Jake's Art - Homeschool Weaving Lesson - Make your own Loom - DIY Arts and Crafts

How to make a loom for weaving scrap fiber: A Homeschool Art Lesson

Jake's Journey in Art goes under the sea in this DIY weaving Homeschool Art Lesson we learned to Renew. Enjoy!

Our loom has both warp and weft framework to better illustrate 
the concept to young children.

To weave a textile, threads (or scrap fabric) are woven on a frame called a loom. The first vertical threads on the loom are called warp threads. Threads that are woven horizontally in and out of the warp threads are called weft threads.

Cut notches in the cardboard frame to keep yarn in place.

Recycle a piece of cardboard from a cereal box or a foam tray to make your loom. You might also like Native American Paper Bag Dress

Cut small notches into the top and bottom of your cardboard(ours are about 1/2", but 1" works well). Make them about 1/2" inch apart. Alex Toys has a great PDF on weaving here.

Spongebob Fabric for Toddler bed tent.

Warp your loom with yarn or string by taking the thread and taping one end to the back middle of your board.  Now, starting with your first notch on the left, begin wrapping through each top and bottom notch without skipping a notch until you get to the right side of the board.  Only the warp frame is required.

Now your are ready to weave your weft. Cut or tear scraps of fabric into strips. Your strips of fabric should be about 1" thick and at least 12"  long. You will need about 20 strips. 

The cat enjoyed the tearing of fabric strips so much 
he needed a nap after playing with them.

For extra ease for smaller children, we added a weft frame as well. Now the scraps of fabric can be pulled through the little squares for guidance. Pull your scrap fabric under the first warp, over the next, and so on. The yarn guide will help younger children see any mistakes made.

When you have completed your weaving tie off all scraps in groups of two at the edges of your cardboard loom, then you can cut your your thread/yarn framework.

Spongebob has his eye on you.

This is an easy way to get littles started in weaving. It is also helpful to cut a piece of cardboard about 1" by 3" with a notch in the end. Attach your scrap fabric by inserting it in the notch and use as a tool to weave the fabric through the loom, this is called a shuttle.

Alex Toys Native American Bead Loom Kit for weaving bracelets.

Once you advance your skills, you can weave many beautiful projects. Alex Toys has a Native American Loom for weaving bracelets.  It is a professional quality loom that makes incredibly authentic bracelets.  We are working on our patterns and will share them soon.

Kid's room cartoon character theme (that way we don't have to worry about matching or new fads).Check out the automobile sun visor we used as a headboard. 
It is simply nailed to the wall.

Jake loved the idea of using his toddler tent cover as scrap fabric for this project. We renewed an item that was dear to his heart. It had been ripped from rowdy play and was no good as a tent, but we saved it anyway in hopes to repair it or transform it into a pillow or some other creative endeavor. The SpongeBob fabric was the perfect accent for his room. 

Yep, we need a hanging stick, but the kids love it.  
Use favorite t-shirts, pillow cases, or doll clothes for your scrap fiber.

To display your beautiful work of art weave a "weft" stick horizontally through the top row and hang on a wall.  Jake loved his creation and couldn't wait for the stick. He wanted to see how it looked right away, so we hung it by a nail. A little droopy, yes, but he loves it.

Did he love the process?  Not so much.  Much patience is a necessary requirement of weaving. So, Mommy made the loom, got it started and Jake weaved the inner pieces to gain an understanding of the process.  Mommy tied and cut it off making sure Jake watched and understood. This is somewhat time consuming, but the end results are worth it.

Mayhem saw the weaving on his wall and wanted it for her room. Score! This project journey ended on a very happy note.   


Recommended Reading:


Learning How to Weave*

Party Time: SpongeBob SquarePants*






ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

What She's Wearing Mayhem Fashion: Things to do with a Paper Bag: Native American Indian Dress Tutorial

How to Make an Indian Costume from a Paper Bag

Paper Bag Indian Costume.

She's wearing a paper grocery bag. We turned it into a Native American Indian Dress, an easy costume for kids.


Hiding somewhere in my garage is a bag with a Pocahontas dress (I hope) or maybe some kid walked away wearing it one day. At any rate, I was short one little Indian costume for our "movie." What's a crazed mom to do? I've made a ton of those Indian Vests and Hula Skirts in after-school programs, so I decided a dress couldn't be too difficult. Right? I guess it depends on  your standards and mine are low.

