joannqn Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 My daughter dislikes school. She'll do the work assigned but has no interest in it. What would help her like school again is more hands-on learning. Not in the form of lapbooks, notebooking, nature journals...she doesn't like those...but rather in the form of arts/crafts and experiments. She likes building volcanos, building sugar-cube pyramids, making salt-dough maps, watching rice dance on syran wrap, constructing and crawling through a giant ear, creating stop motion films with her Webkinz, things like that. But these things take money...which we don't have. Is there anyway to add this type of stuff back in without spending much at all? Or is she just out of luck? I don't think I have to change our curriculum entirely, just add projects into history, science, literature that we are already doing. I hate the fact that she doesn't like school. Part of the reason I homeschool is so that school can be more interesting and fun. I hate the fact that she's not interested in what we are learning simply because it's mostly bookwork. What I hate the most, though, is her total lack of caring. She doesn't care if her little brother is passing her by. She doesn't care if her test scores drop. She doesn't care about how her future opportunities can be impacted by her lack of caring about school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 With a few spectacularly expensive exceptions (like when my son discovered he loved travelling and decided to go to Japan for 3 months and when my other son decided he loved sailing and needed a boat, and the legos...). If you give your children directions from someplace else, then the projects are likely to cost money because they will require supplies that you don't have on hand. If, however, your children make up their own projects, they are more likely to be with the materials you have on hand. Mine tended to make up their own. They would read about something and decide to make it or try it, and I'd say ok, and they'd look around the house for something to use to make it. I keep a certain amount of basic supplies on hand: I save cardboard boxes and tubes and egg crates and yoghurt containers and jars. I have airdrying clay (it is real clay from the art supply store, not sculpy, so it is cheap). I have tools basic hand tools and scrap wood. I have string and yarn and rags and basic sewing supplies. I have paper clips and coat hangers, if they need wire. I have paper, rubber bands, glue, tape, markers, and a few tubes of acrylic paint. The paint is fairly expensive but with white, black, red, blue, and yellow, they can mix what they need. We live in the woods so there are lots of sticks and stones. I have basic kitchen supplies. Somehow, mine usually manage to make what they want with those things. I think the trick is not to give them directions, just a picture of whatever they want to make. I offer suggestions for materials, fastening methods, or whatever, if they ask. What sorts of projects have you done that cost money? -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmom3 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 You might think this suggestion is corny, but I have found ALOT of craft supplies lately at garage sales(paint, clay, drawing paper, kits never opened, beads etc) for VERY cheap!!!! It seems people are just cleaning out their closets and most people buy these for 1x school projects etc. I have gotten some things we would never have bought retail and we have fun doing various projects. You have to be willing to figure out things to do with what you find. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 :iagree: It's amazing what you can find at garage sales, thrift shops and in your Mum's back cupboard. If you can buy some white wool or cotton, try playing with natural dyes. That doesn't cost much. Walk around, pick stuff, take it home and boil it. See what happens. Then see if it fades when you leave it outside in the sun. Learning to weave doesn't require much in the way of materials. Then if all else fails, you can make all sorts of things by draping the contents of the linen press over the lounge room. I keep a tub to put craft junk into. Left overs from my projects, pictures from Christmas cards, bamboo skewers that have been pulled out and left on the floor so I don't want them, bits of ribbon that are too small to be useful to me. You can even save labels off tins and junk mail if all they want to do is chop it up and make a mess. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 What sorts of projects have you done that cost money?