It was one of those days every working parent dreads. My daughter was home from school, I had back-to-back calls all afternoon, and I'd asked my husband to do something creative with her to get her off a screen. We have a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf brimming with art supplies. Our daughter loves making things. It should have been simple. Instead, when I emerged from my last video call, I found a familiar sight: Daddy and daughter on opposite ends of the living room, both absorbed in their individual screens. The art supplies remained untouched. Nothing creative had been done. Angry didn’t begin to cover it. In my frustration, I asked my husband one exasperated question: “Why is this so hard for you?” His answer surprised me. He wasn't ignoring my requests. He was overwhelmed. "I don't know where to start," he admitted. "What projects will she like? What skills does she need to practice? What's too hard? Where are the supplies even stored? What is she allowed to use?" Here was a tech-savvy, highly intelligent, capable parent who felt completely lost when it came to making simple crafts with his child. I started asking other parents in our network how they managed creative time with their kids and heard a few common themes - Parents were spending more time planning and cleaning than actually creating with their kids. Pinterest was overwhelming, craft kits were expensive and wasteful, and kids lost interest halfway through projects. And so I built GlueStick to help guide kids and their grown-ups through the entire creative journey from idea selection and setup to cleanup. What makes us unique: - GlueStick is the only platform that supports your family's creative time from start to finish. While competitors focus on selling you more supplies or giving you endless inspiration, we work with what you already have at home. Our AI-powered supply recognition turns snapshots of household items into creative possibilities, and our ad-free, kid-friendly interface lets children lead their own creative adventures without constant parent supervision. - Unlike subscription boxes that create waste and Pinterest boards that overwhelm, GlueStick makes creativity sustainable, accessible, and stress-free. Every project includes setup guidance, safety considerations, and fun cleanup checklists where kids can unlock fun avatars! - GlueStick helps you keep the fridge clutter-free with a digital Art Gallery of all your kid's creations. No more parent guilt for throwing away the fifth handprint craft this week! What we're most proud of: - A unique and growing library of over 100 tutorials created by our activity author community (teachers, parents, engineers - and maybe even you! Check out https://gluestick.app/activityau... for details) - Zero ads - just pure creative focus for families - Child-led design - kids can navigate independently with our themed map exploration - Real impact - we're launching our school fundraiser partnerships this fall and are excited to give back to our kids' communities. We've been in beta since December with great feedback from families who tell us GlueStick has made their family creative time more affordable, child-led, and fun. We're ready to help your family do the same. What will your family make today?

Abby Allen

Maker

📌

16d ago

Scott Burton

This looks like an amazing app, and the brand story you've built around GlueStick is really impressive. I'm sure this will appeal to many working parents who similarly find themselves lost, stressed, or uninspired when it comes to planning fun craft activities with their children.

The incentive program you've built for content authors is also really smart, and I like that you feature some of the creators on your blog. It's a great way to ensure there is always fresh content on the platform.

Hope @GlueStick is a success, congrats on the launch!

@smjburton Thanks so much for the feedback! We're really proud of what we've built and the community we're creating to inspire kids.

GlueStick

What will your family create today?

What will your family create today?

GlueStick

What will your family create today?

What will your family create today?

Do you use GlueStick?

Do you use GlueStick?