Teacups in the Garden

• May. 2, 2008 - Warning-Basketweaving 101 More Difficult than Once Thought!

Posted in TOG Y2U4

When I was in college, if there was a simple class to take, we used to joke around that it was Basketweaving 101.  I have since been  educated as to the error of that thinking and have changed my mind!

It all began a few years ago when we went to Colonial Williamsburg.  One of the crafts we saw was basketweaving.  My son must have been 8 at the time and was fascinated by the process.  He asked tons of questions.  At the gift shop, I purchased a kit thinking we could all enjoy the project together.  However we never got around to it.  Then last Christmas, a family member gave dd a colonial basket kit from the same company that we got our first kit.  I decided to save these for our TOG Year 2 Unit 4 studies of the American Revolution. 

When we started unit 4 in March, the first craft we pulled out was the basket kits.  We laid everything out.

We laid out ds's kit and figured out what all the various pieces were.  Good.  I figured ds could get started on his and then tell us how to do ours (because I would help dd).  DS always figures things out and always tells us what we are doing wrong.  ;)  He always knows.  He is very good at this type of thing.  =)  I was very happy to defer to his skills, because I had a lot on my "to do" list and I was getting a bit confused with the directions.  However, I just knew my ds would save the day!  The next step was to soak  the reeds.  They must remain wet in order to be flexible enough for all of the bending.

While those were soaking, dd and I got her kit set it but we were confused.  Some of the pieces were  different and they weren't as easy to identify as ds' were.  We called ds over to help....and he was  equally confused.  Hmmmm.  Well we soaked hers in the other sink.  Meanwhile ds got started on his...and got stuck.  He was clueless.  He needed my help.  What????  I was depending on him!  Well, I took a look at the two sheets, looked up the web site, which didn't seem to be much help to me or him.

 I was ready to make a momentous decision.  I was ready to throw everything away!  We needed a life!  Who needs basketweaving anyway?  Basketweaving is for the more intelligent genre of people of this would, not for us lowly types who can't read directions.  Of all the crafts I have tackled in my entire life, of all the self taught things I have ever done, I was ready to admit defeat!  I was not ashamed to concede that basketweaving is a highly intelligent skill.  I was prepared to repent of my sins of Basketweaving 101 put downs in college.  But the look in my children's eyes reduced me to give it the good old college try.  I always tell them to do their best, to not give up...what did we have to lose?  We could just go for it and make something to share at our unit celebration, no matter how pathetically it turned out.  

 

So we did the next thing; we took one step at a time, not worrying about too many steps ahead.  This is the foundation part of ds' basket.  We used a ruler to measure and set the pace for an even grid.  Who knew math would be involved?????

Getting the foundational grid even on dd's basket...

Does it look like a basket yet?  Hmmm....

DS' basket, turning up the ends...

Meticulously working our way through the weaving.  Believe me, this is not as easy at it looks.  I had to pull out dd's weaving quite often and help her a lot, because it would get confusing.  I even had to pull out my own work more than once.

DD's basket in the home stretch...

DS's basket at this point...

He got a little further than this when we had to put things away to sing at the nursing home.  The next afternoon after church I crashed onto the bed and slept all afternoon.  DH finished the basket with ds.

Ta da....

    

    

Post A Comment! :: Send to a Friend!

• May. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by andijeane
Wow - that looks so complicated! I'm so impressed with your perseverance - the baskets are beautiful!

~Andrea
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• May. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by 4sweetums
WOW! They baskets are so impressive. I am very interested in learning how to basket weave someday. Your blog shows me so many cool things to do with my children when they get older.
Blessings,
Dawn
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• May. 2, 2008 - How beautiful!

Posted by Homeschoolmama
I love the baskets! Good for you for not giving upI!
I am doing TOG Y2, U1. When it was time to cut out the pieces for the Rose window this week, I was quite a grump. I finally decided to ditch the round shape so it would be easier.
Then, I couldn't get my scissors in the holes very well. I was so frustrated, that DH is going to help cut the pieces with an exacto knife this weekend so we can complete the project.

We did get a mosiac heart, an Arabian marketplace, and crayon-smashing stained glassed windows done, so that's really impressive for me.

I love reading your blog. It inspires me to try harder to give my kids the whole experience. Thank you!

Dawn in N.B.
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• May. 2, 2008 - <em>Untitled Comment</em>

Posted by MayTheyBeMightyMen
Those are AMAZING!!!! You did this project as a family? The kids did fantastic work...the baskets are lovely! Where's your basket?

