Lesson Plans: Handwork

Main Resource

Will-Developed Intelligence: Handwork & Practical Arts in the Waldorf School Elementary through High School by David Mitchell and Patricia Livingston

Notes

I use the Golden Box (which Patricia Livingston suggests in her notes for Grade One) to introduce new materials.

Lesson Plans

• August 25, 2009 - how to tie a knot (tie shoelaces, slip knot)
• August 26, 2009 - how to thread a needle, sew running stitch border around wool felt bookmark (piece of wool felt cut with pinking shears for a decorative edge)

  introduce quilt project: Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt

  children are asked to bring in a piece of fabric that has a memory associated with it

• August 27, 2009 - continue running stitch border around bookmark
• August 28, 2009 - teach backstitch, embroider initials on bookmark using backstitch
• August 31, 2009 - trace shapes from Geometry Cabinet on plain white paper, cut out, and pin to desired fabric for quilt square accents
• September 2, 2009 - use a ruler to cut a six inch piece of paper, begin to plan quilt square

  gave students more days to plan their quilt square and bring in memory fabric from home

• September 14, 2009 - today we did papermaking to accompany the "things never end, they just begin again in a different way" lesson of the Universe, instead of destroying a blender we shook our paper pieces and water vigorously in a liter water bottle, choose one with a wide mouth (it helps immensely!), we used cotton linters and small torn pieces of tissue paper, remember the cardinal rule of papermaking: have lots of old towels!!! and the tissue paper stained the paper pulp as well as the towels so keep that in mind
• September 15, 2009 - continued with papermaking to use remainder of pulp (stored in fridge overnight so it wouldn't go bad), students also threaded needles and hung their butterflies (from Capital Letters lesson) and began to hem the raw edges of their geometric shapes

  continue hemming geometric shapes

• September 18, 2009 - Left, Right (for right handed children, "Right" is the hand you write with, "Left" is the hand that's left over), braiding lesson (to follow up on Capital Letters lesson of the morning), I used three colors of yarn -- red, blue, white -- tied in a knot at the top and each child placed the yarn under the clip of a clipboard, the knot kept it from sliding and this left both hands free for the braiding
• September 23, 2009 - watch sheep being sheared, collect wool
• September 24, 2009 - begin sewing beanbags (to learn juggling), follow-up to Capital Letters lesson for J, chapter from The Wise Enchanter: A Journey Through the Alphabet
• September 29, 2009 - read Pelle's New Suit, wash wool