greenmamato3 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 i have a very-easily frustrated DS who LOVES to do artsy/crafty things (more than mama does!) .... and a preK'er who has great fine motor skills but not much attention span. what kinds of handicrafts would you recommend or have you done? i bought a simple little pot-holder loom and tried it back in the late winter/early spring. it didn't go so well . . . on a scale of 1-10, it was a 4. too much "mommy-sit-here-with-me and help" for my taste. what's reasonable for these ages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Simple crochet. I think knitting is still too hard. Life skills- tying shoes, folding laundry, making beds, changing a wet diaper of a younger sib ;), and making simple foods- toast, salad, sandwiches. We're also working on reading recipes- it's great math practice. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtotkbb Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 My 6 yo is working on tying shoes, unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, helping put groceries away, sorting laundry, making the bed, folding towels/washcloths, feeding/watering/brushing the dog/cats, helping with yard work - plants, things like that. He has tried printed cross stitch - but pokes his fingers a lot, cutting out simple felt craft kits, painting/sanding models, making Christmas ornaments. I like to buy the inexpensive individual craft kits at AC Moore and Michael's and let him select 1 or 2 to work on each week --it fits his craft needs and doesn't require a lot from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Fingerknitting!! Try this tutorial, if you don't know how. Also, sewing. I put a piece of burlap into a quilting frame to practice the running stitch. You can pull out one strand of burlap to make a guide. After my ds tires of this, I'll introduce sewing on a button and machine sewing. He wants to make pillows, which seems manageable. We do lots of cooking together, too. I highly recommend the Mollie Katzen kid cookbooks (Pretend Soup, Salad People, Honest Pretzles) and The River Cottage Family Cookbook (which also provides lots of info about ingredients, growing your own food, and making staples from scratch). Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova mama Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I am teaching DD5 how to sew and she's really enjoying it. I recommend the book Made by Me (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Me-Jane-Bull/dp/0756651638/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246831113&sr=8-1). We are doing the doll and doll clothes projects, which do require Mommy involvement, but there are also knitting and embroidery projects. It also includes instructions for hand knitting (mentioned in a previous post). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 My 6 yo is working on tying shoes, unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, helping put groceries away, sorting laundry, making the bed, folding towels/washcloths, feeding/watering/brushing the dog/cats, helping with yard work - plants, things like that. He has tried printed cross stitch - but pokes his fingers a lot, cutting out simple felt craft kits, painting/sanding models, making Christmas ornaments. I like to buy the inexpensive individual craft kits at AC Moore and Michael's and let him select 1 or 2 to work on each week --it fits his craft needs and doesn't require a lot from me! i don't want to make comparisons .... i'm not one to try to compete. but i'm encouraged that we've actually been working on the SAME things as far as household work is concerned, and he loves when i buy those little kits at Michaels and Joann. Not sure what you mean by the simple felt craft kits, though. we go through a LOT of modeling clay and air-dry clay, too :) i did let him make a pencil pouch with my assistance on my sewing machine earlier in the spring. he loved it. fingerknitting for boys though?? hmmm. i can see the button -sewing thing being helpful; even DH knows how to do that :) and we bake together at least once /week. DS likes to bake more than cook. do you find yourselves thinking of things as being more "girl" than "boy" when it comes to handicrafts?? or is it just me. that's why i'm struggling so much to wrap my mind around this, i think. others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 If you are looking for more stereotypical boy activities- how about something like simple woodworking? Making a bird house (precut) and painting it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 If you are looking for more stereotypical boy activities- how about something like simple woodworking? Making a bird house (precut) and painting it? Abolutely! DS loves those precut wood crafts i find .... he has a whole shelf full. i didn't realize that "counted" as handicrafts as well! :lol: Gosh, when i started this thread, i was feeling PRETTY insecure b/c i didn't really understand what fell under the category of handicraft. now i'm feeling much relieved that actually what our kids are drawn to naturally are handicrafts (and the goals we've set for them this summer with their chores and homekeeping skills are right on par). phew! thanks everyone for helping me understand. if there are other