Mini-Weaving Loom

This week for Camp Fire we are looking at textile arts and trying our hands at a few projects that fall under this category. I hosted a small weaving project with our troop. It is a very simple project requiring very little in materials yet a great little project that is easy, colorful and as Holly has informed me - a bit addictive!

She did one yesterday at our Camp Fire meeting and then came home to make one more and this morning asked to make even another. It is artistic, requires focus, patience, hand eye coordination and good fine motor skills - all great skills to use!

To create a small loom I hot glued four popsicle sticks together to create a square. Then I tied on a solid color of yarn and wrapped the loom about five times and tied off. You now have a very simple loom! With a great assortment of yarns, scissors and little fingers - you are set to create! Tie onto the bottom corner thread and weaving in and out, back and forth. Change yarn by tying it off and keep weaving. When you are all finished you tie off on the last rows final thread. Trim and tuck all little knots you have.

A sweet, simple mini-weaving project!

Milk Carton Weaving

We found another great project from Pink & Green Mama (whose sight I love) and just had to try it out! I added this one into our art lesson plan... giving me a week or two to gather a milk carton to use. It is a simple project, very doable, offers some great fine motor skills, work with yarn and is a great final product!

Take a milk carton, wash it out and dry it. Then cut it down. Glue the outer part with a paper of choice. I was prepared to offer Holly all kinds of pretty papers, but she wanted a simple red. So, to offset the plain paper choice she got to work with our rainbow yarn (a favorite supply by the way). After the paper dried I helped to cut slits all the way around the milk carton that were about 2 inches long. Holly then set to work weaving the box, wrapping around and around. When she was all done wrapped she ended it where she started, and using the two ends she tied a little hanging pompom for added 'fun' she said. I'll admit, that pom pom is pretty cute on it too!

She loved this project a lot and is hoping to do it again soon! For now she decided to load her most used paint brush supplies. Fun stuff!!!

Rainbow Weaving

Holly is interested in weaving and I think it is a great chance to practice some patience and fine motor skills... as well as creativity of course! This project is quiet simple to create and accomplish successfully. Take a tray, like a meat package tray, and cut even lined up slits on each side. Then run a piece of yard or ribbon back and forth between the slits and tie it off. This will be the weaving loom. Then provide a dish of several colored ribbon or yarn lengths for your little one to weave. I cut all sorts of basic rainbow colored ribbons curious as to what would happen... and she created a rainbow pattern all on her own. Holly is a rainbow girl!