Since my son was 3 years old, we have sent our children to a wonderful Montessori school in Oak Park, IL. One of the many things I love about Montessori is that your child will stay with the same teacher for three years. In those three years, the teachers really get to know your child and the parent also develop a close relationship with the teacher.
During one of our parent gatherings, I learned that my son’s teacher was a big crafter (knitting, crochet, metal work). When I was starting Giving Artfully, she was one of the initial people that helped me brainstorm my idea. She loved the concept of Giving Artfully and wanted to bring it to her classroom. What a great opportunity to teach children about giving and charity not just by asking them to collect money or sell items, but to actually use their own hands to create something.
Thus began my adventure into brining Giving Artfully to the classroom. Still in its infant phase, I’m envisioning providing a curriculum to schools that will teach children the art of giving thru crafting. From my experience, young children really grasp the idea of charity when they are encouraged to make something versus give money.
A few weeks ago, my daughter’s class made fleece blankets for The Binky Patrol. We had children and parent volunteers over two days and made 4 binkies. The kids had a great time knowing that they were making items for “children who needed them”. It was such a successful project that we want to spread this idea to other classrooms a few times year.
Thank you to Rachel at Adventures of a DIY mom for this great no sew fleece pattern.