Sewing School

Design Your Own Scarf

2012-01-29T15:28:00.002-06:00

Sewing Club is in session again! To kick off the new semester, we designed our very own scarves. (Pay no attention to the 60 degree weather outside!)

This is our biggest session yet with more than 40 kids! Yikes! We have to be a wee bit more organized to pull this one off. So, we pre-cut the fleece 9 inches wide from selvage to selvage. The kids got to choose their scarf color and then off they went to decorate.

Hat of 100 Scraps

2012-01-27T17:20:00.001-06:00

Phoebe's homework last week - to make a hat decorated with 100 items in honor on the 100th day of school. She's such my girl - she decided on 100 fabric scraps.

She cut them into groups of 20 and then sewed them together bunting style. Then, she sewed the 5 groups of 20 together. The tricky part was handsewing the super long string of scraps to an old knit cap.

The hat wearers paraded around the school. Such a fun 1st grade tradition.

To see what my kindergarten class does for the 100th day of school, look here. I am way too tired from the day to even think about posting something new!

I Like to Sew

2012-01-26T18:43:00.001-06:00

"I like to sew. My Mommy helps me."

This journal entry made me smile. The pattern on the red fabric looks suspiciously like the My Little Friend doll from Sewing School.

Mrs. Shannon's Sewing Center

2012-01-23T20:50:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Shannon, who has the kindergarten classroom across the hallway, has one-uped me with a sewing center. A sweet little area devoted to sewing. As you can imagine, her kids love it and have been busy creating ever since.

I love the sign welcoming the kids to sew and create.

After the holiday break, the unused home living center was transformed into a simple sewing center. I like how the materials are stored separately and spaced around the area to help the kids keep it neat and tidy and prevent crowding. There is also a bin filled with a variety of fabrics and one for stuffing.

A finished project! To inspire, photos of kid-made projects and fun ideas fill a little journal.

A kid-made "This is Sewing Club" banner says it all! I can't wait to see what comes out of Mrs. Shannon's sewing center.

Tally Snowballs

2012-01-19T22:03:00.002-06:00

OK, so maybe we don't have any real snowballs around here, but that doesn't stop us from getting into the winter spirit. Cotton balls substituted for snow in our tally review.

This activity worked just like Tally Acorns. The kids grabbed a handful of "snowballs" and got to tallying. They worked on making groups of 5 and passing the snow from left to right (or right to left if they are left handed). Fun way to practice this all important kindergarten skill!

Arrrggghhh, Pirates!

2012-01-14T11:09:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when your kids watch Pippi in the South Seas one too many times.

Little Teacher

2012-01-09T20:13:00.000-06:00

We had some special visitors today, a preschool class came to visit to see what kindergarten was all about. I instructed my students to be wonderful hosts and hostesses and share with the preschoolers some of their favorite things in kindergarten.

You can image my joy when one of my students began to sew a little doll pillow with her new buddy. My student, in blue, patiently showed the younger girl how to poke the needle through and pull to make a neat running stitch. They had fun with the stuffing and then sewed it closed.

My student is so proud of herself, as well she should be - she is a real teacher.

Making Meyer Lemon Marmalade

2012-01-07T09:24:00.001-06:00

I was introduced to meyer lemon marmalade last year by my friend Jennifer and fell in love. It's tart, but not too tart; sweet, but not too sweet. A little bit tangy and really gives you a burst of sunshine on a winter's morning. This year, I begged to be shown how to make this yummy goodness.

While I have done some pickling and a little canning in the past, I am not an expert and have never tried my hand at jams. Come into the kitchen with us and I'll share a little of what I learned.

Jennifer's recipe was in her head, but I found this one that seems quite similar.

Pantry items: 2-1/2 lbs. meyer lemons, 6 cups of sugar, 4 cups of water.
For canning materials and how-to, check the link above as well as a good canning book. My current favorite is Put 'em Up and Jennifer swears by the Ball Blue Book.

Several recipes I looked at called for thinly slicing your lemons, but I cut my lemons into little triangles - I got 16 per lemon (or 8 per half of lemon). I like the result of the chunks of lemon you get instead of little slices.

Here it is almost ready - can you see how it turned a lovely, dark amber color? I kept sneaking little tastes - so yummy!

Sterilized and filled jars in the water bath.

Waiting and chatting. We did a lot of this while making the marmalade, which is why it is more fun to can with a friend. Jennifer is one of those women who works full time and has two kids, but still manages to do so many cool, creative things. The whole process took about 2-1/2 hours, so we talked about everything under the sun.

Finished jars waiting to cool and be eaten. I like mine best on good toast, smeared with cream cheese and then a big topping of the marmalade on top. It's also yummy as a PB&J.

Meyer lemons are only in season for a little longer, so even if you don't have time to make your own marmalade, you should get a few to try. They have such an interesting citrus taste.

Can't wait until next year to make it again!

Phoebe's New Dress

2012-01-04T20:37:00.000-06:00

Phoebe decided to sew herself a new dress.

After watching me do this for years, she knew how to make the pattern - just trace a dress you like. At first, she brought in a super cute shirt-waisted dress which I quickly pointed out was a wee bit complicated and needed a million pieces which is why I always make her the same style of dress. She understood and brought back a dress I had made for her last year.

She found a nice polka-dotted vintage sheet and got to work. For the seam allowance, the width of a ruler was added to the sides and shoulder seams. Next, she cut out her fabric and sewed it all up. I helped to iron the hem. After sewing the hem and declared that no, she didn't need to finish the neckline and arm holes. It was just fine the way it was.

It could use a little art work, though. Using permanent markers, she wrote her name and drew a lovely picture. Phoebe wore it for dinner where she proceeded to get spaghetti sauce on it. Ah, to be 6!

Quick Knee Patch

2012-01-02T14:37:00.000-06:00

What is it about little boys that make them wear out the knees of jeans so fast? I guess it's all the looking close at the wheels of little cars, building on the ground with Lincoln Logs, and digging in the dirt all in a single day.

Frankie has found himself with 4 pairs of holey jeans. With winter winds blowin', I figured it was time to remedy the situation.

Sturdy knee patches are a snap to make. You'll need some fun cotton fabric, heat'n bond ultra hold, an iron, and some embroidery or craft thread and needle.

Cut out your fabric a little larger than your patch (mine are 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 because I wanted to cover the entire worn area) and back with the heat'n bond - follow the directions for this if you've never used heat'n bond. Now, trim your patch to the size you want. Take the paper back off your patch and iron it onto the holey area. It should stay down nicely now, but I like to sew around the edge with craft thread for a little insurance. I find the the stitching helps the patch stay put, plus, it also looks cute.

So, go out and play hard, little Frankie, your jeans should last until you grow a few more inches!

Happy 2012!

2011-12-31T14:17:00.002-06:00

Can it really be the eve of a new year?! 2011 was so full and busy. I am hoping to slow down a wee bit for 2012 and only bite off what I can chew. We'll see how well that goes for me.

Here's wishing you a 2012 full of craft and good surprises!

MakeShop

2011-12-28T13:46:00.000-06:00

On our very long road trip, we visited the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. I raved about it 2 years ago and it still holds up. This time, we were all excited about MakeShop - I mean, the entrance sign alone - "What do you want to make today?" got me going.


giant community loom

making plastic fusible collages

Inside there are so many different kinds of materials. There was a whole section on electronics and woodworking, but you know I focused on the fiber arts and crafts.

beginning sewing - love these materials!

I began to dream of a classroom space that was this open and free. The volunteers were wonderful and as helpful as you wanted them to be. Everything was beautifully organized and thoughtfully laid out.

I am jealous of these fabric bins

I wonder what we'll discover the next time we visit.

Merry Merry to You!

2011-12-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

We are on our way to Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.

Hope your holiday is merry and bright! I'll see you when we get back.

For the Birds

2011-12-18T11:11:00.000-06:00

Last week was "gift week" we worked like little elves to make gifts for others. As you know, young children can have a hard time getting their minds off of what they want and focus on others. I think it's so important to give them opportunities to make and give to others.

