Elizabeth's "The Making Lessons" Details

Buried under a huge pile of multi-coloured wool on the couch one evening, I planned it.

My first, real, handwork project which I hoped to use to teach my young son at home. It was such a simple idea & yet I hadn’t the slightest idea of how important it was at the time.

I made a play-farm.

Just 12 squares of basic knitting - all held together by a knit stream & a few paths. Embellished with some veggies, a little bridge & a few different stitches, it became my key lesson tool for years.

While attending a parent & tot program at a nearby Waldorf school, I realized how the things the children played with weren’t just toys. I hadn’t really thought about it before. Good quality toys had always been a priority for me while raising my 3 bigger kids (they’re all adults now).   I chose them mainly so they would last & because, as a life-long creative, I appreciated the effort that had gone into making them.

It wasn't long before I discovered that children can make great things with fibre from a very early age. Watching my little son making wet-felted balls, pompoms & little felt figures, I was inspired to do it at home with him. He loved it & was good at it. And then? Being an unusual hybrid creative-researcher type, I started delving deeper into the Waldorf curriculum.

Why did handwork play such an important role in Steiner’s method?

Well, I found out & so much more! Since those days, a lot has changed. My son is 9 now & I have a lovely daughter who is 5. My husband & I decided 3 years ago, to pack everything, sell up & leave Toronto.  We moved to a small village in the French countryside, where I homeschool the kids using an eclectic blend of Waldorf, Reggio & things that feel right.

And the play-farm ?

Yesterday, my daughter, had it laid out on the floor (5 years later !) floating her fairies on the pond while she told herself the most elaborate story....

What are The Making Lessons ?

 

 

This 4-week self-paced course is taught via easy-to-follow lessons; each brimming with inspiring ideas & supported by up-to-date research about the fabulous effects handwork has on our children’s brains & bodies. 

This course is live. It will grow & change as we move through it. I will be planning projects for my own children along with you (I'll show you how & what I’m doing).

And ...

if you want to tell me more about you & your kids (where you live, ages, curriculum), I’ll tweak the course here & there to make it even more relevant for you. 

I have been a professional designer & maker for 30 years. Handwork has been my passion since I can remember & now for the first time, I am sharing my flexible approach to designing handwork projects online. 

You'll discover how these techniques will simplify your planning & help you feel more confident & relaxed about including handwork in your everyday lessons.

 

You’ll enjoy coming along for this beta-version of the course if you:

• like to think for yourself, draw from many sources & then translate your ideas into a rich & exciting curriculum for your children
• have so many ideas you don’t know where to start when it comes to handwork projects
• teach children aged 4 - 9 (approximately kindergarten to grade 3)
• want a little bit of support & guidance when planning your projects

 

How are The Making Lessons taught?

Creating anything is always a multi-faceted endeavour which rarely starts at just one point. It’s so easy to get caught up in the planning & dreaming. Often, we miss getting to the making stage!

As a homeschooling/work-at-home/designing mother, I know how challenging it can be to find a long stretch of time to myself (pretty much impossible), so The Making Lessons are clear, short & filled with solid content.  

Mix + Match + Create = Enjoy 

Once you have completed the course, you will be able to mold this approach, adapt it, make it yours - so that you can quickly & easily write lesson plans & design projects for any age child(ren) using any curriculum - for years to come.

Listen, watch & do at your own pace.

You can spend as long as you want browsing, choosing & sampling
anything that takes your fancy.