suggestions for boys (and girls, of course) that haven't been mentioned, please feel free to comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOHeather Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I know what you mean about the boy/girl mentality. I try not to worry about it. My son is 8 and really enjoys making things with his hands. He loves sewing every bit as much as legos. He enjoys weaving. We bought him a loom for Christmas and he really enjoys it. He loves woodworking, painting, working with clay, etc. Have you looked at the Keepers of the Faith handbook? It is not very expensive and has a ton of skills and projects for boys to work on independently. http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/ContendersHandbook_319.asp HTH, Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 How about felting? Beating wool to a pulp doesn't require fine motor skills. ;) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Inman Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 We did finger knitting (watched videos on youtube to figure it out) and finger crochet (instructions were in some crochet book we got from the library), but usually i was sitting right next to him doing my own crochet so i could reach over and help when needed. After a while he was very independent. And though he really wants to learn to crochet, the tension and hand wrap part is just too hard for him. My best friend did teach her 1st grader to knit though it was later in the year when he was a little older. My son (7) now enjoys knitting on a round loom. Sure he'll only sit for a few rows at a time but he likes it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I want to learn to crochet too. I didn't know a six-year-old could learn to crochet. I'm going to try learning with ds. For other handicrafts, we have the book Nature Crafts, which has meaningful crafts involving nature studies. We're using this together with Handbook of Nature Study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 How about felting? Beating wool to a pulp doesn't require fine motor skills. ;) Rosie we saw this at our local farmer's market recently and it just cracked me up. the only felting i was familiar with prior to that was the kind i would occasionally do inadvertently while laundering certain parts of our winter wardrobes. :lol: and then i have friends who knit and do it intentionally for great purses and accessories. so the idea of just poking the wool till it was shaped like something was marvelous to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 I want to learn to crochet too. I didn't know a six-year-old could learn to crochet. I'm going to try learning with ds. For other handicrafts, we have the book Nature Crafts, which has meaningful crafts involving nature studies. We're using this together with Handbook of Nature Study. i just found this website. i haen't looked it over yet .... just thought i'd post it for others to peruse if they desire :) http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/index.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairnmama Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I highly recommend The American Boy's Handy Book. My husband had a copy of one when he was a homeschooled boy and used it so much it's now in pieces. I also gave a copy to my nephew and he loves it, too. It was written by a man that helped found the Boy Scouts and has innumerable projects to build. Here is a portion of a review for it from the Chicago Sun Times: "It contained plans for 16 kinds of kites and hot-air balloons and fishing tackle. It told you how to make and stock an aquarium, to construct a water telescope and how to camp out without a tent. Or in a hut made from pine boughs. How to build 10 kinds of boats... Bird calls. Squirt guns with astonishing range and authority." Of course, being published in the late 1800's, some of the activities might seem a bit dangerous today (boy's are told to carefully find broken glass in a junk pile for one project and smooth the edges), but there are still plenty of "safe" projects as well. There is also a companion book called The American Girls Handy Book that leans more toward paper crafts and flower pressing/identification and such. Last I checked, you could find both at www.fatbraintoys.com HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracesteacher Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 What about HomeDepot and Lowes craft/project days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 i just told DH to be watching for the home depot and lowes things like on saturday AMs etc .... anyone else have thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 is the nature crafts book really worth the purchase? if i were to purchase ONE thing to help me out with some ideas, should i do the american boys' handybook instead? i think i might make our christmas break a time to teach crocheting or something. of course, i'd have to learn it firrst :) my knitting days are a BIT foggy in the recesses of my mind. that was 2.5 children ago. (plus, i was preggers). KWIM!