch in from the edge.

I gently tugged on the thread from the basting stitch to gather my circle into a little pouch.

Then I filled the pouch with popcorn kernels.

A few stitches closed it up.

And I added a ribbon for decoration and to help keep it sealed closed.

I gave Miss Bloom her bag of Magic Bravery Beans this morning, explaining that she must not try to open it or the beans will lose their magic. But she can keep her bag of beans in her sweater pocket and give it a squeeze whenever she feels nervous. The headbands and I both hope this does the trick!