Fun and Unique Handicrafts for Kids
A British educator born over 150 years ago discovered a clue to childhood learning that still rings true: “The duty of parents is to sustain a child’s inner life with ideas as they sustain his body with food.” Charlotte Mason lived well before computers and screens of all kinds, yet she developed a lifestyle of learning that not only delivered a broad and generous education to the children of her day, but continues to inspire today’s educators all over the world!
Mason’s philosophy of learning resides in the belief that a child is a person and we must educate that whole person, rather than just the mind via dry textbooks or perpetual commands and directions. In her words, “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.” While there are many concepts to unpack in Charlotte Mason’s pedagogy, this article will focus on the significance she saw in prioritizing the introduction and application of unique handicrafts to kids.
Her key discovery remains that learning is much more meaningful and long lasting when ideas are simultaneously coupled with hands-on skills such as: garden work, cooking, sewing, woodworking, weaving baskets, and crafting jewelry and gifts.