WEBVTT 00:00:00.050 --> 00:00:04.580 December is just around the corner and suddenly your carefully planned routine 00:00:04.580 --> 00:00:10.219 falls apart between holiday preparations, family gatherings, and the general 00:00:10.219 --> 00:00:14.900 excitement in the air, it feels impossible to maintain any learning momentum. 00:00:15.350 --> 00:00:19.370 You're torn between sticking to your plans and just giving 00:00:19.370 --> 00:00:20.810 up until the end of January. 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:27.049 Well, today I am going to offer you the best of both worlds. 00:00:27.814 --> 00:00:32.855 A way children can still learn work on the fine motor skills, 00:00:32.855 --> 00:00:34.925 their hand eye coordination. 00:00:35.315 --> 00:00:40.385 They can learn patience and how to just be, and you can even 00:00:40.385 --> 00:00:42.274 tick off some curriculum boxes. 00:00:43.655 --> 00:00:47.315 Back in the classroom, this was actually my favorite time of year. 00:00:48.244 --> 00:00:51.334 This is the time that I would get children hooked. 00:00:51.709 --> 00:00:57.769 On Handicrafts and every year when I saw that beautiful positive shift 00:00:58.940 --> 00:01:04.819 into calm that hum, that would sit so beautifully, I used to think, I really 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:08.839 must start this at the beginning of the year and then continue throughout 00:01:08.839 --> 00:01:11.750 the year, but it just never happened. 00:01:12.770 --> 00:01:18.649 The one reason I think that Handicraft has this positive effect on children 00:01:18.679 --> 00:01:20.240 is because they're making something. 00:01:21.440 --> 00:01:28.490 With their hands, and I know it has a positive effect because children remember 00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:32.240 this time well past their time with me. 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:36.500 In fact, in my previous school, at the end of the year, the year 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:38.030 sixes would give a presentation. 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:42.590 Recapping and reflecting on their primary school experience. 00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:46.970 And whenever they got to the year two experience and the time they spent with 00:01:46.970 --> 00:01:50.330 me, they would mention the things we made. 00:01:50.809 --> 00:01:52.850 The French knitting and the sewing. 00:01:54.770 --> 00:01:58.744 In the Charlotte Mason tradition, handicrafts actually 00:01:58.905 --> 00:02:01.369 take a very central position. 00:02:01.790 --> 00:02:06.740 In fact, she believed that handcrafts were an essential part of a child's education. 00:02:07.535 --> 00:02:12.665 We are not talking here about gluing macaroni pieces onto a piece of card. 00:02:12.725 --> 00:02:13.415 No, no, no. 00:02:14.195 --> 00:02:21.065 Handcrafts are the making of something useful and worth keeping even something 00:02:21.125 --> 00:02:23.525 you can make and give away as a gift. 00:02:23.825 --> 00:02:27.395 And don't think for a minute the children are too young to be 00:02:27.395 --> 00:02:32.855 learning to knit or crochet or weave because they absolutely can. 00:02:34.115 --> 00:02:38.375 Charlotte Mason actually said that, when making handicrafts, 00:02:38.615 --> 00:02:44.224 they should be taught slowly and carefully, and that slipshot work. 00:02:44.435 --> 00:02:48.935 What a beautiful word should not be allowed, and that children should 00:02:48.935 --> 00:02:50.945 therefore work within their compass. 00:02:51.185 --> 00:02:53.555 In other words, within their capabilities. 00:02:54.394 --> 00:03:01.265 Young children can definitely be taught to weave and use large tapestry needles, 00:03:01.625 --> 00:03:05.584 even those plastic ones, and learn to stitch pieces of fabric together. 00:03:06.094 --> 00:03:10.625 And they can definitely learn how to French knit using an old cotton spool 00:03:10.985 --> 00:03:15.995 or even as I've done in the past so many times, an empty cardboard toilet roll 00:03:16.235 --> 00:03:21.094 that the middle section and then tape some pops, sticks to the to the outside. 