The Farm Report

Category: crafty

  • Sewing

    Sewing

    The kids have always had an interest in sewing, crafting things for their dolls and stuffed animals. The Husband and I both sew off and on. I don’t do it anywhere near as often as I’d like.

    The Oldest just completed a sewing unit at school as part of their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Program. The whole class sewed these amazing stuffed creatures. This seems to have re-invigorated the desire to sew around here.

    But I like my sewing machine, and I get a little itchy when I think about the kids using it. So when a friend told us Bernina had come out with a line of basic sewing machines at an affordable price, we decided to spring for one for the kids.

    It was supposed to be here in time for Christmas, but I sort of think things worked out the way they were supposed to. We picked it up right before the new year, right as the newness of to holiday gifts wore off. We’ve been hearing a steady hum over there ever since.

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  • Softies

    Softies

    Neko’s class just wrapped up a unit on sewing as part of their STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) curriculum. I really can’t even stand how amazing the creations that came out of this class are. Those kids, every one of them, managed to create a work of art.

    This is one of those moments when I know exactly why our kids go to school here.

  • Matryoshka

    Matryoshka

    We’ve been studying Russia this week. Each child got a blank set of nesting dolls to decorate and take home to their parents as a holiday gift.

  • Pinecone birdfeeder

    Pinecone birdfeeder

  • Toad houses

    Toad houses

    Yes, it’s December, but these kids will be ready for the toads, come spring.

  • The Underground

    The Underground
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    Social studies with preschoolers is tough. Their concept of a world beyond their view is limited at best. You can tell them about other cultures, but they really learn best through experiencing. Short of whisking them off to foreign lands, it’s been a whole lot of thinking outside the box to plan this particular part of the curriculum.

    This week we’re talking about the United Kingdom. Which, seriously, does anyone truly understand the United Kingdom? (This snippet Susie found seems to shed some light on it.) Anyway, I thought we’d zoom in on London and talk about the Underground and all the places it can take you.

    I retro-fitted my Playmobil train and station to resemble the Underground. I created a map of destinations, all of which we had discussed in class, and told the children to think about where their passengers were headed that day. The loading and unloading the passengers had the additional aspect of refining fine-motor skills.

    They loved this work, and it was in use most of the week. I smiled each time I heard a small voice call out, “Mind the gap!”

    Really—I have no idea how anyone becomes a preschool teacher without training as a designer.

     

  • Fish

    Fish

    I adore how these fish turned out, crafted by my preschoolers.

  • Strike a pose

    Strike a pose

    It was like Project Runway in our very own kitchen.

    Neko designed this outfit out of a piece of fleece. It includes many details, including accessories. There were also a pair of slippers, in progress, which is why you see the black outlines around Ellery’s feet.

    Ellery did a bang-up job of modeling. I can just hear my uncle Keith saying, “Look at that extension!”

  • 4-year-old architecture

    4-year-old architecture

  • Fresh from Lithuania

    Fresh from Lithuania
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    At school we leave our shoes at the door, and switch into “inside shoes.” When I realized I would be spending a lot of time in slippers, I decided I should splurge on a super-fun pair.

    I found these hand-felted slippers on Etsy, made in Lithuania, and I knew they should be mine. Today they arrived in the mail.

    They are delicious.