One of our activities was making little bird feeders. I love the classic pine cone/peanut butter bird feeder, but with a peanut allergy in the room, we moved on to plan B inspired by this breakfast bird feeder.

Our bird food was stale bread, craisens and cheerios. We used our sewing skills by stringing with plastic needles. They slid right through the ingredients.

I started them off with yarn anchored with a cheerio and they threaded the needles and designed their own feeders. If time allowed, they wrote the "recipe" of how they were made.

Later, we walked around campus and strung them up. To our delight, we noticed that many had been nibbled the next day!

Everyone felt good about their accomplishment. To get us in the bird feeding spirit, we read Stranger in the Woods and Counting to Christmas found in our school library.

Apple Tree Christmas

2011-12-15T16:34:00.001-06:00

One of the best parts of working with someone new is sharing ideas and traditions. This year, my lovely co-teacher Jill introduced me to Apple Tree Christmas. Such a sweet, Little House on the Prairie type of book. In the story, they talk about a favorite apple tree and all the useful things they get from the tree. After a winter snowstorm, the tree falls down, but their father makes them wonderful presents from the tree's branches.

After reading the story, we all made mini apple pies. So easy! We used biscuits for the crust and apple pie filling.

Here's Jill's recipe:
Pat out 1 biscuit (the butter honey ones are the best).
Spoon some apple pie filling on 1/2 the biscuit.
Fold over and pinch tight.
Brush on melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
Bake on 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Yum! You can make big pies by using 2 biscuits - one on top and one on the bottom and fill with the apples. Pinch tight around the edges before baking. Jill and her 3 girls make these every Christmas morning. Such a nice holiday tradition.

A Scarf for Joe

2011-12-13T18:04:00.000-06:00

Joe is our Ginkgo tree that we pass by daily, talk to, and follow throughout kindergarten. He's a nice little tree. It's been getting chilly here in Memphis and my class was a little concerned that he might be getting cold. I mean, he's practically naked with no leaves and all.

So, we wove him a Christmas scarf! Using our giant loom, the kids each wove for about 5 minutes each. The loom comes with a giant wooden needle that was perfect for fabric strips.

I cut holiday fabric into 1-2 inch strips about a yard in length. The kids did a great job weaving. At the end, we wove in any loose ends and added a long strip at each end to tie the scarf around Joe's trunk.

It fit perfectly! Plus, for my enjoyment, we have a little bit of yarn bombing on our campus!

Hands and Foot Reindeer

2011-12-11T22:14:00.001-06:00

A holiday classic!

I put basic directions on the pocket chart and the kids had fun creating their own reindeer. We had lots of Rudolphs in the class. This would be a fun project for a party or during class.

Materials: brown paper (about 2 pieces per reindeer), red or black paper scraps, google eyes (although several of my students wanted to draw them on with black marker), glue, and scissors.

1. Trace 1 foot & 2 hands.
2. Cut them out.
3. Glue the hands to the toes of the foot.
4. Add a red or black nose. Glue nose to the heel of the foot.
5. Add eyes.

I love how they all turned out!

Christmas is Magic

2011-12-07T17:48:00.001-06:00

Rosemary Wreath

2011-12-03T19:25:00.001-06:00

These little rosemary wreaths are so perfect. I made a few for some friends and then thought the kids might like to make some too. I put a basket of rosemary from the school garden and everyone got excited. Bonus, our classroom smelled great!

If you have a rosemary bush, you should make some too. Here's how:

1. Cut 1 or 2 long sprigs about the same length.

2. Twist the 2 sprigs together. Note, we only used 1 sprig in the classroom, they turned out just fine and were easier for little hands.

3. Now, bring the ends together into a wreath shape. Overlap the ends slightly and secure. We used my favorite binder, a piece of pipecleaner, but string or twist ties would work as well.

4. Cover up the pipecleaner with a bow. Tie on a bow using ribbon or a strip of holiday fabric.

If you want, you can add a little string to hang it with or just slip the wreath over a door knob.

My co-teacher made a bunch and gave to friends along with a recipe that used rosemary - such a clever girl she is!

Santa Beard Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T14:43:00.001-06:00

We are really excited about our new Santa Beard Advent Calendar that we're doing in kindergarten this year. To count down to Christmas, you trim the beard each day. Cute, right? The original idea was found here via Pinterest, but we tweaked it a bit to make it kid friendly.

The countdown starts tomorrow, so you still have time to make one! Here's how we did it.

We started with a template of the Santa face drawn so nicely by a fellow teacher - thanks, Cindy!

We painted the hat and face with watercolors.

After the paint dried, we cut out the Santa face and glued on a mustache and red nose. Both pieces were a template that the kids cut out.

Cotton balls were glued on to the hat.

Little eyes finished off the face.

Now, let's make the beard.

We drew a beard on a legal sized sheet of paper with 25 lines. Easy to copy and just big enough for writing.

The kids wrote numbers 1-25 on the beard in pencil first, then traced in Flair pen. This proved to be a wonderful review of writing numbers.

To put it all together, put a line of glue on the 25th line of the beard and glue Santa on top. Now you're done and ready to trim Santa's beard each day to count down to Christmas!

Fall Tapestry

2011-11-26T22:17:00.001-06:00

We have been hard at work on this year's fall tapestry. The Tapestree Table continues to be a popular activity in my classroom. I really can't tell you enough how much I love it! (I just clicked on the link and saw that they are discontinued! So sad!)

I put out a basket full of yarn bobbins in fall colors. The kids experimented with stitches. Making some long, some short, some going over stitches, and working on little pictures. That little house is amazing!

As usual, everyone spends some time under the table looking at the strings, trying to rethread needles, and just looking.

During Grandparents' day, some of the kids got out the table to sew with their grandmothers. They showed them how to cut the yarn and thread the needles. I loved hearing the discussion about sewing.

Next, we will prepare it for hanging. We already have some plans for the perfect hanger.

See more about the Tapestree Table in my classroom.

Pie Making

2011-11-22T13:30:00.000-06:00

We made cherry pie for our class Thanksgiving feast. Everyone helped. It tasted really good.

Oreo Turkey

2011-11-20T20:03:00.001-06:00

There are several versions of the Oreo Turkeys out there, but this one is super simple and kids can make them by themselves. They are easy enough to make with a big group or have out at the kids' Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients: Double Stuf Oreo cookies (2 per turkey), candy corn (4 per turkey), and raisinets (1 per turkey)

Take the chocolate off 1 cookie.

Now eat the cookie part. (this is the favorite part!)

Wiggle the whole cookie into the creme. Don't push down too hard or the cookie will break!

Add a raisinet head.

Push a few candy corns into the creme part for feathers. You know the next step - eat it!

The turkey is open to interpretation as well. Here are a few favorites.

Turkey Time!

2011-11-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

Gobble Gobble! These turkey gloves are so much fun and cute! Check out my post from last year for a few tips on making them with a group of kids.

The best part was enjoying them during lunch time this week.

I also took this opportunity to hot glue with my students. Hot gluing is so empowering for them! They start out nervous and unsure and then gain confidence by the end of the project. While I won't have hot glue out all the time, it's a fun addition to our art studio. For more on hot gluing with kids, read Teacher Tom. He will make you want to join the hot glue revolution too!

Tally Acorns

2011-11-14T20:10:00.001-06:00

What should you do with all the acorns that are covering the sidewalks and crunching under your feet? Tally them, of course!

I love incorporating natural elements into student work.

So, here is how I set it up so that you can tally acorns too and I will remember this activity for next year.

To make things easier, I divided a tray in half with masking tape. They scooped some acorns and emptied it onto one side of the tray. The kids moved the acorns from one side to another and tallied them on a recording sheet as they went. After making a bundle of 5 tally marks, they could count to five again. I find that if they try to tally while counting over 5, it gets all mixed up.

Once finished, they counted their tally marks and could check their work by counting the acorns. Then, they chose a different scoop and did it again. One tip, don't use measuring cups more than 1/3 cup or it will take forever to tally. Who knew more than 50 acorns could fit into 1 cup?!

