Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Crafternoon: Dreamcatchers

As I perused through our luckily abundant craft closet this afternoon, I combed my brain for an idea for a meaningful craft activity for the kids to do.  I saw wire, beads, feathers, and yarn, and it hit me: dreamcatchers!  Dreamcatchers are a Native American artifact.  Legend says that if you hang a dreamcatcher above your bed, it filters out the bad dreams from the good ones, not allowing nightmares to pass through.  I explained this custom and belief to the kids before they made their dreamcatchers, and they were all excited about hanging them above their beds.

Materials:
  • Wire hoop
  • Yarn
  • Beads
  • Feathers
I started each child out with a wire hoop that I cut and twisted for them, along with a long piece of yarn (about 4 feet) tied to its top with a loop.  Then I instructed them to tie knots anywhere on the hoop to create a web, stringing beads along the way.  The great thing about this craft is that it is not a "cookie-cutter" craft; the kids can truly express their creative sides.  There are so many different patterns of yarn and knots, colors of beads, etc., that no two dreamcatchers looked alike.

No comments:

Post a Comment