After 10 years of teaching art, I have never done a weaving project. Usually the classroom teachers take care of this standard but I couldn’t help myself. Inspiration from Art For Small Hands was enough to push me to try this new medium. I loved it and so did the kids. I’m not going to lie, though. This project took a bit of investigating to see how to teach this project well. Julie’s explanation of the project was perfect for me.
Would you like to see my abbreviated summary of the lesson? Watch this….
Always proud of my second graders and their joy in creating every type of art.
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I think all of us have something that we may have never taught before. I remember the first time I taught a weaving lesson I was nervous!! But it all worked out and now I love teaching it.
Your projects turned out great!
I always loved doing weavings, paper, yarn, burlap, whatever. These look great, but I’m curious, how did it go with the ones using chalk pastels? I’ve never tried incorporating chalks in a weaving and I wondered if it smeared a lot while doing the weaving. How did you control it? Or is it just my left-handedness that makes me smear chalk pastels so much?
I was wondering the same thing as Phyl… didn’t the chalk get all over their hands and strips when they were weaving? Pretty weavings though… nice designs. 🙂
Yes, the chalk does get over their hands and onto the paper strips, but not enough to cause the child (or me) any concerns. Take a look at my response to Phyl’s question.
Hi Phyl,
You were another inspiring source when it came to weaving. I really wanted to add another design element to the weaving and sometimes chalk and oil pastel are the easiest.
I have to pause when someone asks me how I control the mess that results in using chalk. Truth is, I don’t give it any thought.
My students rarely leave the art room clean, so chalk dust is just another art room hazard.
As for it smearing as the kids wove their papers…if you notice, the chalk on most is not too heavily applied. It is rubbed into the paper pretty well, so there is limited disruption of their design or color. And when there is a mess, I hand the child a baby wipe or they can rinse on in the sink.
I just finished up weaving with 1st. I haven’t posted the lesson yet, but it was our first attempt. It is interesting how some kids just get it ! My favorite lesson this year involved making painted paper as the background for our longhorn drawings. I do fiber and burlap weaving which is a hit every year.
These are great! This just made me wonder if many art teachers stick with a few tried and true projects, or if most venture to try lots of new projects to keep things exciting for them, too.
Yes to both! There are projects i have done for years and years and they are well loved….then there are projects that I do for a while and have to change because if I were to keep doing them the same way i would go bonkers! 🙂
I love this extension of weaving. It’s always great to see how one can add interest to a common activity such as this one. I think even very young children can do this type of weaving. I have tried the weaving with the boards that you can buy at discount school supply but they are too hard for 4 yr olds. This activity however, is not and will make it more engrossing with your ideas. Thanks
Actually, the activity isn’t that easy for young kids. Second grade kids created these weavings but not all were able to understand the alternate up and over concept. If you wanted to do this with a group of 4 year olds, it’s best to have a lot of help!
For pre-K through first grade try making a paper loom in 3rds . That way kids can see the opposite idea much quicker.
How fun! I am a homeschool parent and I am loving your website chock full of art lessons. Just a quick question…. What size paper do you recommend for this project? Thanks!
You can use any size but I used 12″ x 18″. Here’s a tip for weaving: the younger the kids, the smaller the paper and bigger the strips. Makes it easier to work with.
I think all of us have something that we may have never taught before. I remember the first time I taught a weaving lesson I was nervous!! But it all worked out and now I love teaching it.
amazing
Has anyone ever tried combining printmaking with weaving?