Quick Headbands

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

It was our last sewing club meeting of the semester last week - has it really been 10 weeks?! We didn't want to start anything long, so we made quick headbands. This means we decorated headbands purchased at the dollar store. Little felt flowers, buttons, ribbons, and pompoms were secured with hot glue.

The best part was seeing the girls wearing their fashionable hair accessories the next day at school. It was a good group this semester. Can't wait to see what they make after the holiday break!

If you give a kid a camera....

2011-11-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

My class has a new learning tool - a FisherPrice camera. They love it. Really, they do.

I tried to stay away from the "kiddy camera" but after 2 days my extra school camera was dropped and broken. So, durable, rubber coated camera it is!

It's fun for me too. I get to watch them set up the perfect shot. Plus, they no longer beg me to take pictures of everything they make. (I know what you're thinking, don't you already do that?! But I guess not...)

While the pictures aren't the best quality, they do have a nice Instamatic app quality to them. Maybe they need to create a "FisherPrice" filter....

As you can imagine, from the 120 pictures I downloaded today, about 1/2 were random shots like these.

Say cheese!

Four Good Pumpkin Activities

2011-11-08T20:02:00.001-06:00

While Halloween may over, Pumpkin season is not! We continued to celebrate the fall harvest with 4 good math and art pumpkin activities. I'll explain how I set it all up a the end.

1. Gourd still life. Create a wonderful arrangement of various pumpkins and gourds. Add colored pencils and paper and let the sketching begin!

2. Fall-time balance scales. Put out a variety of gourds, mini pumpkins, Indian corn and acorns to allow the kids to explore with the balance scales. I had a big bowl of acorns and a variety of measuring cups so that they could see if all scoops weighed the same. The results were surprising!

3. How big is the pumpkin?! Estimate the circumference of the pumpkin using string. The trick - you can't touch the pumpkin until after you cut the string. After it's cut, see if your estimation was on target by wrapping around the pumpkin. A little help may be needed to hold the string still.

Graphing the results (too short, just right, and too long) is the best part. Our class ended up with mostly too shorts.

4. Pumpkin faces. We used the shape stencils that go with our math program to decorate these pre-cut pumpkins. After using the stencils, they colored in the faces.

To start off the pumpkin extravaganza, we read Pumpkin Jack - a favorite of mine. We did all four activities at the same time - 3 minutes for each table, and rotated around the room. While it was a whirlwind of activity, it was just enough time for everyone to enjoy each activity. Also, the kids had to really stop and think when they got to the next table - their minds had to switch gears. At the end, we shared our findings and the wonderful sketches they had made. The whole thing took about 30 minutes. Of course, you could easily do any one of the activities individually and extend the time frame.

Do you have a good pumpkin activity to share?

Autograph Pillow

2011-11-06T13:30:00.000-06:00

Do you remember having an autograph pillow? I got one for a birthday when I was a kid. Glad to see they are making a come back.

This is Just a Felt Cast

2011-11-04T13:30:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, no bones were broken during Sewing Club.

These two girls got the idea to stitch up a felt cast? Why? Who knows?! I do love how everyone immediately began to sign it.

Sew Happy Together

2011-11-02T20:09:00.001-05:00

Two friends sewing a pillow together.

Happpy Halloween from my Kindergarten Class!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Jack-o-Lantern Stuffie

2011-10-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

In the classroom next door, the kindergarteners stitched up some cute jack-o-lantern stuffies. The best part was that everyone got to "carve" their pumpkin however they wanted using felt and glue, of course.

Noodle Skeletons

2011-10-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

A Halloween classic - noodle skeletons!

Gather an assortment of noodles, beans, and some glue and get to work creating a skeleton.

The skeletons are a great way to practice the math concept of symmetry. Not to mention, they encourage creative thinking and reinforce fine motor skills.

Before making our skeletons, we read a few books about skeletons that I have in my Halloween stash and watched another classic, The Skeleton Dance.

Mini-Boo Bags

2011-10-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

Boo!

Leaving little bags of treats is a Halloween tradition at our school. In Sewing Club, we stitched up these little Boo Bags filled with sweet treats and notes. They were left in lockers and placed on desks to surprise friends in the morning.

Our bag pattern is a 1/2 sheet of paper. After tracing the pattern and cutting out the fabric, fold the fabric in half. Sew up the sides and add a little ribbon handle. Fill with sweet treats and leave to surprise a friend. We machine sewed ours, but they also sew up quickly by hand.

Happy Haunting!

Kid-Made Skelly

2011-10-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

In Sewing Club, we were inspired by Chez Beeper Bebe's Simple Skelly Men. We used her handy pattern, but skipped the embroidery and used fabric markers to make the bones. They turned out super cute and inspired a lot of other scary Halloween stuffies.

Picking Pumpkins

2011-10-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

Going to a pumpkin patch with friends is the best Halloween tradition.

H is for Haunted House

2011-10-19T11:59:00.000-05:00

It just so happens that we studied the letter H this week, so of course we had to make Haunted H Houses!

The workshop was simple. Cut out a house shape using black construction paper. Cut a bunch of squares and rectangles out of yellow. The kids drew pictures of things that begin with the H sound on the yellow squares and labeled their pictures. Glue stick on the windows and doors and decorate with oil pastel.

If you aren't doing H, you can easily adjust the project for Halloween words.

Happy Haunting!

Bus Ride

2011-10-17T20:25:00.003-05:00

Do you remember your first bus ride for a school field trip?

Boo! It's Halloween!

2011-10-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

Halloween-themed fabric in sewing club. Always a good time.

Sewing School Vet Clinic

2011-10-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

photo by Justin Fox Burks

If you are in Memphis, we hope that you can join us

Saturday, 11am, October 15

at The Booksellers at Laurelwood

Stuffed Animal Vet Clinic

That's right, bring your well-loved stuffed animals to the bookstore and we'll help you to fix it up on the spot. We'll also be available to sign copies of Sewing School and offer sewing advice. It's going to be a super fun time. At the bookstore, there will also be real live animals for adoption as well as a storytime.

We hope to see you there!

Go Team!

2011-10-10T12:53:00.000-05:00

For our school's homecoming poster, my class made football helmets out of paper plates. They were super simple to make and so much fun!

We got the idea from here and added speech bubbles. They looked really cute all together.

A few tips if you make them too: If your kids are young, cut out the face guard for them - it's kinda hard. We drew the face first with markers then painted the helmets. After drying, you can write your team name on the helmet. Stapling the face masks on was much easier than taping.

Go Saints!

This Week at Sewing Club

2011-10-08T13:30:00.000-05:00

Sewing Club is held in a roomy kindergarten classroom filled with a variety of tables, bean bags, and little spaces. It's always fun to see where the kids chose to sew and how they break off into little sewing groups.

Here are sewing scenes my camera caught this week.

Number Sense

2011-10-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

One to one correspondence must be in place in kindergarten for a child to continue to manipulate numbers and understand other mathematical concepts. One to one is simply being able to touch one object for each number that is counted aloud. By this point, most of our kids have a good grasp of this concept, so we take it a step further by using numbers 1-25 and using different materials.

I found myself doing 2 good number sense activities in a week and quickly took some pictures to share.

The pipe cleaner activity above was inspired by one I saw on ABC and 123 (I couldn't find the original post - sorry!) and it worked out so well. We made masking tape number flags and then the kids strung that many beads onto the pipe cleaner.

Here is what the table looked like in action. I filled little bowls with beads and provided number charts for those who were having trouble with numbers past 10.

As they completed a number, a teacher could easily check to see if the concept was in place. We are already thinking about how we can use these again when we begin addition.

Egg carton math is always a favorite. Write random numbers from 1-12 in the bottom of an egg carton and the kids fill up the little egg holders with the correct number of counters. The challenge for this activity is remembering your number as you fill it up because they get covered up quickly.

Here is the table in action. I always have a few extra egg cartons so the kids can empty one carton and go to another one.

If you have a good one-to-one correspondence or number sense activity, I'd love to hear about it!

