My family has always taken lots of walks together.  When I was a child it was always to look for something, or at least that is what my parents and grandparents told my brother and I to get us interested.

It didn't matter if we were looking for rocks, berries, mushrooms, or a fox den, the first thing we did was find a walking stick.  Doris would say "Find a good walking stick before we get too far!"  and my brother and I would scramble to find a unique stick with a handhold and smooth bark.I never questioned why we needed a stick to walk with.  It was great fun to poke at things that were too icky to touch or to drag the stick through the sand making what we called "snake foot prints".

I often see polished walking sticks at craft fairs and they ask an awful lot of money for a polished old stick.  You can make your own without much trouble at all.

You will need:
A 5-6 foot branch/stick
Stain or varnish
rough sand paper

Find a branch that is unique and fairly straight. The length can be 5-6 foot, or slightly shorter if the stick will be for a child. A stick with a curve at the top is fun, but difficult to find. Don't cut a green branch, look for one that has fallen to the ground.. I always liked branches with odd knots in them or strange bends, find something unusual!

Peel  the bark off the stick.  You can use a dull knife to scrape it if needed,  be careful though, you don't want to "carve" the stick. After the bark is removed, sand from top to bottom with a piece of rough sandpaper.  Keep rubbing until the entire stick is smooth.  For an extra smooth finish, you will want to sand again with a fine sandpaper.  It can be as smooth or rough as you like, just make sure the handle area is comfortably smooth.

Next, wipe the dust off the stick with a clean cloth. Follow the directions on the can of stain or varnish and apply to the entire stick. Remember to do the very ends also.  If you use stain you will need to apply a final coat of polyurethane to seal the stick.  If the stick is a gift, make a card using leaves and flowers and seed pods that you gather yourself.  Having a walking stick encourages family walks rather than time in front of the television.  Be sure children understand not to use the stick as a weapon.  It is a walking stick, not a ninja stick!