Why You Should Learn Paper Weaving
It’s likely that at some point during your time in elementary art class, you learned about paper weaving (and if you didn’t, I’m sorry). You selected a few strips of pre-cut colored paper and then practiced going over and under, over and under, resulting in a simple pattern. In weaving terms, you learned to create […]
Recommended Reading: Books about Textiles
It’s been a few years since I’ve had the week off between Christmas and New Year, so when it was announced that we would be closed for the week, I quickly requested a pile of books from the library. My goal was to spend my week off, snuggled by the fire, reading books, and I […]
How to Scaffold Your Learning
I never learned how to do paper weaving, at least not that I remember. You might not think that’s a big deal, and in some ways, it’s not, but since I spent ten years designing and selling woven textiles, it made my learning curve steeper than it needed to be. In my college weaving class, […]
Why You Aren’t Getting Anything Done
No matter who you are, you probably feel behind on something. Before we get into practical ways to catch up, let’s determine if you need to. We often feel behind because we’ve made up false rules or expectations. Or, we’ve created a list and aren’t taking the time to reflect and realize that if something […]
The Body Book in Action
Wake Up! Wake up! Today’s the day, my body wants to move and play! As an elementary PE teacher, this sentence accurately describes my working environment. Often my biggest struggles center around corralling the students long enough to give directions in order to get them moving with some purpose. They simply enter the gym and […]
Where do Ideas Come From?
When it comes to trying to develop creative ideas or solutions, we often wish that we could flip to the back of the book and consult the answer key. There is no answer key, but there are practices that you can bring into your life that will increase your ability to find ideas. Ideas are […]
Are You Using Learning as Punishment?
Art history, research, reading, and writing should not be a punishment. I get it. It’s REALLY hard and frustrating when students aren’t taking care of art materials. But when the punishment is to take away materials and hand them information about artists, that sends the wrong message. Art history can and should be fun and […]
The Joys of Paper Weaving
I first learned how to weave on a floor loom, while studying art education in college, and while I enjoyed the process, outside of the weaving studio, I didn’t have access to a floor loom, so once the class ended, so did my weaving. That is until several years later when a used loom listed […]
The Weaving Book
Do you LOVE fiber arts, textiles, and making things? My grandmother was the first to introduce me to the wonderful world of textiles. She was an avid knitter and spent a lot of time adding detailed embroidery to pillowcases and table clothes. These practices caught my attention early and continued to grow as I entered […]
I Can……
I can statements have been used in education, mainly elementary, for many years. The statements correspond to what the students are learning in class and are often a way to take standards and learning objectives and translate them into student-friendly language. I can statements help students take responsibility for their learning and growth and can […]