Phoebe Reviews: Oliver + S Little Things to Sew

2011-10-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

"Phoebe Reviews" is a first-grader's take on some of the sewing books piled on my craft room floor.

Book: Oliver + S Little Things to Sew

What Phoebe Likes About it: It's so cute! I like the paper dolls and the fun projects.

Favorite Projects: Play Town (I think I could make this myself.) Reversible Bucket Hat (Can you make this for me, Mama?)

What Will Other Kids Think?: You will have to do projects with your Mom. Some look easy with a touch hard, and some look really hard.

Foxfire Books

2011-10-02T13:25:00.005-05:00

Eric found Foxfire 2 in a box by the curb. This past weekend, I found several books at the Library bookstore. We were immediately taken by it, but what was/is Foxfire?

The Firefox Book is an anthology from the magazine of the same name. Written in the 60's and 70's by a group of high school students. They explored the heritage of the Southern Appalachia around where they lived.

While the book is filled with how-tos on making soap, quilting, and building log cabins, my favorite part is the oral histories by the elderly natives. They are still churning butter, riding donkeys, and curing common illnesses the way they always have.

The topics are fun too. I mean, who wouldn't want to read an article entitled "Moonshining as a Fine Art" or "A Quilt is Something Human."

Wanting to know more about Firefox, I was happy to see that is still alive and well. You can find out more about the philosophy and organization as well as buy the current copies of the magazine here.

Worth Repeating

2011-09-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

T is for Tea Party

Since I blog a lot about what's going on in my classroom, I am in serious danger of repeating myself. I mean, I try to be an innovative teacher and introduce new materials, arts, and information, but sometimes, when an activity or lesson is really good, it's worth repeating.

Finding seeds

This year, I have found myself excitedly taking pictures, writing text in my head, and organizing a blog post in my brain only to realize that I already blogged about it. I tell myself that I have new readers and information to share, but mostly, it's the same.

Ocho the Soctopus

I find that blogging is not only a way for me to share and document my activities and goings on, it also helps me to remember. So, I have started a new section on the sidebar called "Worth Repeating." These will be sewing projects, activities, ideas, recipes, tutorials, etc. that I am doing again and have already blogged about. This way, if you want to remember as well, you can. If you don't, you don't have to. I'll change it a lot. Yes, it happens that much.

What's the Weather?

2011-09-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

We had a lesson on weather recently and made these little weather tellers. I'm not sure what you call these things. Anyway, the kids loved them and they turned out super sweet. We hope that the addition of the string will encourage the kids to put them up at home and continue to use them.

Make them too:
paper plates or circles - we used small plates
brads
arrows - we made some using Word and then the kids cut them out (ours say "Today is" on them)
yarn or string

Due to time restraints, we went ahead and divided the plate into 4 sections. We also punched a hole at the top and added string. Kids could definitely do these steps, though.

They drew a type of weather in each section - we did sunny, rainy, snowy, and cloudy. Flair pens and crayons were at the tables and most kids chose to draw with the Flairs and color in with crayons - the result is very nice.

Once they were done with the drawing, they cut out an arrow and we helped them to put it in the middle with a brad.

After making the weather tellers, the kids got into small groups and played "What's the Weather?" They gave each other clues about the weather like "I am so hot and wearing sunglasses." Then, the other player would move the arrow to the sunny weather. Some of the clues were very tricky!

Oh no, better get your umbrella, it looks like rain!

Bookstock

2011-09-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

Andria and I hope to see you at Bookstock at the Benjamin Hooks Branch of the Memphis Public Library on Oct. 1 from 10:30-12:00. We'll be signing books and selling our new Sewing School Sewing Kits.

The event is pretty cool. We will be among the featured local authors. There is also several workshops about writing and publishing you can attend with advanced registration.

Hope to see you there!

Old Pants = New Bag

2011-09-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

In Sewing Club, everyone brought in outgrown jeans, pants, and even skorts and skirts to transform into cute, new bags.

The bling, we discovered, was key to creating the perfect bag.

There are a lot of tutorials out there, but I wanted to develop a simpler version that could be made by kids and in about an hour.

Below are the photos and simple directions I used with the kids in Sewing Club.

1. Lay out the pants flat.

2. Cut the legs off the pants.

3. Sew up the bottom.

Use small stitches.

4. Cut ribbon for the handle. Tie the ends of the ribbon onto the belt loops closest to the sides.

5. Decorate your bag and fill it up with your favorite stuff!

Yarn Bobbins

2011-09-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

I used to give kids little balls of yarn, but they always get knotted up and end up rolling away. So, the yarn bobbin is a perfect solution. They are similar to the craft thread bobbin.

If you use yarn with kids, try making some. You'll like it.

All you need is corrugated cardboard. I used the flaps from a box.

Cut the cardboard piece into a spool shape.

Tape the end of yarn to the middle of the spool. This way, the end won't get loose.

Wind, wind, wind the yarn around the spool. Cut a small slit in one end of the spool and slip the end of the yarn into the slit.

Yarn bobbins in action at the tapestry table. The kids love them and they are easy to use. Go make your kids some!

Here We Go Again!

2011-09-22T20:59:00.001-05:00

Yep, we're working on a new Sewing School book! This one features all machine sewn projects for kids. Right now, we're calling it Sewing Machine School.

Andria, Justin and I are back in action! We are so excited for all the new projects and to be working with Storey Publishing again.

We just started taking step-by-step photos - a long process which will last the better part of the school year, but is so much fun. Our first little sewer models the first project! One down, 19 more to go...

Popcorn Time!

2011-09-18T13:30:00.000-05:00

We popped popcorn for the letter P. Real popcorn. In the popcorn popper popcorn.

Patiently waiting, listening, and smelling.

Popping!

Popcorn popping is like magic. Plus, it tastes really really yummy!

We Love Sewing!

2011-09-16T13:30:00.000-05:00

Looking through photos from Sewing Club this week, I was struck by the number of heart-shaped stuffies. Sewing inspires some heart-shaped love!

This Year's Third Grade Quilt

2011-09-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

Each year, I am given the honor of finishing the third grade quilt. I love how the teachers weave quilting into their math curriculum and have made quilt-making a tradition. Plus, all of the materials are recycled.

I am, of course, not really a quilter. But I can pretend to be one while working on this little lap quilt. I added the batting, backing (an old sheet), and binding. I attempted to "quilt" by sewing kinda in the ditch up the lines. I ran into a little trouble, though, but I think it's just fine for a third grade quilt, don't you?

Hello, Joe

2011-09-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading here for awhile, then you know about Joe, the ginkgo tree that grows tall near the kindergarten classrooms. We pass him daily as we walk around campus.

Last year, my class visited Joe each month and we watched the seasons change along with the friendly tree. This year, though, I thought it would be nice to introduce Joe to all the kindergarten classes. We will just document his changes 4 times a year.

Everyone was excited to meet the tree. We settled down outside to sketch him in our new journals.

Instead of a standard journal, I decided to make little step-style books using only 2 sheets of paper. Since I was making 50 books, I wrote the seasons at the bottom of a master and then ran it through the copier, double-sided. The covers are card stock which is sturdy enough for what we are doing.

The only materials we took outside were Flair pens for sketching and a little basket of green and brown crayons for coloring.

We will visit Joe again when Fall is here and his leaves are bright yellow.

Maybe you can follow a tree in your neighborhood this year too.

Jam Jar Cocktails

2011-09-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

This summer, Eric got the bright idea to put our to-go drinks into jam jars. They were the perfect container for taking yummy cocktails and lemonade down to the dock, outdoor concerts, you name it.

Just fill old jars with ice and your favorite drink, screw on the top tight, and hit the road!

M is for Mobile

2011-09-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

As part of our M study, we created these simple CD mobiles.

What you Need:
CDs (great way to reuse old ones), lightweight wire, permanent markers, beads, stickers

Start by tying a long strand of lightweight wire around the CD.

Decorate the CDs with permanent markers and/or stickers.

