3rd and 4th Grade -- CD weavings

Last year at the end of the year our building Tech came to me with a box of CD's asking if I could use them.

SURE! I said.

Fast forward to this year and suddenly CD weavings are popping up everywhere - Pinterest, other art teachers in my district, blogs.  I decided to jump on the band wagon and give it a try!

I started kids out with a CD, or rather their LOOM.  Next, I gave them a piece of warp thread - it was my wingspan,  about 5 ft.  Students put the warp thread through the middle of the loom and tied a TIGHT square knot on the back.  Next, students wrapped the remaining thread through the middle, then around the outside edge, until they ran out of thread.  Then, students counted how many strings they had on the front - they needed to have an ODD number (most had 11 or 13, a few 9).

IMPORTANT: The tighter the warp thread is on the loom the easier it will be to weave.

Next class I showed students how to measure a piece of yarn using their arms as a measuring stick - finger tips to shoulder, then how to thread the yarn on a tapestry needle. (HINT: my mom taught me this-- don't use the end of the string, instead make a little loop, pinch the top of the loop to make a bump, put the eye of the needle on the bump, wiggle the bump a little and it will slide right into the eye!).  Do not tie on the needle.  Students learn quickly to pull the thread not the needle when pulling weft thread tight.

Students then pick a spot on their warp thread, put the needle under, over, under, PULL - pull till the end of the string almost goes under that first warp thread.  Hold down the end of the weft thread while you continue with the needle all the way around - over, under, over, under.... when you get back to the beginning the weft string will overlap the end and hold it in place.  Weave till you run out of string.  When the string runs out - end it on an 'under' movement.  Measure new string, start where the last string ended and keep going!  (video to come)

The first couple of strings were the most thought provoking for the students - but after that they CRUISED!  In fact students would beg to take them home to work on them and would exclaim with excitement when they would return to finish them!

To be done students could either weave to the very edge or stop about an inch short and color with Sharpies.

I will totally do these again!

***NOTES***
- Make warp thread TIGHT.
- Make sure there are an odd number of warp threads.
- Make students thread their own needles.
- Don't let students tie on their needles (unless absolutely needed)

Paper Weavings (k,1,3,4)

Weaving was one of the classes in college that made me realize that I wanted to be an art teacher.

Weird, right?


Weaving was the first class where everything made sense.  It was the first class I had ever had that I didn't struggle to understand processes, concepts, or anything else.  In my entire school career it was the first class I had where I felt smart.  I have some learning disabilities that make retaining oral information difficult for me - so most classes are tough and lectures were a nightmare.  Weaving was the first class where everything was explained with examples and showing/doing it -- it totally made sense to me.  It was in my weaving class where I realized that other kids who learn just like me are actually smart and they need a space to feel smart - where it doesn't matter if letters move, or you can't read fast, or if numbers just don't make sense.   Art is for everyone, but especially for those kids who aren't 'smart' based on their state test scores.

I could go on -- but back to our weavings.

So, for as much as I LOVE weaving - I have never woven with students.  The idea seemed overwhelming to me.  I struggled with how to organize the materials and be available to help students as they had questions and needed assessment.

At last I decided to jump in and see how it went.

It went WAY BETTER than I expected.

Kids are born weavers.

Kids that I expected to struggle with weaving because the struggled with other art skills -- SOARED and kids that I expected to breeze through it struggled a bit.  Why?  I am not completely sure.  I think it has something to do with the combination of fine motor skills, ability to recognize patterns, willingness to correct mistakes, and other crazy brain functions I can only pretend to know about.

For the Kinders and 1st grade kids I made very simple looms.  I provided students with their "warp thread" precut and attached at the top.  I gave them strips of paper they needed to weave over, under, over, under until they filled their paper.  We then either glued down the flaps or I taped the flaps on the back. Students LOVED seeing their weavings get longer - many even made patterns with the paper they picked.