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Some of the most amazing knitters I know are men. Often they are men who learned to knit in the NAVY! Knitting can involve a lot of math, imagination, and engineering. Even with finger knitting, boys often turn the cords into snakes, forts, streamers, etc... So, I think that you should let the gender thing go. Other ideas: Wood burning cooking lanyards book making decoupage building with popsicle sticks mosaics painting simple wood projects painting paper making wool felting spinning making games decoupage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I highly recommend The American Boy's Handy Book. My husband had a copy of one when he was a homeschooled boy and used it so much it's now in pieces. I also gave a copy to my nephew and he loves it, too. It was written by a man that helped found the Boy Scouts and has innumerable projects to build. Here is a portion of a review for it from the Chicago Sun Times: "It contained plans for 16 kinds of kites and hot-air balloons and fishing tackle. It told you how to make and stock an aquarium, to construct a water telescope and how to camp out without a tent. Or in a hut made from pine boughs. How to build 10 kinds of boats... Bird calls. Squirt guns with astonishing range and authority." Of course, being published in the late 1800's, some of the activities might seem a bit dangerous today (boy's are told to carefully find broken glass in a junk pile for one project and smooth the edges), but there are still plenty of "safe" projects as well. There is also a companion book called The American Girls Handy Book that leans more toward paper crafts and flower pressing/identification and such. Last I checked, you could find both at www.fatbraintoys.com HTH Our Half-Price Books has been carrying both books lately so you might look there too. I want to say they were $5-7 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Our Half-Price Books has been carrying both books lately so you might look there too. I want to say they were $5-7 each. Good to know. we have a half-price, too! and thanks for the long list. i copy and pasted the long list from SCM too .... what is lanyards?? i mean, i know what a lanyard is for name tag purposes. is that what it's referring to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 what is lanyards?? i mean, i know what a lanyard is for name tag purposes. is that what it's referring to? I meant good old plastic camp lanyards. They can be tricky to start - I remember that my mom used to start them, and then we would do the rest. http://www.boondoggleman.com/what_is_it.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 bees wax molding, paper stars, rolling candles, we have the book on this page as well, it's a good one. http://www.achildsdream.com/arts_crafts_kits/paper_wax_crafts.htm Here are some wood working kits that look like Waldorf quality, but are really cheap. I'm ordering a bunch of these kits for next year for W.P. Sea & Sky. http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Bi-Plane+Woodcraft+Model+Kit/010066/1246940072-1692468 http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Ferry+Boat+Woodcraft+Model/045399/1246940072-1692468 For life skills how about water work for outside. Like washing & line drying pillow cases, socks anything small enough to handle. Wash outside toys with lots of bubbles in a big bucket. Not a life skill but for water fun I like to fill containers with food coloring water along with empty containers and let the girls mix colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bairnmama Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 is the nature crafts book really worth the purchase? if i were to purchase ONE thing to help me out with some ideas, should i do the american boys' handybook instead? i think i might make our christmas break a time to teach crocheting or something. of course, i'd have to learn it firrst :) my knitting days are a BIT foggy in the recesses of my mind. that was 2.5 children ago. (plus, i was preggers). KWIM!? It all depends on what your dc like most. The Girls Handy Book covers how to preserve flowers, make baskets, sew various stitches, weave a hammock and badminton net, make paper decorations, and gives directions for many vintage parlor games, clay modeling, painting w/watercolor & oils, homemade candy, etc. It was quite forward in it's thinking about what girls could do for when it was first published... going so far as to say girls could make their own bookcases and drive their own nails! The Boys Handy Book covers making hats, boats, and balls out of paper and wood; kites; making and using bird calls; how to make traps and raise birds; but also how to make various toys, puppets (including shadow ones), preserve insects, etc. I personally prefer the Boys Handy Book simply because those are the things I like to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletheia Academy Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 My ds enjoys beading, cooking projects with me, and even training in household chores. These are some things he is or has been doing: morning chores: make bed, get dressed wipe his bathroom counter with disinfecting wipes feed the dogs dinner take 1 of them outside to do his business put away his laundry tidy up the shoe rack fold napkins His younger sister has taken over a few of those chores now. He has enjoyed the HD craft mornings. I have tucked away a rope/knot-making