Add beads to the wire. When you have enough, make a large loop at top of the wire and wind it around to secure. Now you can hang it up!

Once you put out the materials and have the CDs tied with wire, the kids can make the mobiles independently.

Sewing Club's First Meeting

2011-09-06T20:37:00.001-05:00

Yea! Sewing Club had its first meeting today. We began with a favorite project - the Stuffie. I love how it allows everyone to follow the same steps but create an individual project.

With more than 30 club members, many new, it was a busy hour. I only managed to take a few pictures from the floor where I sat and helped kids sew.

Here is what I saw...

At the Library

2011-09-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

My class just got to check out their very first books at the school library. It was a monumental occasion. For some, this was their first experience at checking out a book all by themselves.

The librarian helped by placing some good books to choose from on a shelf.

Then, they visited the checkout desk. When your book is scanned, it makes a little beep. I loved how the librarian, Mr. Willis took the time to talk to each child, explain the checkout procedure and comment on the book.

The best part? Reading your very own book and getting to take it back to the classroom.

Monkeys in the Tree

2011-09-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

On the way home from school. Every day.

Mix and Match

2011-08-31T18:07:00.001-05:00

I found a little time to sew some pencil rolls. My favorite part might be coordinating the fabrics. The piles of fabric on the floor made me happy.

Teacher Inspiration

2011-08-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

As a teacher, I'm always looking for new ideas. Two new books, Playful Learning and The Write Start have provided just that. While written for parents who want to incorporate more learning opportunities into their homes, there are tons of great ideas for early childhood teachers. Both books do a good job expanding the ideas to reach all levels of children. As a classroom teacher, I also felt that books reinforced my own teaching practices.

As soon as I saw the shell counting idea in Playful Learning, I had to incorporate it into our ocean themed science lesson. The kids had a great time putting the shells on the little sand islands and I was quickly able to evaluate their one-to-one correspondence. The cards can be used again when we begin to discuss the concepts of greater than/less than and addition.

The authors of Playful Learning and The Write Start also have wonderful blogs that I have followed for years.

Make a Colored Pencil Roll

2011-08-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

Lately Phoebe has gotten really into drawing with colored pencils. Maybe they are a little more grown-up than crayons or it's the way the points move across the paper. Her drawings have been so inspired with them, but they are easy to lose and end up all over the place. So, I thought a colored pencil roll was in order.

I made a batch of colored pencil rolls to sell at my little shelf at the Trolley Stop Market and thought you might like to make one too.

What you need - 2 kinds of fabric and a large pony tail holder

Cut your fabric -
*2 pieces of main fabric 8 1/2 x 10 1/2
*1 piece of coordinating fabric for the pocket 10 x 10 1/2 (I folded it half and cut 5 x 10 1/2 on the fold)

Place the folded pocket fabric on top of one of the main fabrics. The fold should be at the top. Pin the fabric so it won't wiggle.

A colored pencil needs a space of 3/4 inch to fit. With chalk or a pencil, mark 1 1/4 inches from the left side. Now, continue to mark the little pencil pockets in 3/4 inch intervals. When you get to the last pocket, you will leave 1 1/4 inches at the end. You should have space for 12 colored pencils.

Sew straight down from your marks. I just eyeball it and hope it's not too crooked. If you need straight lines in your life, you can mark the lines with a ruler and sew down them.

Here is what you should have so far.

Time to put in the band. I like to use large ponytail holders, but you could use elastic (8 inches folded) or ribbon ties if you like.

Pin the band a little down from the top of the pocket. It needs to stick out just a little, but make sure you put the main part of the band in towards to the pocket or it won't work right.

Place the second piece of the main fabric on top of the pocket. Good sides are together. Move your pin so that it is on the outside of the main fabric piece.

Here you are. I like to pin down the fabric in several places so it doesn't move about too much.

Now, sew about 1/4 inch or your pressure foot width around the pencil roll. Be sure to leave a hole to turn the fabric out. I like to leave my hole on the top.

When you get to the band, carefully remove the pin and go back and forth a few times so it's sewn down tight.

Turn the pencil roll out - it looks great!

Iron flat and press the edges of the hole inside.

Top stitch all around. This will close the hole and make the pencil roll more stable.

Put in your pencils and....

...roll and go!

These are perfect for stashing in your "Mom bag" or putting in your child's backpack for creating on the go. Or just for having tidy colored pencils!

I hope you'll make one too.

P.S. The fabric is Art Class by Michael Miller

Let the Sewing Begin!

2011-08-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

I shouldn't have been surprised, after all, I do have a reputation as the "sewing teacher" but when a student asked if she could sew on the second day of school, I gave a stammered, "I guess so..." You see, I wasn't quite ready for sewing yet. While I had a selection of fabric scraps out in the art center, my sewing basket wasn't put together the way I like it. We didn't have project bags to store work in either. However, you know that I could not disappoint an eager sewer.

As soon as she began to sew the table quickly filled up with eager crafters and curious onlookers. Pillows became the project of choice and we just cut fabric into rectangles and began to sew. I was amazed at how quickly some of the kids caught on. We even had a pillow completed by the end of morning time.

The next morning, several kids came in eager to finish projects. A group of boys had discovered a small piece of Memphis Grizzlies fabric and were anxious to make pillows too. I understand how the right fabric can inspire.

I just got back from the fabric store with a selection of sports and other new fabrics. I can't wait to see what they make next.

The Kissing Hand - An Activity

2011-08-17T20:18:00.003-05:00

One of my all-time favorite first day of school activities is to make a Kissing Hand. You know the book, right? It's about a little raccoon who is nervous about school so his mom gives him a kissing hand (a kiss in the palm of his hand) so that he'll always feel her near him. Then, at the end, the little raccoon gives his mom a kissing hand so that she won't miss him. Sweet, huh?

So, after reading the book, we talk about how we might miss our parents, but guess what, they miss us right back. So, we'll make a kissing hand for them and that way they know we are always thinking of them. It's really sweet and perfect for starting kindergarten.

First, everyone traces one hand. I cut some multicultural construction paper in half for their little hands. Using multicultural paper allows us to talk about how everyone's skin is a different shade and that makes us each unique. Plus, it's really fun to find a shade that matches your skin tone.

I was pleased to see that pretty much everyone was able to trace a hand this year. I only had to help a few and there were no tears!

Next, cut out the hand. This is where you can also observe scissor skills on the first day. Sometimes the fingers look like a big blob or are little points, but it just adds to the cuteness of the gift. I was once again surprised by the motor skills - they all turned out great!

The next step is to cut out and glue down kisses. I Googled "lip print" in images and found one I liked then made a bunch of copies. The kids decide how many kisses to put on their hand and how to decorate them. Who am I to tell them what a kissing hand should look like?!

One of the best parts of doing this on the first day of school is that I can immediately get a sense of their personality and creativity. While some kids just did a hand and one kiss, most really went all out and made their hands into little mini-me's.

Several kids asked to make more kissing hands for both parents or other family members.

I think it's going to be a good year!

Watching Caterpillars

2011-08-16T15:03:00.009-05:00

We've watched caterpillars make the fantastic transformation into butterflies before, but this year, Frankie was fascinated. His enthusiasm was contagious and the whole family got excited. Our caterpillar will become an Eastern Black Swallowtail.

We made a little home for our caterpillar (which Frankie called Scobby Dooby) in a large jar and brought it indoors. Every day, we fed it dill and parsley daily. Currently it's in the chrysalis stage. We can't wait until it emerges as a beautiful butterfly!

5 Orange Potatoes has some great photos and advice about raising Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars.

Gone Fishing

2011-08-14T20:43:00.001-05:00

Phoebe has become quite the fishergirl this summer. It's fun to watch her wait patiently for a bite and then pull out a little pan fish.

After giving the fish a name and showing it off to everyone, she puts the little fishy back into the water. Sitting on the dock with her, Eric and I have enjoyed these quiet times together and the simple pleasures fishing brings.

Time for School

2011-08-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

My summer is officially over. I'm not sure how that happened. It's still too hot to go to school!