-Nan Some of the items required for the science experiments in our curriculum were (which we didn't do) are m&m's, colored paper, jell-o, food coloring, 2 thermometers, white & black trash bags, blindfolds, colored tape, world map that can be cut up, protective eyewear, surgical mask, disposable foil pan, cement mix, cement trowel, owl pellets and dissection tools, poster board, cutouts of the continents, index cards, beads in different colors, balloon, lizard and stuff needed to care for it, turtle and stuff needed to care for it, metal coat hangers, wire cutters, long wooden dowel, x-acto knife, oil-based paint, paint brush, 5-gallon bucket, oblong baking tray, heating pad. Each of the 14 chapters have one experiment/activity to go with it. We did one of the experiments...and it didn't even yield the expected results to prove the point. For history we needed a chicken, quite a few large ziplock bags, a gazillon pounds of salt and baking soda, about $9 worth of sugar cubes, and paint. We actually only did two projects for history this year that I can remember. Others that would have appealed to my kids would have required clay, wooden dowels, styrofoam balls, plastic figures, and so on. You might think this suggestion is corny, but I have found ALOT of craft supplies lately at garage sales(paint, clay, drawing paper, kits never opened, beads etc) for VERY cheap!!!! It seems people are just cleaning out their closets and most people buy these for 1x school projects etc. I have gotten some things we would never have bought retail and we have fun doing various projects. You have to be willing to figure out things to do with what you find.Good luck I don't find that corny, though I've never seen craft supplies at a garage sale. When my daughter (the one who likes crafts the most) does things on her own, she ends up using a ton of scotch tape to tape paper or staws or yarn to toilet paper tubes and draw on them with markers. I'd like to do things more educational than that...and I'm not good with figuring things out without instructions. We're doing SOTW Vol. 2 next year. I haven't seen what suggestions are in it but I do know that one thing I'd love to do is make a wattle and daub structure...perhaps a cat house to keep it small. Our science will be astronomy. I haven't seen the experiment or supply list in the book yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Would she like a more creative approach? Like if when you do a story from fiction or a story from history, she can make up a play about it and have you or a sibling help her act it out? Or make up a song? Maybe more "playful" elements would help her enjoy school more, even if those elements aren't actual crafts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I see what you mean. Some of that I have on hand, but some of it I would have to buy. If I had to buy supplies, we lost our momentum. And if we lived in an apartment in the city, for example, supplies wouldn't be lieing around in the yard waiting to be picked up. I solved the science problem two ways. Occasionally I'd be super organized and manage to make a master list beforehand and take the time to gather, scrounge, borrow, or as a last resort, buy the materials and set them aside in a box. Most of the time, as I said, I let the children design their own experiments. The first few pages of Creepy Crawlers and the Scientific Method explains how to design an experiment - not an activity, but an experiment. My children tried lots of things ranging from complicated and rather expensive (how far down does a chipmunk have to go in winter to keep from freezing) to very simple (what happens if I mix these two kitchen ingredients). Most of them were simple things. I spent my money on things like nature guides, binoculars, and magnifying glasses rather than experiment supplies. I think it was good for them to have to figure out how to do things themselves. It made them more creative and gave them practice solving problems. I also made them record their experiments (write lab reports). They didn't have to be elaborate, but they did have to make a note of the date, their question, their hypothesis, what they did, their data, and their conclusion. It didn't have to be neat or grammatical. Don't discount the tubes, tape, and paint projects. My 14yo made a fantastic looking monster for a game he was playing with friends using those. A hot glue gun would be a good birthday present. And if you can teach her to sew (by hand) she can make historical costumes. Learning to sew and knit itself is a good history project. So is learning to make a wood fire. You can do cooking projects. At least you can eat the results and you get to follow directions. I have found that most projects come in many versions. Take the dying/spinning project, for instance. One will require that you buy wool, alum, something unlikely like copper something-or-other, dried indigo, and a spinning wheel. Then there is a complicated set of directions for carrying out the project. Another version requires that you go find an indigo plant and that you cut down a tree and season the wood and build the spinning wheel. And then there is another version that has you go out get dandylion flowers and boil them, uses salt (not alum or something wierd) for a mordant (or whatever the stuff that sets the dye is called), and then dye a rag (like an old sock). And then it will explain how to make a drop spindle out of a pencil and try spinning a cotton ball or a bit of fur from the dog's brush. The trick is to find that last sort. The end product isn't something you can give away as