00:03:21.154 --> 00:03:25.265 And I've had children create beautiful woven wall hangings. 00:03:25.654 --> 00:03:29.644 They've done covers for tin cans using French knitting that they 00:03:29.644 --> 00:03:31.265 would use as a pencil holder. 00:03:31.745 --> 00:03:34.685 We've created hand sewn Christmas tree ornaments. 00:03:35.915 --> 00:03:39.035 You know, if you think about it, a hundred years ago, children 00:03:39.065 --> 00:03:43.535 frequently made their own toys, things from corn husks like dolls. 00:03:43.595 --> 00:03:47.675 They carved and played with wooden toys, they wove baskets, and as they 00:03:47.675 --> 00:03:53.225 got older, they were able to whittle wood and make beautiful carved items, 00:03:53.795 --> 00:03:57.935 and it was really commonplace for girls to be able to do beautiful embroidery. 00:03:58.475 --> 00:04:01.625 Nowadays, all we expect for them is to tap and swipe. 00:04:02.285 --> 00:04:05.105 What a waste of a God-given creative talent. 00:04:06.095 --> 00:04:13.295 I think that young children could do more because they were expected to. 00:04:13.835 --> 00:04:18.155 Nowadays, I feel as though we have really lowered our expectations 00:04:18.155 --> 00:04:20.405 of what children are capable of. 00:04:20.915 --> 00:04:27.485 I've actually seen really smart switched on 10 year olds, unable to just hand 00:04:27.485 --> 00:04:31.355 sew two pieces of cloth together with a simple in and out, repetitive 00:04:31.355 --> 00:04:32.585 motion with a needle and thread. 00:04:33.275 --> 00:04:36.515 And that's only because they've never had that exposure. 00:04:37.295 --> 00:04:41.645 I think also the fact that Christmas has become so commercialized has something 00:04:41.645 --> 00:04:45.005 to do with this, 'cause now we just buy stuff instead of make it right. 00:04:45.695 --> 00:04:47.360 And also the fact that we're time poor. 00:04:48.065 --> 00:04:51.665 Although I do question that, 'cause as I mentioned in last week's episode, 00:04:52.085 --> 00:04:56.525 everyone has 24 hours in a day and some people tend to do so much more 00:04:56.525 --> 00:04:58.835 with their 24 hours than others. 00:04:59.075 --> 00:05:04.145 And I think those that can, are the ones that haven't allowed their phones 00:05:04.145 --> 00:05:06.485 and social media to steal their time. 00:05:07.145 --> 00:05:10.985 And as Charlotte Mason also said, we need to teach children 00:05:10.985 --> 00:05:12.995 how to do these things properly. 00:05:13.475 --> 00:05:17.255 And I found that children really valued what they had made. 00:05:17.630 --> 00:05:19.490 They were proud of their achievements. 00:05:19.640 --> 00:05:22.400 And the wonderful thing about making something with your 00:05:22.400 --> 00:05:25.550 hands is that it's tangible. 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:32.000 You see the result in front of you, and as you prepare for Christmas, why 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:37.190 not get children involved in making things either as gifts for others or 00:05:37.190 --> 00:05:38.870 even just something for themselves. 00:05:39.530 --> 00:05:44.240 Pinterest is chockfull of ideas, and you can easily get some inspiration there. 00:05:45.020 --> 00:05:46.790 Things that my students have made. 00:05:47.210 --> 00:05:50.030 They've done pillows for their beds, for example. 00:05:50.090 --> 00:05:53.630 They've done stuffed animals, as I said earlier, French 00:05:53.630 --> 00:05:55.820 knitted pencil cover holders. 00:05:56.150 --> 00:06:00.890 They've made place mats from French knitting and even sock puppets, and 00:06:00.890 --> 00:06:02.930 we always made a Christmas ornament. 00:06:02.960 --> 00:06:07.340 Usually I cut out the fabric pieces and then they would hand stitch that together 00:06:07.370 --> 00:06:11.930 and we would fill it with hobby, full stuffing, attach a ribbon so that that 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:13.670 could be hung onto a Christmas tree. 