Weaving It All Together

The world might fall apart if weaving didn’t exist. Weaving is largely a human endeavor, especially when it creates a recognizable pattern. Let your thoughts weave together in doing these online activities about weaving.

 

CONNECT:

• Get the facts about weaving at https://kids.kiddle.co/Weaving
• See a brief history of weaving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq58FAhuhxM
• See a simple hand weaving process at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WrMpPZ9GPHw
• Watch how a basket is handwoven at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UEo6F_wZFt0
• See the machinery involved in an industrial loom at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7vy-wrP1SQ
• For more advanced information: read about Navajo weaving at https://kids.kiddle.co/Navajo_weavingwhy

 

CREATE:

• Weave a fish by following the visual directions at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1hqt2MMPJ5c
• Weave a rainbow; see how at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G3LKt_HWuJY
• Use your fingers to weave, as shown at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KPUmCkHmn_o

 

CARE:

• You can use a weaving technique to fix a hole in a sock (it’s called darning) by following the directions at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pdDY4dLKdo
• See how to stop your fabric from fraying at https://www.tiktok.com/@vikasspace/video/7259130558888938779?lang=en
• Get tips for taking care of woven baskets at https://www.wickerwoman.com/articles/basket-care#:~:text=Keep%20Baskets%20out%20of%20Sunlight,stains%2C%20mold%2C%20and%20mildew.

 

CAREERS:

You can weave a good career by weaving, whether it is with hair, baskets, fabric, furniture, rungs, even industrial conveyor belts. You can do it by hand or by machine—or you could teach weaving. It’s your choice! Here are some examples:

• https://careers.acteonline.org/career/weaving-instructor#:~:text=Weaving%20Instructor%20Career%20Paths,publishing%20instructional%20materials%20and%20guides.
• Colonial basket weaver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLNfZJD06uQ
• OR you can be an underwater basket weaver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VumIcyGUyJ0

A tisket, a tasket, let's talk about a basket

 

We see baskets at home, at school, in public places. They are often a big part of Easter. How old are baskets? How have they been used? These questions weave a fun story that you can untangle by exploring these online activities.

CONNECT:

• Get the facts about baskets at https://kids.kiddle.co/Basket
• Baskets are almost 10,000 years old! Explore their history at https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-09-27/ty-article/earliest-baskets-in-europe-from-almost-10-000-years-ago-found-in-spanish-cave/0000018a-d71f-d476-abcf-f7ff5b860000
• Compare baskets from around the world at http://blog.projectbly.com/basket-case-baskets-from-around-the-world/

CREATE:

• Start with a couple of easy baskets to make for Easter – or any time – at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz1ccR4A_Pk
• Have fun with a laundry basket at https://www.first5california.com/en-us/activities/basket-of-fun-toddler/#:~:text=Who%20knew%20a%20simple%20basket%20could%20be%20so%20much%20fun%3F&text=Place%20an%20empty%20laundry%20basket,them%20out%20one%20by%20one.
• Create and use a learning basket at https://www.freeandunfettered.com/montessori-inspired-learning-basket-activities-for-6-year-olds/

CARE:

• Make a morning basket for your family and friends at https://simplyfun.com/blogs/simplyfun-blog/fun-summer-morning-basket-ideas-for-kids
• Gain respect for the Cherokee when you try your hand at native American basket weaving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt3Zw7WzHCs
• See an example of basket giving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozam1uC0rTg. Maybe your friends can adapt this idea.

CAREERS:

Basket weaving techniques have been handed down through generations, and you can still leran the craft and even make a career of it. Here are a couple of examples.

• Watch how African American history has informed basket weaving at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8tEbC1nC0E
• See the genius of a traditional basket weaver at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOuuoWay-0

And even if you can't make a basket, you can make a career from studying them as an archeologist, selling them, and using them as an interior decorator and gift packager – including for Easter!

OR you can make a basket as a basketball player ;-)

The Fabric of Our Lives

Fabric clothes us and surrounds us in our homes and public spaces. Not only does it come in different sizes, colors and textures, but it can be made from many kinds of things. Follow the threads of these activities about fabrics.

CONNECT:

• Cloth, textile or fabric are similar names for manufactured material. Get more textile facts at https://kids.kiddle.co/Textile
• Usually only people wear clothing, more recently from fabric rather than fur. Discover the invention of textile at http://www.historyofclothing.com/textile-history/
• Watch the journey of cotton from far to fabric at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orKBbm9lJ1s

CREATE:

• These great fabric crafts are a fun way to make great projects with the family while learning about working with fabric: https://www.education.com/activity/fabric-projects/
• Create your own Adinkra cloth, a hand-printed fabric made in Ghana, by following the directions at https://www.pbs.org/wonders/Kids/cloth/cloth.htm
• You too can weave – on a cardboard loom – with these simple instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ByYj5G4-Hc

CARE:

• Here is an age-by-age guide on laundry skills kids need to learn: https://www.whatsupfagans.com/teach-kids-laundry-skills/
• You can sew for charity; here are ways to get involved and what you can make: https://www.maigocute.com/pages/sewing-for-charity
• Many animals are exploited to make the material for fabrics, some of which are now endangered animals; learn about them at https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/animals-used-skins/

CAREERS:

Weave a fulfilling career through fabric: from farm to manufacturing, from design to selling and its maintenance. Here are some insights.

http://www.sewing.org/html/textilecareers.html

https://textiles.ucdavis.edu/careers

https://www.apparelsearch.com/employment/job_descriptions/fashion_industry_job_descriptions.htm