Christmas presents, but it is educational. As your children get older, you'll find yourself involved in the middle sort, where you make authentic stuff, but with materials that you gather yourself. And there'll the occasional project that turns into a hobby and you will wind up giving someone a sewing machine or an exacto set or a telescope for Christmas. How old is your daughter? It sounds like she is a "maker". If she is, she probably will take charge of the project end of things herself. She will need you to set aside the time in her school day, and show her the "how to" section of the library, and keep some basic supplies and tools on hand. You can tell her she has to present a project idea to you (a proposal) and tell you what she is going to learn from it. If she wants to make a castle, she could practise her research skills by going to the library and looking up castles, take notes on the names of the different parts and rooms, and then build a castle and label the parts. The end result might not be pretty, if she's doing it with home made salt clay or with cardboard, but the lesson will still be learned. If she wants to make a quilt, she could combine it with a report on the history of quilting, or the different types of quilts from different regions. Then she could make a doll quilt. She can't just look at the one picture in her history book and go off and make a quilt. She'll learn that way, too, but she won't get to practise her academic skills. I think your wattle and daub idea is great! -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Oh - and if you can get your hands on Draw Squad (it is a book), either used or at the library, she might like it. It teaches drawing in a very child-friendly way. Being able to draw is very handy for making-type people. It would add another fun element to her day, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Nan, you really seem to know your stuff when it comes to making stuff. I'm not very good at that. I tend to end up with things that are too big. We tried weaving last year. I decided weaving a placemat with yarn was the perfect size...until we tried to do it. The kids never finished more than about an inch of their placemats. I tend to overestimate what the kids can do, or are willing to do, and underestimate the size/effort of the project. So, I ended up trying to do things all together where I could help get it done. Sometimes I have a hard time finding the materials...like where do I find a large amount of inexpensive clay and a small amount of hay for the wattle and daub cat house? I know we can collect the sticks for the frame. BTW, I wanted to do a cat house so we'd be making something useful that we can keep. Another question...what do you do with all these crafts? I ended up with piles of cardboard/paper/tape/staw contraptions cluttering the little space we have. That's why I like to try to find things that look nice enough to keep for a while (like the salt dough map of the US which can be used for other map activities) or can use (like woven placemats or the cat house). My daughter is 9 and does like to make things but has little patience to do it without help. She's asked to be taught to crochet/knit but gives up after 5-10 minutes. It seems that she doesn't have the dexterity; I can't imagine how the pioneers had girls knitting at age 4! I know very little about sewing so we'd be learning together. The hardest thing I've sewn is a sleeveless A-line dress for her as a toddler. No collar. No sleeves. Can't imagine making historical costumes. I'll try giving her some assignments and set her free in the library to figure out how to do it, like you described. I'll try getting my son more involved too...he's happy with worksheets and bookwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Do people out there use pine straw as mulch? Would you be able to scavenge a little bit of that and use it for the straw? Isaac was picking up pine straw on our walk today and had a lovely time. I put most of it back but I know no one would miss it if a handful or two went away. Plus we have a ton of it in our own yard. Which reminds me... I need to go call the tree guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 You should have seen the historical costumes I produced for my barbie. Hysterical would be more like it LOL. I didn't hem anything. My stitches were about half an inch long. I couldn't make the clothes go onto something stiff like my barbie so I cut them down the back and then safety pinned them on. I had a picture of Gone with the Wind in my head and produced a bad rag. For some reason, though, it didn't discourage me. I made and abandonned more projects... My mother was mostly too busy to help me. When she did, the results were spectacular because she is unbelievably talented. She COULD (and did!) make Scarlet costumes, for either us or for are dolls. And she made us the most beautiful paper dolls. And my father made me doll houses and doll furniture and play houses and whatever I wanted. My own efforts were pathetic... As I said, though, I kept doing it. I'm not sure I had much of an