A few things I will miss about the summer:
*being the last one in my family awake in the morning
*wearing shorts and flip flops all day
*tending to the garden
*playing with my kids and going swimming
*an hour a day to myself for crafting

Things to look forward to about the new year:
*eager children ready to learn
*chatting with my wonderful co-workers
*watching my students learn and grow
*sewing club
*new crayons and markers

Reading Kristin's post helped to remind me why I teach and why the summer must come to an end. Bonus, teaching involves a lot of great crafts and art - like the backpack tags above.

Say It With Bunting

2011-08-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

Bunting is so much fun isn't it? It started with this Happy Birthday bunting and then I started making ones that say other things like "welcome."

These make super gifts and are so easy to make - you should make some too! The best part is that they are easily customized.

Here's how: Cut squares from scraps - 3 1/2 x 5 1/2. Then freehand felt letters about 2 inches tall. Sew on the letters with a running stitch and embroidery or craft then. Machine sew the squares onto ric-rac. I think that 14 or 15 squares is just about perfect, so if your saying is a little short, add some blank squares at the beginning and end. I start sewing the squares about 20 or 22 inches i and leave just a small space between the squares.

The finishing touch is a little bag to house the bunting in while not in use. It can be a tricky thing to store. I mean, you might only need your Happy Birthday bunting a few times a year. I made simple drawstring bags and stamped what the banner says on the outside so you know what's inside.

P. S. If you live in Memphis, you can find Say It With Bunting at the Trolley Stop Market where I sell under the name Fussbudget.

Temporary Clothesline

2011-08-06T17:54:00.001-05:00

In the summer, a clothesline is essential, don't you think? Sometimes you don't want it up all the time, though. Like at the cabin. We only need it while we're there. I don't want it to get all cobwebby and gross.

Eric fashioned a temporary clothesline for us to use on our weekends up there. Going swimming at least twice a day, it made drying our wet suits much nicer.

You can make one anywhere. Here's what he did.

Put in 2 eyes on each end where you wanted the line to run. Then, tie each end of the clothesline to a clasp hook. We have no clue what they are called, but you can see it in the picture above. The trick is to get the line tight, so you tie one end on and hook it to the eye. Then run it the length of the clothesline then tie the other end so it's taut.

When you are finished with it, you just unhook the line and roll it up. Easy peasy.

Thanks, honey!

Re-reading

2011-08-04T07:11:00.001-05:00

I have vague memories of reading Island of the Blue Dolphins as a kid. Do you?

I just re-read it and loved every minute of it. Such a fascinating story! This site is full of great information and would be a wonderful resource if you're reading the book with older children.

Fabric Cornucopia

2011-08-02T07:07:00.000-05:00

Phoebe has been making more stuffed veggies. Once you start, you just can't stop!

P.S. The little berry bowl is from Bridgeman Pottery located here in Memphis and yes, you need one too!

We Have a Cabin

2011-07-30T06:57:00.001-05:00

Last fall we acquired a sweet little cabin located in Hardy, Arkansas on the Spring River. This summer we have been getting there as much as we can. The place is truly magical and a perfect escape from the city.

It's the kind of place where your kids can run around, feel free, and explore nature.

We aren't really roughing it as you can tell. But it's a fun place to do the things you never have time to do like play board games and look for tadpoles.

Sewing Playdate

2011-07-27T15:11:00.001-05:00

Phoebe's good friend Bauer came over today to sew up little P.E. bags. They are going into 1st grade, you know and you have to change clothes in P.E. Yikes!

I came up with a modified version of this tutorial. Picking out fabric from my stash was fun. Since it's important to label everything, the kids wrote their names on the outside pockets. We didn't bother lining the backpack.

Phoebe showed Bauer how to use the machine and sewed up hers independently.

I helped Bauer along and by the end, he was sewing solo!

Bauer asked if he could come sew with us again. Silly question, of course you can!

Jetfire

2011-07-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Frankie's new favorite toy - a Jetfire balsa wood stunt glider.

Bug Study: Resources

2011-07-25T14:11:00.004-05:00

To finish up the Bug Study posts, I thought I'd give a round-up of some of the resources used. Really, this is just for me to have everything in one place, but maybe you'll find it useful too.

Please comment with any bug/insect resources you use!

Books:
There are so many great books out there - I have a large selection. Since I'm at home now, I'm just going from memory. You'll want some general insect/bug books with lots of pictures and facts. Listed below are some of my favorites that are more story based.
Bug Safari - a bug adventure in your backyard
Where Butterflies Grow- beautifully covers the life cycle of a butterfly as well as the flowers that attract them
I'm a Pill Bug - wonderful explanation about these curious creatures.
Bugs are Insects - my go-to book for explaining the difference between insects, spiders, and other kinds of creepy crawlies
Beetle Bop - fun read-aloud with great illustrations to inspire artwork
Don't forget all the wonderful Eric Carle insect/bug books!

Bug Activities from Posts Pasts:
Here are some of my favorite buggy activities that I have posted about.
weaving a spider web - turn a paper plate into a spider web and add insects and a big spider
make antenneas - pipe cleaner antenneas. you need a pair!
stuffed bugs - making bug stuffies is a great sewing project
the life of a butterfly - beans and noodles represent the stages of a butterfly's life
keeping butterflies - our personal journey of "growing a butterfly"

On-Line Resources:
Here are some other go-to resources when planning a bug unit.
Bugs + Butterflies Camp - love these ideas and resources from Kleas. I'll be using them next year in my classroom.
Strange Faces of Insects - this video is great but watch it before you show it to kids. It might make a few weary.
The Magnifying Glass - great website focusing on kids and nature. Click on the "insect" category for lots of great ideas and information.
I know that there are a ton out there and we used the internet a lot for answering questions during our research and finding out specific information.

One thing is for sure - kids are fascinated by bugs. No wonder, they are all around us. We are in constant contact with them. The more I have learned about bugs, the more interested I've become in them. Being able to correctly identify a random bug or type of butterfly is fun.

Bug Study: Fiction

2011-07-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

At the end of the school year, my class enjoyed a 3-week study of bugs. First, they researched a chosen bug and published a book. Then, they created 3-D versions of the bug. Next, the kids authored a fictional story about their bugs.

We had been talking about facts and reading both fiction and non-fiction books about bugs. Writing a fiction story about their bugs was the perfect ending to the unit. To get them started, we wrote a collaborative story about the dreaded tomato hornworm that always seems to creep into my garden. We talked about how to combine both realistic and fictional elements in stories. For instance, an insect would still have 6 legs, but maybe it could talk.

I used story paper that comes with our handwriting program, but really any kind of paper or little book will do. Ours were quite short (only 4 pages) but focused on a beginning, middle, and end.

Here is an excerpt from Max's book about his chosen bug, the worm.

The Worm Dug by Max

The worm dug up a root.

The worm dug up another worm. The sun came out so the two worms went underground.

What a perfect way for us to end our school year. By this time, everyone is writing independently and has discovered their own little voice in the classroom. After writing and illustrating the stories, they were read to the class.

Bug Study: 3-D Bugs

2011-07-22T10:47:00.002-05:00

At the end of the school year, my class enjoyed a 3-week study of bugs. First, they researched a chosen bug and published a book. Now, the kids are given the task of creating a 3-D version of their bug.

Jackson's bumblebee

After sketching, drawing, and painting our chosen bugs for a week, the kids made 3-D versions. We talked about the concept of 3-D as well as sculptures. A big part of our discussion was about the representation of the bug - it doesn't have to be 100% realistic. We looked at images from books we had as well as those from a quick Google search.

Lilly's clay butterfly with felt wings

For materials, the sky was the limit (as long as we had it in the classroom). I set out various art and construction materials around the classroom. The idea was for the kids to find a medium that spoke to them and create. I set aside a big chunk of time for this.

Ella's stuffed butterfly

A few kids sewed while others immediately went to the recycled construction box. I had put out a bunch of modeling clay I found at the back of the art cabinet. That was a big hit - something new!

