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Aagot
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| Posted: July 18 2012 at 11:03pm | IP Logged
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I am looking for ideas on handiwork my kids could be working on while I am reading aloud. Some ideas I have heard of are knitting, whittling ( which none of them know) and legos. I would like it to be something useful. Maybe even something they might be able to sell. There are two boys 13&12 and one girl 10.
Any ideas?
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 5:02am | IP Logged
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My kids just like to sketch. I occassionally have them to what I call "sketch collages" as I read. The finished product is really neat, even for non-artists. I give them each a sketch book and at the top of a page they put the title from the book that I will be reading. Then, as I read, they are to think of a scene from that reading and sketch it, small. Each day they add another sketch until the page is full. The sketches don't have to be in any order, although my 11yo insists they go in timeline fashion. My dd just does hers randomly, where ever there is room on the page. Some days there might be a sketch of just a tree, or a person, and others are full scenes, depending on the child's artistic energy  or the descriptions in the book. That being said, this wouldn't be something they could sell. So forget the above (I should have read more carefully what you were asking for!).
Other ideas would be ~
pot holders (not just for littles - older kids can make cool patterns)
beaded jewelry
embroidery kits
rug making kits
Covered mini-notebooks - Just buy a bunch of those little memo books, usually spiral bound. You can get them in bulk at places like Sams. Have your kids design cute covers for them like they do for the bigger notebooks. (I can find a link if you don't know what I'm talking about.)
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Becky
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Aagot
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 8:07am | IP Logged
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Thanks Becky!
Although having them make a useful project was my goal, the more I think about it, the more interuptions I see. So actually the sketching idea sounds very doable 
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 10:53am | IP Logged
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Yep, that's why I went to sketching. Anything involving blocks or Legos (my first attempts) involved discussion. they wanted to talk to each other about what they were building, or argue about who took all the red blocks, or whatever. with drawing it's nice and quiet!
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Becky
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JennGM
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 11:10am | IP Logged
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I liked this list of Handiwork ideas from Ambleside.
And then the quote from Charlotte Mason in Volume I,
Quote:
The Handicrafts best fitted for children under nine seem to me to be chair-caning, carton-work, basket-work, Smyrna rugs, Japanese curtains, carving in cork, samplers on coarse canvas showing a variety of stitches, easy needlework, knitting (big needles and wool), etc. The points to be borne in mind in children's handicrafts are:
(a) that they should not be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like;
(b) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do;
(c) that slipshod work should not be allowed;
(d) and that, therefore, the children's work should be kept well within their compass. |
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Working with Sculpey or clay, cross-stitching or even just practicing simple sewing stitches (even boys!), on paper, even.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 1:46pm | IP Logged
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Crochet and cross-stitch are my two favorites.
It could be even be simply mending of a torn item.
Or hand-sewing something new.
Simpler painting?
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JennGM
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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I came across a blog post today with a very cute apron that made me think of this thread. Cross-stitching on gingham, or chicken scratch, is a really useful and simple handiwork. That post has got me to thinking of some ideas...I've got loads of gingham napkins and fabric around here....
More on ChickenScratch (double cross-stitch is also the Smyrna cross).
But it can be just a simple cross-stitch.
Some free patterns. I really like the blue runner.
Pinterest ideas
If this isn't enough to whet your appetite, your child could draw a simple design on graph paper. Filet crochet patterns could also be used as cross-stitch patterns.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Betsy
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 4:06pm | IP Logged
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I just wanted to chime in with my insight on handiwork and listening....
I craft a lot (that is probably and understatement). I often craft when I am listening to Catholic talks or various other things. There are only certain types of projects that I can really concentrate on my work and listen effectively. The projects need to me something that I have great muscle memory for AND are fairly easy.
For instance I can easily craft a wire wrapped rosary, because I have done so many that I don't really need to "think" about what I am doing. I can also knit while listening, but I can only be knitting something easy and familiar, like a dishcloth. If I try to knit one of my lace shawls I don't do either well.
So, while I KNOW the benefits of doing handiwork and listening to a talk first hand. It must be something that the child (or mother) can do without a lot of additional mental brain work. Does that make sense?
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When handcrafting my work, I always pray that it will raise your heart to all that is true, modest, just, holy, lovely and good fame!