 

Everything will be presented in 7 multi-media lessons -

Lesson 1 - Why Handwork Matters

• how it affects children's heads, hearts & hands
• how handwork is brain smart
• how the course works 
• how to get the most out of this opportunity

Lesson 2 - Collecting Ideas & Content  

• deciding where you want to tie handwork into your curriculum
• the powerful places in curriculum to integrate handwork  (handwork integration 101)
• how to annotate books & sites - easily remember where you found topics & ideas

Lesson 3 - Inspiration 

• where to find it & what to do with it once you’ve got some
• build your own personalized sourcebook 
• how to create a "look board" with your kids

Lesson 4 - Skills & Projects 

• general overview of age appropriate handwork skills
• observing & assessing your child's skills
• assessing your own skill levels
• define YOUR unique making talents
• learning new skills
• how, when & where - types of projects - gifts, toys, dolls, teaching tools, décor, contemplative 
• explore tools, materials, vocabulary & basic skills for major fibre arts

Lesson 5 - Creating your own "Handwork Studio" 

• collecting materials & tools
• building your own library
• when & what to buy
• what NOT to buy
• how to work on a budget

Lesson 6 - Teaching Handwork

• tips for designing engaging lessons
• create your own individualized craft guide & lesson planner 
• how to create an environment that enhances the handwork experience
• easy to follow techniques with examples of simple lesson plans
• tips for building confidence, maintaining motivation & making it fun
• how to vary lessons—make them easier, extend them
•  enjoy the lesson you’re teaching it without worrying how you’re going to present it
• working with multi-age groups

Lesson 7 - Making Handwork Memories

• Record - making sample books, storing finished work
• Report - how to tie new handwork skills into academic topics
• Share your children's work with school inspectors, friends & family

Each lesson will feature :

• Videos & podcasts
• Lots of inspiring images (many from my own projects & archives - 25+ years worth !!)
• Q&A posts (I’ll gather all of your questions & answer them after each lesson)  

PLUS. . .  

A variety of PDFs -- created specifically for this course :

• Guided exercises & short readings for you to reflect on
•  Handy worksheets, tables & forms to print & use immediately
•  Shopping Lists for materials, tools, resources ( including FREEBIES)
•  Checklists for preparing lessons (have everything ready BEFORE you teach)
•  Charts & Calendars (festivals, handwork skills lists for kindergarten to grade 3)
•  Basic starter patterns & templates to get you started
•  Annotated book lists (my core resources & I’ll tell you why)

Bonuses :

• I’ll share lists of my favourite inspirational blogs & websites. 
• I’ll give you access to my private pinterest board which I will build during the course. 
• You can share & explore the course with the other participants by leaving comments on the private course blog.  

Now,

you may have some questions about your situation & how The Making Lessons can work for you. You can indulge in this short, practical course - even if :

• you don’t know a lot about handwork yet (everybody has to start somewhere !)
• you use a mix of curriculums & packages (customization is the name of the game)
• you don’t have a whack o’ cash lying around for mounds of supplies (who does?) 
• you teach a mixed age group of children (projects can be even more fun)
• your kids go to school but you’d like to enrich their lives with making beautiful things
• you keep trying to add handwork into your days but can’t seem to find the time
• you teach in a professional setting (this approach will simplify your planning)
• your kids really little (it’s never too early to start learning & gathering inspiration) 

It’s possible for anyone to benefit from this course if they are willing to read a bit, think a little & try some new things along the way.

*** This is the course I wish had existed when I started homeschooling 9 years ago. ***

I live ( & love) this stuff - I read/design/teach/make constantly —it’s my thing!

If you'd like to enjoy the satisfaction & freedom
of easily designing your own handwork lessons for next year along with me,
simply click below to enroll.

This is a beta course—it will never be run again at such a low price.

BUY NOW for $57! 

Hurry! There are a limited number of slots open at this price!

The full market price of The Making Lessons is $97 USD.

P.S. The GREAT BIG BONUS !!

Those who complete & submit the core course exercises (details in Lesson One) will receive a complimentary 20-minute Skype one-on-one session with me. We can plan a project, brainstorm for a festival or just chat about handwork. Whatever you want to talk about!

A NOTE FROM SALLY:  I am hosting this course (and not making a penny) on my blog because of the incredible talent and inspiration of my friend Elizabeth.  This course is a must do!  Don't miss this goodness for such a bargain price.  Handwork is a powerhouse in the classroom!  Elizabeth is going to walk you through the process of bringing handwork to your academic settings.  I am so excited for us all!