Porter's scorpion made 3 ways

Some kids made multiple versions of their bug, while others spent the entire time on one detailed masterpiece. As they finished, the bugs were set out at the front of the room on paper plates for all to admire, discuss, and be inspired by.

Abby's dragonfly

Creating these 3-D bugs allowed the kids to work towards their strengths and interests. It also was great for creative problem solving. As I reflect on this activity, I hear little voices in my head thinking, questioning, and working: "How can I made wings?" "What kinds of materials will work best for this?" "It's not working! How do I make this fit?!" "I do not like working with this clay! It's too stiff!" "Look! I made my own pattern for sewing!" "I need 3 legs on each side. Mine is an insect."

Bug Study: Research

2011-07-21T12:41:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of documenting activities in my classroom, I will be posting this week about the Bug Study we did at the end of the year.

Our first week was Research. The idea of "little researchers" is very intriguing to me. I did a similar project last year on Arctic Animals, but this year I tweaked it a little.

When beginning the research process, we talked a lot about research. What it is, who does it, how it's done. The kids poured through books on insects and other buggy things.

Finally, they each chose a bug to research. We had a group of boys obsessed with stag beetles, little girls happily drawing ladybugs, and one boy finding out a lot about worms.

Along with this, went lots of drawing bugs and recording information in a spiral notebook. I found that giving each kid a notebook like this helped them to focus, organize, and feel like a real researcher.

Next, it was time to fill out the research page. This was a sheet of paper divided into 4 sections and reads similar to a KWL chart. Remember, research for kindergarteners is a loose concept!
They were:
*My Bug - the name and a quick drawing
*What I Know - 3 things they already knew about the bug
*Question/Answer - this is where they asked a question about something they wanted to know and then wrote the answer once we "researched" it. To find our answers we looked through books and the internet. We did this one-on-one with the kids and they loved helping to find the answers to their questions.
*Why I Like It - I tried to get them to really think about what attracted them to the insect.

Next, we transferred the research page into a book. To help, each page had a sentence starter such as "My bug is..." and "I learned..."

The covers for the book were drawn with Flair pens then watercolored - a favorite technique.

Finally, we published the books. The kids love, love helping me spiral bind the books. If you don't have a machine like this, you can put it in a brad folder or find others ways to bind them. For some reason, I didn't get a picture of the finished product or of the kids reading them to everyone in sight, but they turned out great.

This research method could easily be adapted to other areas of study. In fact, I'll probably be doing that next year.

Bug Discovery

2011-07-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs has quickly become a family favorite. OK, really just Phoebe and I are obsessed with it, but we have been sharing our new found knowledge with the rest of the family and they seem appreciative.

The book is filled with great, close-up shots of a variety of bugs that you might find in your very own backyard. We took it to our cabin in Arkansas and were amazed the recent discoveries.

First, we saw this crazy thing. Is it a leaf with legs? Quickly, we consulted the Secret Life of Backyard Bugs and found that it was a katydid. Very similar to a grasshopper.

These little dragonfly-like bugs are everywhere on the river. Are they dragonflies? No, they are damselflies. We found a handy chart that compared the dragonfly and damselfly and made a positive ID.

Next, this big moth hung out on a window all weekend. Have you ever seen one before? The Comparison Guide led us to discover that it's a luna moth. The comparison guides might be my favorite part of the book. There are guides for every stage of insects from eggs to adult.

The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs is the kind of book you want to have around. Great for kids and adults alike, easy to use, and full of great information. While the book was sent to me by Storey Publishing (the publisher of Sewing School), I was super excited about it and would want it for my home or classroom.

Fabric + Button Flowers

2011-07-15T10:24:00.001-05:00

Once you start making these flowers, they are a little bit addictive. I have a whole bouquet in my living room right now. Inspired by the felted wool flowers of Crispina ffrench, I set out to make a simpler version for kids. This was the perfect no-sew craft for campers who needed a break from the needle or had just a few minutes left but wanted to make something. I am thinking they would make a sweet gift as well.

Gather your materials: scraps of cotton and felt (we found that fleece was hard for kids), buttons, and floral wire. I am not sure of my wire gauge, but I think it might be too thin. You want the wire to be a little stiff, but still small enough to go through buttons.

Step 1: Fold the floral wire in half.

Step 2: Add a shank button onto one part of the wire and slide it all the way to the middle. This is the center of the flower.

Step 3: Keep adding buttons. This time, use flat buttons and go through both ends of the wire. If you have a button with 4 holes, just thread the wire through 2 button holes.

This is the top of the flower. Now, let's add fabric petals.

Step 4: Gather bits of cotton and felt fabric. You can cut them to make petal-like shapes if you want.

Step 5: Gently push the wire through the fabric. This can be tricky at first. Push through 1 wire at a time. If you wiggle the wire a little, it will go through easier.

Step 6: Once you have all the petals on, twist the wire all the way to the end. It's like twisting 2 pipe cleaners together.

Add to a little vase and give to a friend!

Make a SockAround

2011-07-13T10:37:00.004-05:00

What's a SockAround? It's a cross between a hacky sack and a bean bag - a little ball of fun made from an old sock.

I had a bunch of old Tumpette socks left over from when my kids were babies. It's a pity that they don't come in big girl and boy sizes. Anyway, I was holding on to them for no reason, except that they are super cute.

Finding a good second home for them is nice. The kids at camp went crazy for this easy project and I thought your little sewers might too. You don't need to use baby socks, any size will do.

Holden will show you how to make one:
You need a sock, sewing supplies, and beans (rice or dried noodles will work too).

Step 1: Fill the bottom part of the sock with the beans. Feel it to make sure you like the amount - you don't want it too big or too small.

Step 2: Cut off the top part of the sock. Leave about 2 inches of sock at the top. You don't want to cut too close to the beans. (P.S. Keep the top of the sock for another project.)

Step 3. Fold up the top of the sock. You need a good fold so that the beans won't fall out!

Step 4: Sew up the top of the sock where you folded it. Make close, small stitches.

Step 5: Knot off and cut thread. You have a SockAround!

What to do with your SockAround? We juggled, tossed it around, and even made up a little ring toss game.

I like how the pink SockAround was folded in neatly and sewn with a whipstitch.

The tops of the socks make excellent wrist warmers. Just make a little slit for your thumb and slip it on. A few girls made ponytail holders with strips of sock. At sewing camp, no fabric is left unused!

Have fun sockin' around!

Homecoming

2011-07-11T13:53:00.001-05:00

I just got back from visiting my hometown of Lampasas, TX. My mom (pictured above with Phoebe & me) set up a book signing. It was fun to see old friends and share Sewing School with them. Even my middle school art teacher stopped by!

We also stitched up Scrappy Art Pins (a project from the book).

The visit coincided with my 20th high school reunion and I was so happy that my good pal Meg stopped by with her little girl. The reunion is another story. Let's just say, I felt like I was back in high school, but without the perm.

Sewing Machine Story

2011-07-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

Lots of machine sewing went on at camp. Most kids brought their own machines. Each machine came with its own story.

This Viking belonged to Mary and Patrick's Great Aunt Sweetie. It ran beautifully, but was a mystery on how to thread the thing - we finally figured it out. Aunt Sweetie was an avid quilter and each kid has a quilt she made.

Stella loves her little machine and insists that it can do anything that a big one can. Surprisingly, it pretty much can.

"This is the same machine you have in your book!" exclaimed Frances. It was a gift from Santa - good ol' Santa!

Lauren won the award for smallest machine. It does a good job, but doesn't backstitch which is kinda a pain.

Neeley's mom drug her machine out of the closet so that she could bring it to camp. Hopefully, it'll get more use now!

What's your machine story?

Sewing School Camp: Day 4

2011-07-05T14:05:00.004-05:00

Meet June, a little doll stitched by a rising 4th grader. I love it when a young sewer has a vision.

First, a pattern was drawn. See the pencil lines? This was her original drawing. Then, I had her go around it again to add a seam allowance.

After tracing the pattern onto pink felt two times, she decorated the face and added a little button heart like another favorite doll, Raggedy Ann.