attention span, either. What I liked best was when my grandmother helped me. She wasn't an artist like my mother, but she would set up something for me to make and then let me make it. They were simple things that I could complete quickly. She taught me to sew, knit, and crotchet. Writing this, I guess I can see why my mother is so talented... Project sizes - I know what you mean. I clearly remember that inch of placemat that I managed to weave before abandonning it GRIN. Book marks, cat toys, coasters, headbands are a better size for most projects. Potholders are on the big size unless you are weaving with rags or knitting with giant yarn. I never did much weaving. It took too much effort. My grandmother taught me to knit by reading aloud to me while I did it. That kept me sitting down. I think the settlers' children were pretty desperate for occupations that could be done a few feet from a fire in bad weather or in the dark, and many of their parents didn't allowed them to do anything like games or to sit doing nothing. And I know what you mean about done projects. My house, never very neat in the first place because it is too small and we have too many books, musical instruments, animals, and people, is full of them. Sigh. I display them until they get too dusty, and then let the children choose what they want to keep, encouraging them to just keep a few things. If it is too big, we take a picture of it. If possible, I put it in their homeschooling folder. We have a few boxes in my sister's attic of keepsake projects for each child. About the clay... I think if I needed a quantity like that I'd go to the local garden center and ask where to find some. They could probably give me some hay, too. If that failed, I'd go to a construction site and gather up some bad dirt, something that didn't have too much sand in it and held together when I smushed a fistfull. Then I'd get grass clippings, make some patties, and try drying them in the sun. Not in the oven GRIN because I know what baking earth smells like. I happen to know where some is in a river bank, but it would be quite a project to get more than a handful and I doubt the wildlife sanctuary would be happy with me if I did. I've been fairly successful at sending my children to ask for things, like the dirt from a construction site. People are pretty helpful if a child shows up and asks for something for a school project. Can you find youtube videos of how to do some things? Like simple sewing projects? Some things I can think of off the top of my head: -Crochet a headband (chainstitch until it gets to be the right size to go around a head, then double back with double crotcheting until you get back to the beginning, and then join the ends). -Quilt a placemat. This would take several days, probably. I wouldn't insist on neat small stitches. Cut 6 squares about 8" big. Sew them together by hand (you may have to make the knot in the thread and fasten the thread off). Iron the whole thing flat as flat as you can by putitng it right side up on the ironing board, flattening it with your hand, and then ironing it. (This isn't the proper way to iron something, but it will work better on something very unevenly stitched.) Lay the top on another piece of cloth, draw around it (pen works fine), and cut out a bottom the same size. Put the pieces together right side out and pin the middle with a few safety pins to hold it together. Fold the top and the bottom into the middle about an inch, hiding the raw edge, and iron. Then sew all around the edge, about a quarter on an inch from the edge, to hold the top and bottom together. -Make a book by cutting two pieces of paper in half (so you have 4), folding them in half to make book, and sewing down the middle. Then get a black magic marker and write something on the cover and inside, and use coloured markers to illuminate it. -Make a cape by taking beach towel and a hand towel. This is expensive but at least you can use it afterwards as your beach towel. Fold the towel in half to make a hood. Sew up the back (the top of the hood is the fold). Then sew the hood to the middle of the side of the beach towel. -Make johnny cake (find recipe online). -Make bread. Go to the King Arthur flour site and look for the recipe for pizza dough and follow the directions. Make hamburger sized patties out of the dough and bake at 375 degrees for half an hour. You can use the rolls as a breadbowl for soup and call it a trencher. -Make a stainglassed window. Take a piece of tracing paper or tissue paper and put it down over a medieval-looking picture, something not too complicated. Trace the outline of the picture with black marker. Or just draw one yourself, perhaps using your initial. Colour it in with bright red, green, blue, and yellow. Tape it to a window. -Find directions for knucklebones and make some out of salt clay. -Learn to play the recorder. You can buy one for a few dollars in a toy store. -Put on a morality play by acting out a bible story wearing your new capes and playing your recorders (if this works with your religion). -Learn to sing a song in Latin (if you are Christian). My hymn book has some carols in Latin. Or you could look online. -Try some archery by cutting a straight green stick (so it will bend) and tieing string. Then cut some straight sticks for arrows. If you pinch the string and the arrow at the same time to draw them back, you needn't bother with a notch. It isn't proper form but it is fun GRIN. -Make three tinfoil balls and try to juggle them like a jester. -Have a medieval feast with a roast chicken and your bread. Somebody can be the king with a paper crown, and queen, and someobdy the jester. And you can play your recorders, sing your Latin song, and put on your play. We did all these things. Those are all fairly simple things. Maybe something in all that will give you some ideas. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 We tried weaving last year. I decided weaving a placemat with yarn was the perfect size...until we tried to do it. The kids never finished more than about an inch of their placemats. I tend to overestimate what the kids can do, or are willing to do, and underestimate the size/effort of the project. So, I ended up trying to do things all together where I could help get it done. Next time use thicker yarn :) Or you can make them with paper first and cover them with contact. Or you can put it away and pull it out again for 10 mins next week. Or keep in in a bag to pull out while waiting in lines, etc. None of this stuff is important enough that it needs to be done now. It's a time filler, so pull it out when time needs to be filled, and put it away again before they get frustrated. My daughter is 9 and does like to make things but has little patience to do it without help. She's asked to be taught to crochet/knit but gives up after 5-10 minutes. How long were your handwriting lessons when you started? About 5-10 mins? She still learned, didn't she? That is the perfect amount of time for a knitting lesson for her. It's just annoying for you because you are a grown up with an attention span. Smile patiently for those 5 mins and repeat to yourself "I don't actually care if you can knit or not, I'm doing this because I am a wonderful patient Mamma." It seems that she doesn't have the dexterity; I can't imagine how the pioneers had girls knitting at age 4! She probably doesn't have the muscle skills yet. I know when I knit, my hands get tired quickly. My patience only lasts about 10 minutes too! Both of these problems will reduce as I get better at it. They were probably knitting at 4 because that's what everyone else was doing. My daughter's third word was "dice" because that's what goes on around here. (Her daddy is a gamer, not a gambler, ok!) I know very little about sewing so we'd be learning together. The hardest thing I've sewn is a sleeveless A-line dress for her as a toddler. No collar. No sleeves. Can't imagine making historical costumes. Truely, you can! Easier if you have a sewing machine, but you can do it anyway. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/radical_romans/female/female.htm Should be made from linen for authenticity, old sheets will do if not. As far as I know, males wore white for the most part and women wore colours. When you get a bit more confident, try this but ignore the gusset formula and use about an 8cm square for your daughter. http://www.forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/Tunics/TUNICS.HTML Very medieval. It was worn up into the 1200s in Western Europe, when the garmet evolved into a more fitted form. Even that isn't soooo hard, but it looks it from the beginner's point of view :) Tablet weaving isn't so hard or expensive. You can see how to make one kind of loom here, demonstrated by dh: http://geocities.com/rosie_0801/loom.html Here are directionsL http://members.shaw.ca/evethejust/btablet.html I managed to figure out these while pregnant, so you should be ok! If not, try your local spinners and weavers group, or SCA group (http://www.sca.org) Neither should charge for craft meetings. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Do people out there use pine straw as mulch? Would you be able to scavenge a little bit of that and use it for the straw? Isaac was picking up pine straw on our walk today and had a lovely time. I put most of it back but I know no one would miss it if a handful or two went away. Plus we have a ton of it in our own yard. Which reminds me... I need to go call the tree guy! I've never seen a mulch that looks like straw here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Next time use thicker yarn :) I figured that out! How long were your handwriting lessons when you started? About 5-10 mins? She still learned, didn't she? That is the perfect amount of time for a knitting lesson for her. It's just annoying for you because you are a grown up with an attention span. Smile patiently for those 5 mins and repeat to yourself "I don't actually care if you can knit or not, I'm doing this because I am a wonderful patient Mamma." Part of the issue is that she is not patient. She gets discouraged especially when she can't figure out how to hold the yarn to be able to make a stitch in the first place. She's either so tight you can't get the hook/needle in the stitch or so loose that you can't make heads or tails of where the hook/needle should go. So, we dropped it until she is older. Truely, you can! Easier if you have a sewing machine, but you can do it anyway. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/radical_romans/female/female.htm Should be made from linen for authenticity, old sheets will do if not. As far as I know, males wore white for the most part and women wore colours. I have a sewing machine...put away where I can't get to it easily because the stupid thing wants me to beat it senseless with a sledge hammer. It skips stitches on the underside so that the stitches won't stay and I can't figure out what I'm/it is doing wrong. It also won't sew through velcro....figured that out when I tried to make a boppy pillow (I like them extra large and made one from an old one that I had). I had to stitch most of it by hand. It fell apart before I was done nursing so I need to make another one by July since I can't find one the size I want. The old one that it was designed after (pulled it apart to make a pattern) lasted through 5 kids...vs mine that lasted through 1/2 a kid. I do think I can do that pattern though. When you get a bit more confident, try this but ignore the gusset formula and use about an 8cm square for your daughter. http://www.forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/Tunics/TUNICS.HTMLVery medieval. It was worn up into the 1200s in Western Europe, when the garmet evolved into a more fitted form. Even that isn't soooo hard, but it looks it from the beginner's point of view :) I have no idea what you are talking about here. I see no mention of a 8cm square on the link??? Tablet weaving isn't so hard or expensive. You can see how to make one kind of loom here, demonstrated by dh: http://geocities.com/rosie_0801/loom.htmlHere are directionsL http://members.shaw.ca/evethejust/btablet.html I managed to figure out these while pregnant, so you should be ok! If not, try your local spinners and weavers group, or SCA group (http://www.sca.org) Neither should charge for craft meetings. Ok, I looked at this and was lost within the first few sentences. I think I'll stick to pulling a piece of string in and out and getting stripes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 No, there isn't any mention of an 8cm square on the link I posted. There is a stupid formula for working out gusset size and you should IGNORE that and use an 8cm square instead if sewing for your daughter. The tabletweaving stuff looks tricky when written down, that's why I suggested the spinners and weavers guild, or an SCA group because their craft meetings are probably free. You can probably sew through velcro if you use the right needle and take it VERY slowly. I had to actually wind the wheel instead of using the pedal. Annoying but still better than sewing by hand! Not sure why the bobbin isn't working for you. I get sewing machine rage too... Have you tried embroidery with her? Cross stitch is easy and less fiddly than knitting or crochet. She can sew on her play clothes or pajamas. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Sometimes I have a hard time finding the materials...like where do I find a large amount of inexpensive clay and a small amount of hay for the wattle and daub cat house? I know we can collect the sticks for the frame. BTW, I wanted to do a cat house so we'd be making something useful that we can keep. Another question...what do you do with all these crafts? I ended up with piles of cardboard/paper/tape/staw contraptions cluttering the little space we have. That's why I like to try to find things that look nice enough to keep for a while (like the salt dough map of the US which can be used for other map activities) or can use (like woven placemats or the cat house). I would check for the clay at Michael's and use one of their 40% coupons that come out frequently. You can buy small bags of hay at the pet store - look in the small animal section - I think I paid $4 for a 1 lb bag of timothy hay yesterday for my rabbit. What to do with crafts - we usually just keep them and enjoy them for a little while and then they get tossed. You can take a picture of them first for posterity's sake. Another thought - and this would be FREE except for gas - Michael's, at least the one near me, offers kids' crafting classes/activities on Saturdays. Also, Home Depot has free kids crafts the first Saturday of each month, where they get to construct things (and most of them are actually useful items). Your dd might enjoy these, and like I said, they are free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I usually lose the battle with my sewing machine, too, but I found it works much better if you use the really expensive thread. I inherited some thread from a great aunt who sewed, it worked much better with her thread than the cheap stuff I bought. I still don't sew unless I really have to, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I won't let anybody touch mine because it actually works, unlike the