Now, were you tempted to do it underwater? ;')

Edited by MayTheyBeMightyMen on May. 2, 2008 at 5:43 PM
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• May. 3, 2008 - Beautiful...

Posted by proverbsmomof3
Glad you were able to stick to it. The kids did an awesome job. My sons both did the basket weaving badge in Boy Scouts, but they were a different type and honestly didn't come out half as nice as yours. You should be proud, not only with the finished project but with the patience and perserverance of the kids.
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• May. 3, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous
How beautiful, dear friend! Your children did a wonderful job, as did you in persevering. Who knew there would be such character training in Basketweaving 101 ~ for the rest of us!

Love, Marsha
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• May. 5, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by kellieann
Wow...they look great! Glad you got it figured out!
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About Me

Gardens thrill my soul. My senses awaken, my soul is refreshed, my mood calms down...and if given time for quiet ponder, I've enjoyed the sound of buzzing bees while collecting pollen, the delightful croak of shy Mr. Toad, the exuberant flutter a hummingbird near my face thanking me for scrumptious flowers, and the gentle touch of the butterfly who settles on my shoulder. I've been known to walk into the house with my hair showered in lavender crepe myrtle blossoms and my clothes covered in blue plumbago blooms. Picture a rustic wrought iron bistro set with floral cushions and gingham pillows under a crepe myrtle dripping in blooms. I've set out some tea. Come and sit with me while I catch you up on the latest of the happenings in my family. Welcome to my garden.


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A Day in the Life
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Lafayette Costume-Military Neckware: The Black Stock
Superman Squirrel, Who Can Leap from a Deck to a Window in a Single Bound
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2009-2010 Curriculum for dd-16

Geometry, Chapter 5
Latin III, chapter 6
Chemistry, Module 3
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Dialectic History, Geography, Worldview
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Rhetoric Literature
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Rhetoric Government
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Rhetoric Philosophy
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Rhetoric Fine Arts
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Piano


Rhetoric Literature

• TS Eliot, Robert Frost

Rhetoric Government

• Pierce vs. Society of Sisters

Rhetoric Philosophy


Writing Assignment

• Prepare First Person Interpretation for Unit Celebration
• Practice poetry recitation for Unit Celebration

Art

• Expressionism
• Costume Design for "The Cherry Orchard"
• Victorian Quilt

2009-2010 Curriculum for ds-14

Pre-Algebra, Chapter 6
National Spelling Bee Study
Latin I, chapter 9
Physical Science, Module 5
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Dialectic History, Geography, Worldview, Church History
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Dialectic Literature
Tapestry of Grace, Year 4 Dialectic Fine Arts
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Piano
Fife


Dialectic Literature

• Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz

History Theme of the Week

• Calvin Coolidge, Scopes Trial, Rise of Hitler and Mussolini, The Roaring Twenties

Writing Assignment

• Practice First Person Interpretation for Unit Celebration

Dialectic Church History

• Eric Liddell

Dialectic Music History

• Richard Strauss, Jean Sibelius, Charles Ives

Art

• Model Vintage Airplanes
• Political Cartoon

Current Read Aloud

By England's Aid: Or, The Freeing of the Netherlands AD 1588


2009-2010 Books Read 16yod

• Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt
• Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor
• The Panama Canal
• Selections from The American Regionalism Reader
• With Daring Faith
• The First World War
• Women's Right to Vote
• The Cherry Orchard
• Billy Sunday: Homerun to Heaven

2009-2010 Books Read 14yos

• The Call of the Wild
• Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt
• Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor
• The Panama Canal
• White Fang
• O'Henry Short Stories
• With Daring Faith
• The First World War
• Women's Right to Vote
• Billy Sunday: Homerun to Heaven
• Shoeless Joe Jackson

Movies of the Era

• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Nicholas and Alexandria
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Anne of Green Gables III (intrigue and espionage in WWI)
• Sgt. York

Books on My Nightstand

Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent by Beth Moore
Williamsburg Before and After
Adopted Son: Washington, Lafayette, and the Friendship that Saved the Revolution


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Tapestry of Grace: Map of the Humanities



Map of the Humanities
Ever wish your kids could see the "big picture" of what they're studying?

The "Map of the Humanities" puts it all on one page: history, literature, government, fine arts and philosophy from Creation to right now!



Tapestry of Grace Year 1: Creation to the

Fall of Rome



Tapestry of Grace Year 2: Middle Ages,

Renaissance, Reformation, Exploration,

Colonial America, American Revolution,

The Constitution



Tapestry of Grace Year 3: 19th Century



Tapestry of Grace Year 4: 20th and 21st Centuries



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