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JennGM
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
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Betsy wrote:
| So, while I KNOW the benefits of doing handiwork and listening to a talk first hand. It must be something that the child (or mother) can do without a lot of additional mental brain work. Does that make sense? |
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Yes, very. As a person who also does much handiwork, I completely agree. So let's elaborate and say this a handicraft has to be familiar and almost automatic before giving it to do while reading aloud. Otherwise, it takes up too much brain space to absorb the featured program, which is the reading.
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SuzanneG
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:: beading
:: drawing
:: latch hook
:: macrame
:: weaving
:: geo-boards (littles)
:: doll-hair-braiding
:: sewing on buttons
:: felt sewing...my girls like to make felt finger puppets
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AmyRobynne
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 9:59pm | IP Logged
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Has anyone had their kids work on a braided rag rug? I was just looking at tutorials on Pinterest and it seemed promising. I'd probably only have them do the braiding during read-alouds, but if we used only sheets, we'd tear them to make the strips and that would be fun for my 8 and 6 year olds. Then I'd probably hand-sew them together after they finished the braiding. They could give them as Christmas presents!
When my 6 year old broke his foot this spring and couldn't go outside during recess, I tried to get him started crosstitching. He wanted to do it but didn't get very far because he was at school and would get knots or something. But now that we're homeschooling, it might work better. Still, braiding seems like a more forgiving activity with fewer potential interruptions during reading time. My kids would definitely benefit from something keeping their fingers busy. They love Legos but I think that would take away all their attention.
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SallyT
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 10:43pm | IP Logged
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Amy, did you find that the tiny squares were hard for him? I ask because I was just trying to do counted cross-stitch (which I haven't done in about 25 years) with 5-8-year-old girls at our American Heritage Girls day camp last week, and the younger girls, especially, found it really kind of defeating. One of the moms remarked that we might have done better with the big beginner needlepoint canvas and plastic needles.
Having read this thread, I'm thinking of having my kids try needlepoint, actually, which I remember enjoying as a child. Maybe not during read-alouds, but as a project . . .
Sally
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 10:54pm | IP Logged
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monk's cloth mounted in embroidery hoops and with the edges mildly hemmed (it frays easy, and is very soft/pliable) is the best cloth I have found for beginners - especially boys. The holes are SO big that the problem with the pliability and movement of the threads is totally negated.
:)
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AmyRobynne
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| Posted: July 19 2012 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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SallyT wrote:
Amy, did you find that the tiny squares were hard for him? I ask because I was just trying to do counted cross-stitch (which I haven't done in about 25 years) with 5-8-year-old girls at our American Heritage Girls day camp last week, and the younger girls, especially, found it really kind of defeating. One of the moms remarked that we might have done better with the big beginner needlepoint canvas and plastic needles.
Sally |
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It was more the needle slipping around, I think. I suspect bigger holes and needle would help, though. He didn't have much interest in following a pattern -- he wanted to just stitch all over the place (which is typical for how he does everything) and I was fine with that. I'll have to go look up monk's cloth now.
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Betsy
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| Posted: July 20 2012 at 6:30am | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| So let's elaborate and say this a handicraft has to be familiar and almost automatic before giving it to do while reading aloud. |
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I have two informal criteria that I follow:
1. Can I carry on a conversation while I am working? It takes more brian power (for me) to have a real conversation (not just replying to the kids, etc) than to listen to audio. If I can do this its a good fit for improving my listening while working.
2. How easy is it to make mistakes and fix mistakes.
I also wanted to add that you really want to do a serious crafting project while reading with kids expect your time to double. When my ds knits, he is fairly proficient, we need to stop reading at least once to fix something or read the pattern, etc. If you are crunched for time in your schedule, I don't recommend adding in a handicraft at this time.
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ImmaculataDesigns.com
When handcrafting my work, I always pray that it will raise your heart to all that is true, modest, just, holy, lovely and good fame!
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 19 2012 at 6:17pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
I came across a blog post today with a very cute apron that made me think of this thread. Cross-stitching on gingham, or chicken scratch, is a really useful and simple handiwork. That post has got me to thinking of some ideas...I've got loads of gingham napkins and fabric around here....
More on ChickenScratch (double cross-stitch is also the Smyrna cross).
But it can be just a simple cross-stitch.
Some free patterns. I really like the blue runner.
Pinterest ideas
If this isn't enough to whet your appetite, your child could draw a simple design on graph paper. Filet crochet patterns could also be used as cross-stitch patterns.
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I found this so neat to see chicken scratch as the handiwork taught at the Living Education retreat.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Handiwork