unbelieveably frustrating machines my sisters and mothers have. They, of course, want to borrow mine... Mine won't sew well with cheap thread. It doesn't have to be super expensive European thread, but it can't be no-name. Coats and Clark works fine. It might be a dull needle. It might be that you don't have the right bobbin size (I tend to buy cheapy noname ones and sometimes they work and sometimes they are an excersize in frustration). It might be dust. When mine jams, I take a damp qtip and run it around inside the bobbin compartment and collect up the dust. I think it is most likely the tension, though, either the bobbin tension or the top tension. You can try adjusting it, a little at a time, or you can take your machine in to a repair shop. If money is tight, this is sometimes a worthwhile place to spend it because you can save lots of money if you have a working machine. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Try crocheting. It is much easier and faster than knitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 We never buy special materials for art/history/literature projects. Rather, we adapt the original project idea to match the supplies we have on hand. When the kids were younger, we rarely used purchased craft supplies at all for this stuff; we usually went first to the 'scrap craft' box. This is just a box of random stuff that made one of us go, hmmm, that might be useful someday! At any given time, the box might hold: interesting containers, like strawberry baskets; cable ties and sheets of plastic from product packages; cool pieces of paper that are salvaged from junk mail or advertising; stray buttons; those tiny plastic hangers that socks come on; the ever-helpful toilet paper roll; etc etc. You will be amazed at how creatively they use these random supplies. I think that the tons o' tape and markers stage can be a very useful one; process is just as important as product, even more so to beginning crafters. It can definitely be a way of working through various ideas and experimenting to find your voice or style. You already have markers and toilet paper rolls, ;), and tape is cheap (the el cheapo stuff is fine for this type of project). I'd let go of the idea of making 'nice' projects to display or use - - it's just not likely to happen with beginning, impatient crafters! Old projects get displaced by new ones; have dd take digital photos if she hates getting rid of stuff. We have one bin for completed projects; when it's full, something must go. You can save a lot of money by making your own craft items (play-dough, finger paints, etc), plus the making of it is an activity in itself. Here's a few sites: http://www.netwoods.com/document/craft-r.html http://www.kaboose.com/craft-recipes.html Science experiments don't take as kindly to substitute materials, of course, so the trick here is to find experiments that are cheap to begin with. You won't be doing the specific experiments called for in your curriculum, but at least you will be doing experiments (and you can usually find a cheap one that illustrates the same idea). Here's a few web sites that specifically say their experiments are low cost: http://nicholasacademy.com/scienceexperiments.html http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/sci.htm http://www.dirtmeister.com/experiments/index.htm Most kids really like making gak and slime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 Thanks for the links and ideas. We had a random object/material craft box. I've paired it down because most of the stuff didn't get used and we have limited space. Maybe I'll try again. I can crochet just about anything so I don't need help there...I just need to figure out how to teach it to a child who has enough tension problems for 10 beginners. I can knit a little. I find knitting incredibly slow and frustrating as I tend to drop stitches. Ugh! Like I said, sewing and I don't get along. I have to drag my machine out next month and get that boppy made of I'll be killing my back trying to nurse the new baby. I'm planning on making the cover snap on rather than velcro this time. I think I'll avoid velcro forever after my first and last experience with it. I know how to bake bread and have already taught my daughter how to do the basic recipe we use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 Oh - and if you can get your hands on Draw Squad (it is a book), either used or at the library, she might like it. It teaches drawing in a very child-friendly way. Being able to draw is very handy for making-type people. It would add another fun element to her day, also. I missed this earlier. I just so happens that a friend of mine just gave me that book a couple of weeks ago. I've decided I'll use it to teach art next year. I'll be using funds from our virtual academy to buy the kids and I sketch books, pencils in different hardnesses, erasers, a decent pencil sharpener, and high end colored pencils (I'm so sick of Crayola and Rose Art that are broken all the way down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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