Handicrafts in Homeschool

I know that cutting, pasting, and creating artwork is a big part of elementary school. Each year we definitely go through our share of construction paper, glue, glitter, and all things craft related. But I often run into the dilemma of what to do with all of the work that my children create. With 4 kids being homeschooled, it just isn’t practical to hold on to the hundreds of pieces of paper that they craft.

What to Do?
What I used to do was to display their work for a week. I would either put it on the fridge with magnets or pin it up to the bulletin board in the school room. The work would hang there until Friday and then the children knew that it would be taken down to make room for new work the following week. This system worked pretty well. But, a couple of my kids got very hurt feelings knowing that their work would eventually be thrown out.

A More Permanent Solution
That made me want to find a way for the children to be able to make something that they wouldn’t feel was a “throw away”. So, I was happy when I found out that in the Charlotte Mason approach - which we’re currently using - she believed in the children doing handicrafts.

What a Handicraft Is
In her Home Education book, Mason points out the specifics of handicrafts. Handicrafts should not “be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like”. She instructed parents that the children should be “taught slowly and carefully what they are to do” and that “slipshod work should not  be allowed.” And she specified that “the children's work should be kept well within their compass.”

In today’s English I believe Charlotte Mason was saying that:

• what the children make should be useful;
• the children need to be taught the craft;
• children need to be encouraged to do their best work;
• and, you shouldn’t try to teach your children a skill that they’re not ready to handle yet.

Handicrafts in Our Homeschool
So, I have begun teaching my 6 year old daughter to crochet and to knit. Right now she is using her fingers but eventually I’ll teach her how to use a crochet hook and a knitting loom. She has made numerous bracelets and headbands for herself, family members, and her dolls.

My eldest son paints with watercolor. He also draws comic strips, which he keeps in a binder. And recently he has combined the two art forms to make comics which he paints with watercolor. I’m still working on finding out what my 7 and 4 year olds are interested in.

Here is  a list of handicrafts and life skills that might fit into your homeschool.

Serfronya Wallace
 
The six loves of Serfronya Wallace's life are God, her husband, and her 4 children - whom she homeschools. Serfronya enjoys sharing educational tips and writing about her family's homeschooling journey at Cookie's Domain.

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