Summer Sewing

I just love when my children get a "bee in their bonnet" about a project, they get so industrious and creative.  We are coming to the end of our 6 week lesson break and I thought I would show you one of our highlights.  It all started with a trip to the library and some American Girl Magazines that we brought home.  If you have not seen this magazine (we were a little slow to the party) check your library to see if they have a subscription, we love it.  The magazine is full of fun party/get together ideas, craft ideas, jokes, personal drawings and stories of real people, not models.  Well the little ladies, after pouring over the magazines, got into a crafting frenzy.  First, both E and K made bags out of old t-shirts.

This project came from the pages of the American Girl Magazine and was a complete no sew job.  The bags are easy to make (no I don't have a tutorial because I was leaving them to their own devices but you are all so creative, just google it or look on youtube), provide a lot of fine motor practice due to the cutting, tying and beading and the bags are oh so cute and useful.  It was also so sweet because when a neighbor friend came over later in the week, they had raided the friends' old t-shirt pile and E ended up with the opportunity to give her friend a craft lesson.

So, from there, the sewing books came out.  K wanted to make B a bag to put candy in during our local Fourth of July parade and man did my little girl impress me.  K's fine motor skills have improved by leaps and bounds since last summer's sewing activities, she sewed all of B's little bag by herself.  I was so blessed by her improvement in skills and her stick to it attitude to complete the project.

The E made a little pouch, button and all, from one of the sewing books.  She uses it to keep her "cell phone" in.

The two sewing books we use are My First Sewing Book and Sewing School.  Both books are filled with fun, cute and easy projects.  We also keep a large sewing basket for the children's needles, pins, thread, buttons and fabric.  I'm not showing it to you because it is so not picture worthy. It is a huge MESS!  Try as I might, that basket never stays neat, no matter how many containers or ziploc bags I use.

There are many summer days left that I am sure much more sewing, and crafts will occur.  If you need a few ideas to fill the long days I have 2 pinterest boards  For the Children and Kid Crafts and Concoctions.

Thanks for visiting and I would so love it if you left me a comment so we know you were here.

I am linking up with Montessori Monday.