Native American Shirt from Paper bag.

First, take a paper bag- and good luck finding one. Talk about a tangent. Why, in this day of recycling are plastic bags everywhere, but no one has paper any more? Remember when the sacker used to ask paper or plastic? Now it's plastic or bring your own.

Once you've found the bag, turn it inside out and crumple it into a big paper wad. The more crumples the more it looks like leather. Next, unfold it and pop it open on the table, laying it on the side. Now, cut the sides all the way to the bottom of the bag. The center fold of each "arm" makes a perfect sleeve. Cut fringe about 3" at the end of each sleeve.

Native American Indian Dress.

At the bag's opening or the bottom of the shirt, cut out triangles/zigzags for a decorative edge. At the bag's base or the shirt's top, cut out a "u" or "v" for the neck. Decorate the shirt with Native American symbols. When done, insert kid and tape sleeves at wrists.

Paper bag fringe Indian Skirt.

For the dress skirt, turn bag inside out, wad and crumple, cut the bottom rectangle out, and cut down one seam. Now, cut fringe like a Hula Skirt. Wrap to fit and tape or staple.

We've also made these by punching holes in the waist and weaving yarn through to form a belt which can be tied for a perfect fit. If you want to get fancy, take another bag and cut the panels and then attach inside the sides of the shirt for full coverage.

Native American Indian Dress from Paper Bag.

This was good enough for our day of pretend play. Afterward, Mayhem gathered rocks and twigs to make a fire.


Recommended Reading:

Things to do with a Paper Bag

Sacajawea History Lesson

Native American History for Kids: With 21 Activities *

















ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

What She's Wearing Wednesday ~ Santa's littlest Elf ~ Helping Raise Money for Christmas Gifts

Teaching kids how to participate and help other with Community Service Projects.

This past Saturday, we attended a Craft Fair and Rummage Sale to raise money for Santa's Elves of Indy. A friend organizes the event and often has more families in need than incoming donations.

The organization is young and struggling. Last year, I didn't feel we could take on a family or even a child, so we donated gift bags, tape, and wrapping paper.  

Every little bit helps.

This year, things are a little better for us.  We have "adopted" a family. That's what it is always been called, adopt a child or family for Christmas. When I posted this on another website, someone sent an angry message. It seems, they found the phrase "adopt a child for Christmas" offensive. Organizations have been collecting wish lists for needy children for years and using this terminology. We certainly don't want to offend families who are adopting children forever into their homes. 

We are in no way adopting a child or even meeting a child. To be clear, each volunteer takes a child's wish list which includes clothing and shoe sizes and shops for items for the child. Then, Santa's Elf volunteers wrap the gifts and deliver them to the children's parents or caregivers prior to Christmas Eve so no children miss out on a visit from Santa.

The craft fair wasn't bustling as we'd hoped. It is difficult to spread the word. Even for such a good cause, people have little money to spare. Donations are used to purchase gifts for families that haven't been "adopted" by a volunteer.

We manned the booth for Santa's Elves matching volunteer shoppers with families in need. We were also offering deep discount gift cards for Incredible Pizza, but no one was buying. For just $10 you could/can purchase a gift card valued at $20.

Here's your sign.

Mayhem asked if she could wear the sign and walk around the vendor area selling the gift cards. I agreed. She went from person to person and received many a no thank you. The little elf came back with a sad face and a great idea.

"Can I take the cookies and offer a bag of cookies with every card sold?"

What a great idea!

She sold 3 (the fair was almost over) and had a blast.

If you'd like to donate or purchase a gift card visit the Santa's Elves of Indy Facebook Page. There is still time to ADOPT a child's Wish List and play Santa for a family needing a little extra help this season.

Happy Holidays!

I am so Thankful for this magical little Mayhem.

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Anime Art Lessons and Curriculum for Homeschool Elementary Cartoon Animation Keroro

Homeschool Elementary Art: How to draw Cartoon Animation

Allow your kids to watch cartoons on tv with sketch book. Here is our favorite anime character Keroro. The kids study the drawing style and copy it. Try different cartoons for different techniques.

Homeschool Art Lesson with Anime Cartoon Drawing and Keroro.

