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Craft Club is new to our program this year but is already proving to be a hit. The goal was to take craft lessons beyond the more traditional curriculum content and introduce pupils to tools, techniques and material properties which combine the natural world, science and building self-confidence.
Craft Club and self confidence
From the beginning, pupils in the club have been exposed to a strong culture of health and safety. Working with natural materials such as wood requires the use of tools which could be potentially hazardous if used incorrectly.
The children are all building up their knowledge of how to handle bladed tools like knives in a safe and responsible manner. Furthermore, they understand the importance of keeping a tidy workspace, free from trip hazards or other sources of injury. They have learned how to move around the room without being in a position where they could obstruct others and to keep their eyes open for potential dangers. This means that everyone is not only learning to focus on their own safe work but also to be aware of anyone else who may not be working so safely.
Craft Club and science
The results so far are positive. As well as building self confidence through recognising and managing risk, Craft Club members are gaining tactile experience of the natural world. We have chosen wood based on the properties which make it suitable for the task at hand, learning how the tree draws water up its trunk and how deciduous trees store energy to survive the winter. We have seen and felt the form of the wood and how it forms part of the life cycle of forest insects. In the process, we have seen how insects and fungus break down dead wood, returning it to the soil from which it came. In one memorable meeting, we even found a live insect which had a lucky escape from the knife and was evicted out the window to safety!
Craft Club and the natural world
As we move through the projects lined up for the year, we are also going to gain a valuable understanding of the cycles of the natural world. Not every project can be done at every time of the year. Some materials can be collected in different seasons, while others have quite specific times when they are suitable. By the time we head off for School In Nature, we should have built up enough of a repertoire that we can recognise the materials and their suitability for various uses as we move through the forests and meadows.
Understanding lies at the core of respect and our long-term goal is to help children appreciate that we can live quite harmoniously with nature without having to sacrifice the benefits of modern society.
Craft Club and … craft
All the skills and benefits listed above are great and good, but they are not necessarily goals in themselves. What comes with their new-found confidence and skills are unique artifacts which exist only because a child made them. As no two pieces of wood are the same, even if they are from the same tree, no two necklaces, carvings or toys will be identical. Each child can experience the pride which comes from making something that is absolutely individual in all the world.
