Handicraft/Life Skills Spotlight and Challenge

Wood Working/Building Construction

Since Handicrafts/Life skills are an important part of our family I wanted to spotlight it on my blog . I also wanted to offer a weekly challenge (or we can just call it an invitation =) to anyone who happens to read my blog. This would be great for both Home schooling families and Non Home schooling families!

Let me share my definition of Handicraft/Life Skills: “Anything useful you can learn and use the rest of your life.” Yes, I know that is a very liberal definition!!  You might not spend every day of your life using all the skills you learn but the point is, you can if you want or need to. Here are examples: Art (all kinds), Photography, Computer skills, Sewing, Knitting, Wood Work,  Leather work, Cleaning the house, Organizing, Crafts, Cooking, Baking, Hunting, Wilderness Survival, Nature Study, Farming, Inventing, Writing, Drama………..o.k., I think you get my point. You are only limited by your own imagination.

Farming: Taking Care of the Chickens

Here are a couple of quotes from the Simply Charlotte Mason website that are inspiring:

Charlotte thought that lessons should be completed in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free for outdoor exploration, exercise, and handicrafts. Handicrafts are products that the children can build or produce with their hands. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to do a particular handicraft; find someone who does and would be willing to teach your child (and you too) one-on-one. Then provide the materials and plenty of time for your child to be industrious and creative. Our list of potential handicrafts may be helpful.

and

Charlotte Mason advocated the child’s learning handicrafts. In her day, those handicrafts could help to support and enable the child as he or she grew to adulthood. So we have expanded the list to include life skills, which are likewise important in teaching children to be industrious and preparing them to manage their own households someday.

Four succinct points should be kept in mind when selecting handicrafts and life skills.

1. The end-product should be useful. The children should not “be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like.”
2. Teach the children “slowly and carefully what they are to do.”
3. Emphasize the habit of best effort. “Slipshod work should not be allowed.”
4. Carefully select handicrafts and life skills to challenge but not frustrate. “The children’s work should be kept well within their compass.”

(taken from Home Education, p. 315)

Check HERE for the Handicraft page at Ambleside Online

1st Sewing Lesson

Every Tuesday I will spotlight a certain Handicraft/Life skill. I will include Information on it and some helpful links and maybe even a link to a project you might like to try. I do not have the knowledge to teach most Handicrafts/Life Skills, that is why I am just “sharing” information with you and hoping that if you are skilled at any of them you will share your knowledge with me!! I will offer a challenge (invitation) to work on the handicraft/life skill being spotlighted or at least choose to spend a little bit of time during the week working on some type of Handicraft/Life Skill and then share your experience and results with us through an e-mail and or through a picture. If you have a blog you can just write-up a post and send me the link to your post or I may include a Mr Linky on my blog.

Handicraft/Life Skill Spotlight:

‘Creating a Homemade Gift’…….to give away!

Here are links to some creative gift giving ideas:

A friend of mine just featured a great creative gift idea on her blog  that I enjoyed reading about.

Homemade Gift Giving @ Simplify the Holidays

100 Homemade Gift Ideas @ Family Crafts

The Crafty Crow is a site packed full of Crafty Gift ideas

This weeks challenge:

Think of someone you can Create a Gift for, decide what you’re going to create, write down directions to create it (or where you found the directions), make a list of the supplies you will need (if you haven’t already), CREATE IT and then SHARE your experience and results with us. If you pick a project that takes longer than a week that’s o.k., just share when you complete it. (If your child is to young to write or type just let them make something and share the results)

In the comment section please list any Homemade Gift ideas you have or links to helpful websites. Thank You! I look forward to (hopefully) hearing from you and your children.

**Parents HANDICRAFTS/LIFE SKILLS and these challenges can be a fun way to also get in some of these skills: Handwriting practice, Critical Thinking, Math, Typing, Creative Thinking, Organization, Researching, Spelling, Grammar, Fine Motor Skills and I am sure there are more I have not listed.

Art Lesson

O.k. now you can get started, add your post link here for your Handicraft/ Life skills Challenge Entry

Powered by MckLinky

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

***Newest Handicraft/Life Skills Spotlight and Challenge HERE***