If your kids are like mine they love to watch cartoons. My kids love the obscure cartoons found on Netflix. One of their favorites (which is questionable if you pay close attention) is the Japanese Anime cartoon, Sergeant Frog or Keroro. For Wikipedia Description Click Here


He says lots of wacky stuff. Luckily, most of it is difficult to understand, and it rarely makes sense. I'm not advocating watching the program, but I am advocating allowing them to watch cartoons while working on an ART LESSON.

Sgt. Frog a.k.a Keroro

When I was a kid, I wanted to become a SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST.  My younger cousin wanted to become a VIDEO GAME DESIGNER both of us were shot down by parents, teachers, and principals. Who said things like, "Do you know how many people want to be that and how many people actually are?" or my favorite from my high school principal, "Well.. they told Johnny Cougar he'd never make it and he did, but still I don't think you should drop Band for more Art classes." Say what?

What She's Wearing Wednesday: Creative Play Leads to Self-Esteem: Mandy Mayhem 10/03/2012

Creative Imaginative Play and Dress up Leads to Self-Esteem

We attended a practice party for the race pit crew of Rex Norris. It was a special event, so it called for a special attire. Mandy Mayhem styled herself in sparkly, pink slip-ons, black leggings with silver glittery sparkle, a turquoise tee with silver and rhinestone buttons, and her Snow White costume from last year. Enjoy!

Upon, slipping the costume over her clothes she noted it had shrunk. This ability will become very useful later if she goes through a chubby stage. Remember, it is the dryer ~ not you. It always helps with self-esteem if you can blame someone else.

Creative Imaginative Play and Dress up Leads to Self-Esteem.



Her special accessory is a giraffe, perhaps Geoffrey from Toys R Us. She entertained anyone who cared to watch with a puppet show on the deck.

Mayhem is always allowed to dress herself no matter where we go. If the occasion requires specific attire; I give her choices. She is excellent at matching and pretty good at choosing the right outfit.

I never find her clothes embarrassing. I would be embarrassed if they were dirty or too mature for her age because that reflects on me, but fun, self-expression is healthy and makes for great self-esteem. "I can do it!" Allow your child to be themselves- your relationship will appreciate it.

Recommended Reading:

Imaginative Pirate Play Ideas

Great Big Book of Children's Games: Over 450 Indoor and Outdoor Games for Kids, Ages 3-14*

What Not to Wear: Encouraging Self Expression: What's She Wearing Today: Mayhem Fashion

Encourage Self Expression to Create Self-Esteem

Mandy Mayhem, Fashionista Extraordinaire. She is one of a kind. We let her wear whatever she wants, wherever she wants. There are some misses, but way more hits! Allowing her to pick her own clothes and letting her know we accept her choices encourages self-esteem. Enjoy!

Outfit:
Layers of Ruffles paired with Cowboy Boots (Wal-mart Special) and a Magician's Hat (Reminds me of Slash). Never leave the house without a purse accessory. Today, the teddy bear backpack.



And yes, she almost always picks her own outfits.

I refuse to let grown-up stereotypes or 'you have to do this' or personal insecurities stifle her creativity. Life is too short to be boring. Live a little.





  

Purple witch skirt over dark, denim jeans.

Even in this one, her favorite tie-dyed onesie.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the many trips to the grocery when Clifford, The Big Red Dog, or Bob the Builder's friend, Wendy, or a Kitty or a Dalmatian in footie PJ's escorted me to the grocery store.

Creative outlets are important around here, ya know.

Tinkerbell Backpack.

  

Foam cowboy hat, Tinkerbell backpack, pink sundress (too short), 
knee-length skirt, pink monkey rubber boots.

So, wherever you go, strike a pose and never, ever, stifle your child's creativity. It's the stuff of superstars. A real superstar needs a supportive network to thrive.

Green Disney socks with plastic ballet flats.

Recommended Reading:


Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health*


Building a Chicken Coop in a Tutu

Real Family of Indianapolis Takes a Bike Ride: Family Focus

Family Focus: A Typical Outdoor Experience

So, we've been planning to go on a family bike ride for a year now. One thing or another caused delay. The last time our real family of Indianapolis went on a ride, the little ones rode in a carrier trailer behind Mommy's bike. This is the real story behind a typical family fun outing. Enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

This is not a bicycle. Do not take one on a bike ride!