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:19.280 And you could even use Felt instead of Fabric, which makes lovely Christmas 00:06:19.280 --> 00:06:23.540 ornaments, or little animals, which children just love making. 00:06:24.590 --> 00:06:30.110 Now you might be wondering, how on earth do you prove that these 00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:36.110 activities have some kind of curriculum value to a moderator checking in, 00:06:36.110 --> 00:06:38.300 that you're covering everything you're supposed to be covering? 00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:44.344 Well, handcrafts, are the perfect solution for your design 00:06:44.344 --> 00:06:45.935 and technologies curriculum. 00:06:45.995 --> 00:06:47.375 They fit it perfectly. 00:06:48.275 --> 00:06:50.830 Children need to draw their design on what they wanna make. 00:06:51.725 --> 00:06:55.025 They've got to state what kind of materials they're going to use, and 00:06:55.025 --> 00:06:58.625 then once the craft is finished, they take a photograph and then 00:06:58.625 --> 00:07:03.395 they compare that to their finished design to the one that they drew. 00:07:03.665 --> 00:07:07.955 They reflect on the changes they've made, if any at all, and why 00:07:07.955 --> 00:07:09.515 they had to make those changes. 00:07:09.935 --> 00:07:13.805 I have a free technologies and design graphic organizer for you. 00:07:14.075 --> 00:07:17.195 I'll leave a link to it in the show notes so you can download 00:07:17.195 --> 00:07:18.755 it there for your convenience. 00:07:19.625 --> 00:07:22.625 Now, the other thing I have done in the past is I ask children 00:07:22.625 --> 00:07:24.664 to write a procedural text. 00:07:24.695 --> 00:07:27.875 Now, obviously you're gonna have to teach them how to write a 00:07:27.875 --> 00:07:29.200 procedure before you do this. 00:07:30.169 --> 00:07:34.939 But they wrote the procedure of the steps they took to create this handcraft. 00:07:35.780 --> 00:07:39.770 So here you can, again, meet the curriculum requirements in English. 00:07:40.249 --> 00:07:43.969 They could create a recipe of the instructions and then with a photograph 00:07:43.969 --> 00:07:48.199 of their completed product, and they can make a poster of that. 00:07:49.024 --> 00:07:50.854 There's so many different ideas. 00:07:51.484 --> 00:07:56.764 Creating handicraft is really multifaceted learning experience. 00:07:57.004 --> 00:08:02.104 It's developing children's hand eye coordination, their fine motor skills. 00:08:02.374 --> 00:08:04.864 They're learning to focus and to be patient. 00:08:05.315 --> 00:08:09.320 They're learning resilience because they will make mistakes, but it's 00:08:09.325 --> 00:08:13.054 so easy to pull out, you know, a few rows of French knitting or a 00:08:13.054 --> 00:08:14.825 few stitches, and then try again. 00:08:15.164 --> 00:08:20.715 And when they see that connection between writing a procedural text and what they've 00:08:20.715 --> 00:08:28.154 created, they start to see that learning is connected to real everyday experiences. 00:08:29.565 --> 00:08:34.214 And really isn't that a far deeper, richer learning experience than what they're 00:08:34.244 --> 00:08:36.464 getting by tapping and swiping a screen. 00:08:38.414 --> 00:08:40.875 I've written a blog post about this topic. 00:08:41.645 --> 00:08:46.294 And even posted pictures of the things that my own students have made. 00:08:46.744 --> 00:08:50.435 I'll leave a link for you in the show notes so that you can go and 00:08:50.435 --> 00:08:52.385 have a read and have a look of that. 00:08:53.464 --> 00:08:57.304 And in conclusion, enjoy this time. 00:08:57.454 --> 00:08:58.564 Stop stressing. 00:08:58.925 --> 00:09:00.619 Enjoy this beautiful season. 00:09:00.619 --> 00:09:04.534 And remember that learning doesn't just happen with pencils and paper. 00:09:05.194 --> 00:09:09.740 It happens in the tangible life experiences, that we 00:09:09.770 --> 00:09:11.599 all experience all the time. 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:14.540 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:09:14.599 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