Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kindergarten crafts

More snow today. I have a feeling I'm not going to get to my monthly patchwork group gathering. I'll miss my friends' company but as mentioned yesterday, I have a lot to keep me busy around here.

Yesterday I was at the kindergarten and managed to snap some pictures of the children doing some handwork. The oldest class (5 year olds) braid and sew a basket throughout the year. First they are taught braiding skills (holding the end of the rope between their toes and braiding towards themselves) and then they are taught to use a needle and thread.

This project has been going on at least 20 years because both my children have baskets that they sewed when they were in this same kindergarten. I noticed that the mothers have gotten fancy and have made a pincushion for each child fashioned from a soda bottle cap, fabric, cotton and elastic. My kids never had those in their day. Notice how it fits on the thumb as the person sews.

The teachers make sure that each child has made a basket by the end of the year but of course some children are faster than others and don't need much help. Those kids get to graduate onto felting and a few of the girls were busy stabbing balls of wool into different shaped cookie cutters to make felt figures. This is a new project from my kids' days. I'd like to try this too!

And there were a couple girls (extremely advanced?) who were busily making pompoms. Measuring out yarn, tying the centers, cutting to equal lengths and then attaching the pompoms to elastic and ribbon for hair decorations and bracelets (I guess.)

And finally, here is my handcraft for the day... I finished up the Bunny Hill May BOM and am ready to cross that off of yesterday's list.

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