kit for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I second the idea of fingerkinitting. It is also very portable and great for car trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 We're in the SCA, so that lends itself to learning quite a few things. With DD this fall we will probably start in on sewing. She doesn't have much interest in hand sewing yet, but does want to try out the machine, so I will probably set her to practicing sewing straight lines by running the machine over paper with no thread in it. I do have a project I want to do with her--for an upcoming event in September there is a contest to garb a teddy bear. So for her first sewing project, I'm probably going to encourage her to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 morning chores: make bed, get dressed wipe his bathroom counter with disinfecting wipes feed the dogs dinner take 1 of them outside to do his business put away his laundry tidy up the shoe rack fold napkins DS6 is doing these things as well. along with a few others :) load HIS dish into dishwasher, clear/clean table after meals, empty dishwasher, mop floor (drying it with me b/c we do it by hand), scrubbing toilets and showers, take out the trash, folding towels and washcloths....you get the picture thanks everyone for all the great handicraft suggestions (and paradigm shifting in my thinking about "boy" activities!!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Another idea: all manner of paper folding, including origami and paper airplane making. I think some people are into other paper activities involving cutting, but I don't know anything about those! Model making (airplanes, boats, etc). I'd imagine this gives excellent practice in following directions closely, which surely is an important "life skill." Knots (includes lanyards). String games (cats' cradle etc). Starting a fire (although maybe not yet!). Animal care and/or gardening. Very basic first aid and hygiene (maybe basics like treating minor burns and bleeding)?? Swimming as a life skill? I too have a copy of the American Boys' Handy Book, a Boy Scout handbook, and a reproduction of the original 1920 girls' scout handbook (both scouting books found at a library book sale). There is a nice series of craft books that shows both boys and girls doing a variety of crafts (unlike some of the books which are very pink and frilly, and show only girls making pink and frilly projects) - Kids Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages by Kelli Ronci and Lena Corwin Kids Weaving : Projects for Kids of All Ages by Sarah Swett Kids' Embroidery: Projects for Kids of All Ages by Kristin Nicholas Kids Knitting: Projects for Kids of all Ages by Melanie Falick I haven't seen this, but the author's books for adults feature projects for both boys and girls, so I'd be optimistic: Kids Learn to Crochet by Lucinda Guy and Francois Hall (also one for knitting). Amanda Blake Soule's The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections has some ideas for things like finger knitting and sewing on burlap, although it's not really an obvious "craft" book. Judy Elliott of Ambleside has three handicrafts lists; the first is here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 We love the Kids Knitting book pp mentioned & love it & are esp happy that there are boys pictured. You Can Weave, Monaghan, has a lots of different weaving projects, not just loom ones. I highly recommend it. Also, Waldorf education people do a lot of handicrafts. Oak Meadow has some good books, as does this place (many of the books are not on Amazon) http://www.waldorfbooks.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarana Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 With my 7 yr olds, we do a lot of beading - Bracelet, neckalaces. Use old magazines and cut out pictures & stick them in a notebook or make their own greeting cards. We use wrapping paper & embellish them with tiny beads or anything shiny. Without Assistance: My girls enjoy using a dry mop (picks up dust & dust). They fold clothes using a template (a 8x11" card for T-Shirts). They can change pillowcases. They wipe windows using a washcloth. They unload the dishwasher & wipedown the kitchen counters & dining table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 do you use modge podge for the greeting cards or what? what kinds of adhesive ? : ) i like this idea. and when you say beading ... do you mean like the REAL beading kits you find at the craft stores or like the melissa and doug wooden beading kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My guy loves his screwdriver. Give him something with screws and permission to take it apart and he's a very happy camper! I think I'll check out the flea market this weekend. Gotta be an old toaster waiting to be explored... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie.Louise Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 We had a 83 or so year old man at our church that was taught to knit by his grandmother. She said that busy hands keep little boys out of trouble. He is legally blind now. He made hats for all the children in our church. Finger knitting is okay for boys too. Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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