For the 3rd graders - I had them make their warp threads.  We spent a class with rules and pencils to make sure their warp threads were even and in the right spaces.  A few students had to redo theirs when they quit and did it halfway trying to take the easy way out -- instead they had to do twice as much work.  Once their loom was done I left them pick which design they wanted from some patterns.  I showed them how to read the pattern one line at a time, then weave it -- next line and so on.  Many students caught on after a couple of lines, a few students needed some extra help.  They did GREAT!

4th graders made their own looms as well, but instead of weaving a pre-made pattern, I had them create their own.  Each student got a sheet of paper with 3 grids on it.  Students colored in full squares to make their designs.  Once all three designs were complete, students picked their favorite to weave.  Again, I showed students how to read their patterns one row at a time - off they went.

Now, after our first rounds of weaving I have decided that I love doing paper weavings with the younger kids and yarn weaving with the older kids.  While the grid weavings are neat - they were frustrating for many students because the paper moves around a lot, causing their patterns to distort. I had students glue them down in the end - but it was hard to glue flat without warping their weaving.  Although, I have to admit that the students had very little issue with the grid weaving concept because of Minecraft.  I had TONS of creepers woven.

4th Grade - Weaving friendship bracelets (toe weaving/5 finger weaving)

I wanted to do a weaving project with my older kids that was more than a tapestry, or a woven plate - and so this lessons was inspired by that and  my love of summer camp, weaving, and colored friendship bracelets.

While I was working at a summer camp I noticed a lot of campers doing a type of friendship bracelet that I had never seen before.  One day it was rainy and cold and most of the outdoor activities had been canceled so I asked one of the campers, Rachael, to teach me how to do it!  I found it to be easy, fast, and look really neat!  I made countless bracelets, necklaces and anklets that summer.

As I planned for this unique weaving project for my 4th grades I searched for some printed directions to help my students work through the steps if I was busy helping someone else.  I have directions but they are different than how I teach the students - so I don't tend to use them.


Once I figured out how I was going to teach how to weave the bracelets I had to organize the use of embroidery floss -- I had a vision of a massive pile of wasted string somehow tangled in a massive ball!  To keep my vision from happening I placed out small butter tubs (with lids) - one for each table in each class.  I separated the embroidery floss to give each table the same set of colors.  When each tub was filled I put the lid on and labeled it with their teacher and their table color.  This way if blue table in one class used all their pink string the first day it wouldn't affect anyone else - or if they tangled their orange so badly they couldn't use it - again it wouldn't affect anyone else.  When introducing the lesson I explain this to them - that way there is not "HEY WHO TOOK OUR BLACK?! or people coming over to ask to use another table's orange since theirs is tangled.

The day of the lesson I explain to them our plan for the day.  I emphasis that some of them will understand this right away because either they have done this type of bracelet, they have done others like it, or maybe they are just good at spacial things like this.  There will be other students in class that will feel confused and frustrated for most of class.  I ask if that is okay - is it okay to be frustrated and confused?!  They say 'yes'.  I ask if it's okay to give up -they say no.  I explain that I will travel around the room but that I can only help one or maybe two students at a time -- they will need to be patient.  I prepare them to understand that they may only start to understand and get it today - but that we will do it again and they will master it before we are done.

Next is to show them how to weave their bracelet.  I show them how to measure out 3 pieces of embroidery floss at 2 feet.  Then they are to tie ALL the ends together - they should get a loop.  Tape it to the table and separate the loops.  Make bear claw hands with fingers pointed towards the table.  On one hand put a string on the middle finger and another string on the pointer finger - on the opposite hand put the string on the middle finger.  Take the string-less pointer finger and go over, under, over the strings on the opposite hand - grab the very outside string and pull through.  So the string on the middle finger will transfer to the weaving pointer finger.  Then move the string from the pointer finger to the middle finger and repeat to the opposite hand.  Repeat until the loops are too small for fingers.



The next class up the difficulty and I let the students pick from 3-7 strings.  I show them how to weave with 7 strings -- it's the same process just with more strings.  If students are still uneasy with everything they can stay with 3 strings!

The first day of this project is a little rough since there is only one of me -but the students handle it well and there are generally enough students that catch on fast enough that they can help their peers.

After the first day they ask/beg to make friendship bracelets at every class!