Colorful canvases, playful pendants, cute handicraft figures: Christiane Reiner sets no limits to her creative ideas – and she has many of them. When Reiner herself is not busy writing, painting or doing handicrafts, she motivates children to become artistically active. The native of Gilching has been leading various courses for this for several years. But what to do if a child has to be quarantined in Corona times? When this happened to the offspring of a friend, Reiner came up with the idea of a new project last year: a craft box filled with different materials that children can use to make small figures.
The 50-year-old wants to make the quarantine period more varied for children. “Many parents don’t even have the necessary materials at home for their children to let off steam creatively,” explains Reiner. During the second lockdown, Reiner put a bag full of handicraft items in front of the said girlfriend’s door. She was very enthusiastic about it. And because it would be a challenge for many parents to keep their children busy during quarantine, Reiner is now putting together individual boxes on which a little animal illustrated by her is shown, the “little quarantine”. In addition to handicraft instructions, the boxes also contain, for example, bottled acrylic paint, wiggly eyes, colored paper or wooden clips – depending on what is needed for the respective figurine.
Christiane Reiner provides children in quarantine with materials from which small figures, so-called quarantines, are then created.
(Photo: Nila Thiel)
Reiner then brings the children’s craft boxes to their front door. When putting together a “quarantine” box, the hobby artist also pays attention to the age and interests of the children. After all, the children should like the finished handicrafts at the end. In addition to empty toilet paper rolls and egg cartons, Reiner collects other utensils that can be recycled for handicrafts. Her friends support her in this. “I only have to look at the collected material – and I already know what could come of it,” she says. Only the material that Reiner has lying around at home would be included in the boxes.
Born in Mainz, she has been creative since she was a child. “Just a short time ago I rediscovered an old photo of myself in which I’m still wearing diapers and already painting wallpaper,” says Reiner. In addition to her painting and handicraft courses for children, she also runs the Gilchinger writing club in her free time. The members of the association meet there once a month to exchange texts they have written themselves.
Reiner loves to be creative. Her apartment is full of handicrafts.
(Photo: Nila Thiel)
So that Reiner can let her creative thoughts run free, she likes to retreat to her painting corner at home. The pictures that adorn the walls of the Reiner family’s living room were created there, among other things. Or the money box with a sloth on it, made from an old picture frame. In addition, little pigs, robots or angels have already been created in the painting corner, which can now be made by children during a prescribed quarantine. Reiner has already tried out her ideas for the figures several times together with her eight-year-old son. In addition, her husband regularly supports her with her “quarantine” project, for example by driving the finished boxes home to the children.
A box costs between 15 and 20 euros and contains materials for five different craft figures and the associated craft instructions. Interested parents can email Christiane Reiner. Since the implementation of the project started a few weeks ago, a total of 22 “quarantines” have already been sold. She does not yet know to what extent Reiner wants to limit her delivery area. “For families who live further away, you could see if I might send the craft boxes,” she says.
Reiner is currently planning to give the “Little Quarantine” a character by continuously adapting the illustration of the little animal, based on the respective season or certain festivities. It remains to be seen how her creative project will continue. “I’m relaxed about it,” said Reiner. “Because I know that new creative ideas are constantly buzzing around in my head anyway.”
You can write to Christiane Reiner at [email protected] for a quarantine box