She's all sewn and stuffed. Yarn hair was whipstitched to the top and bows added.

Time for a dress - one that can you can really put on. We decided on a simple A-line dress with a back button closure. To get the fit right, I helped to make a dress pattern using the stuffed doll as a guide and adding about 1 inch seam allowance. The dress was machine sewn. Of course the pattern was kept so that more dresses could be sewn.

Isn't she just precious?! Such a labor of love.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-01T12:48:00.001-05:00

Stitch up some Fourth of July fun! Just supply red, white & blue fabric, ribbon, needles & thread, and a little imagination.

Happy Fourth of July!

Sewing School Camp: Day 3

2011-06-30T21:12:00.001-05:00

Andria and I were fascinated by this doll. It has a wonderful folk art look. The head is made from a large tassel and the body is a stuffie. A little bed was even stitched for it.

tassel-head doll stitched by Analise, 2nd grader

Sewing School Camp: Day 2

2011-06-29T20:42:00.007-05:00

Camp is going great! The kids creativity and skill level never ceases to amaze me. Many kids finished up projects and began new ones. I'm so busy helping and solving sewing problems that I haven't taken any pictures of the process. I'll have some new tutorials to post after camp.

Here's a bit of what made it onto my camera.

Sewing School Camp: Day 1

2011-06-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

Sewing School camp has started! I am busy and tired, but I wanted to share a few images from the day with you. We made stuffies and pillows. A perfect place to start.

Button Love

2011-06-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

I scored a box of buttons still on their cards at a church rummage sale this morning. I wish button cards were still this great.

Happy Saturday to you! Off to get ready for camp next week.

Getting Ready

2011-06-22T12:32:00.003-05:00

Camp is next week! I have been busy drafting patterns, writing simple directions, and stitching up examples for our sewing campers.

The Advanced Sewing School camp, which focuses more on machine sewing is full. It's going to be interesting machine sewing with 20 kids at once! Cross your fingers for me.

Designing projects for kids can be tricky business. You want the project to be simple, but still be useful and work. I usually go through several drafts before it's right.

I can't wait to see what the kids make and share their creations with you!

I got new patterns

2011-06-20T11:44:00.002-05:00

Finally, Lisel Gibson, the genius behind Oliver + S is designing for adults! I was excited to get my hands on these cute, spring patterns (on sale at my local chain fabric store). Now I just need to find time to sew for myself.

Check out the variety of styles and looks you can make, modeled by Lisel herself. I am smitten with the Portfolio dress.

Pancakes for Dad

2011-06-19T08:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning's special

There's no place I'd rather be

Than in the kitchen with Dad

Making pancake history

I don't know how he does it

But they are perfect on each side

His skillful flipping maneuvers

Make my eyes go real wide

Sometimes he add bananas

And sometimes chocolate chips

Saturday mornings I am smiling

From my heart up to my lips

from "Pancake College" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

We love you Super Dad, especially your pancakes

(although he always makes his on Sunday mornings).

At the Library

2011-06-17T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hooray for the library! There's just something about sitting in a big room surrounded by books.

This year Phoebe, a beginning reader, is taking part in our library's summer book club. The librarians helped her set a goal of reading 1 hour per week. She takes such pride in recording her books in the little log and adding up her reading time. Not only that, she gets prizes each week, so the motivation is there. If you have a reader at your house, you should see if your public library has a summer reading club. It's terrific.

Are You Action Packed?!

2011-06-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard about Action Pack yet, you need to check it out. I am overjoyed with each issue of this kids e-mag. Seriously, it's great. The photographs, the projects, the whole package. It's what I think most of us kid-crafty bloggers want to achieve. I will say that most projects are not for the toddler crowd, but can usually be achieved with parent support.

Are you a reader? What do you think?

In case you're wondering, no, I'm not getting paid to say this! I just got excited about it.

Yarn Dolls: An Easy Tutorial

2011-06-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

Yarn dolls are all the rage at my home and school - you should try them too. I used this tutorial as a guide and made a few changes so that it was easier for kids to make them independently.

The biggest change was replacing pieces of knotted yarn for pipecleaners. Cut a pipecleaner into 4 pieces. Kids had no problem twisting them and achieving the shape they wanted. If they are good at knotting, then use little pieces of yarn tied around in place of the pipecleaners.

I modeled the basic doll for them, but as you can see, they went off on their own tangents and created ghosts, monsters, clothing, octopuses and more!

OK, let's get going.

Materials needed: Yarn, pipecleaners cut into 4 pieces, a book, scissors. You might also want embellishments such as google eyes, buttons, beads, felt and glue to stick them on with (we used hot glue.)

Step 1: Tie the beginning of your yarn around a book. Now, wrap the yarn around the book at least 25 times. If the yarn is thin, you might want to wrap more. Cut the yarn when you are done.

Step 2: Carefully slip the wrapped yarn off the book. Make a head at one end and secure with a piece of pipecleaner.

Step 3: Cut the bottom fringe - not the head! If you want to finish here, you have a yarn ghost.

Some pieces of yarn might be too long, if that's the case, just trim them. Also, cut just a few strands at a time.

Step 4: Make some arms. First, separate a little yarn apart to form arms. Fold the arm pieces in towards the body. Secure at shoulders with pieces of pipecleaner.

Here you are with arms. Maybe it's a monster??

Step 5: It needs a body. Put a piece of pipecleaner in the middle to make a body. If you are making a girl, you can stop there. See the dress?

Step 6: Give him some legs! Separate the bottom yarn into 2 pieces and secure at ankles with pieces of pipecleaner.

You have a yarn doll! Now if you want, you can embellish it with buttons, eyes, yarn hair, clothes, anything you can think of.

Yarn Dolls Updated

2011-06-13T08:44:00.017-05:00

What do you do when you have a ton of extra yarn sitting around? Make yarn dolls, of course! Yarn dolls have been around forever. Look in any vintage craft book and there are instructions on how to make these soft little guys.

I wanted to find an easy way for kids to create yarn dolls that reflect their personality. I mean, really, who would have thought that a group of boys would play enthusiastically with yarn dolls? If you let them make yarn monsters and ghosts, it's a whole new ballgame.

Some of the kids got into making clothes for their dolls. Of course there were a few yarn octopuses floating around the classroom. Next, I'll show you how we made them. So, gather some yarn and pipecleaners and meet me back here tomorrow!

Sew a Felt Carrot

2011-06-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Andria and I recently stitched up this simple stuffed carrots at the Cooper Young Farmer's Market. They were such a hit, I thought you and your little crew might want to make some too.

There are a lot of stuffed veggie patterns out there, but this one is super simple and easy enough for even beginning sewers to find successful.

My lovely assistant Miss Phoebe will show you how.

Supplies - An orange felt triangle. Cut it nice and wide because you will fold it over. Green felt for the leaves. You will also need stuffing and a basic sewing kit.

Step 1: Fold over your orange triangle so you have a point at the bottom. It looks like a carrot already!

Step 2: Cut a long piece of thread so that it will sew up the whole carrot. Stitch up the long side. Start at the point. When you get to the top, take off the needle, but don't cut the thread. You can sew with a running stitch or whipstitch.

Step 3: Stuff your carrot! If it's hard to get down to the point, use a chopstick or the eraser end of a pencil to push down the stuffing.

Step 4: Cut your green leaves. Tuck them into the stuffing part of the carrot.

Step 4: Rethread your needle and sew across the top of the carrot using a running stitch.

You have a stuffed felt carrot!

After making a carrot, Phoebe started cutting out shapes of different veggies and sewing and stuffing them together. This simple project is sure to get your little gardener going!

Kitchen Bouquet

2011-06-07T06:40:00.000-05:00

At first glance, these little bouquets may look like your ordinary garden variety. However, tucked inside are little kitchen surprises. Sprigs of herbs not only smell good, but come in handy while cooking too.

Need some parsley for your salad, pinch a bit.
A little mint or lemon verbena for your tea?
Add some rosemary to those potatoes.

Next time you cut some flowers from your garden, add some herbs to the mix. You'll be glad you did.