Listed separately by grade level (K-6) are activities for promoting National Library Week. Included are sewing projects, puppetry, murals, wood projects, bumper stickers, and pairing older with younger students. (KC)

Home economics is often denigrated for requiring little intellect. There is a strong cultural bias that undervalues sewing and relegates it to "handedness" instead of the loftier "headedness." According to Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, the two do not stand in opposition. Handiwork is a spatial intellectual…

Sewing is a traditional educational experience in family and consumer sciences (FCS) education in middle and high school. Learning sewing skills, however, is not as relevant today as it was in the past. To better prepare adolescents for life roles, FCS education needs to reflect the changes in society and focus more broadly on the work of the…

Much of the stress on teachers and students during clothing construction laboratories can be eliminated by (1) appropriate planning, including selection of objectives, choice of projects, and well-defined grades; (2) classroom management, including organization of time, space, equipment, and students; and (3) alternation of demonstrations and…

Provides detailed instructions for constructing a pattern and, then, making a shirt suitable for use in classical and period plays. Suggests variations to adapt the shirt to specific needs. (JMF)

To expose students at a parish school to practical living skills, Tuesday afternoons were set aside for mini-courses in cooking, auto mechanics, crafts, etc. Parents were recruited as volunteer teachers. This article mainly describes the sewing course designed and taught by the author. (SJL)

Under the guidance of an artist-in-residence, students at Stuckey Elementary transformed a corner of their library/media center into a fantasy reading nook with soft sculpture fabric landscapes, and foam furniture designed to look like clouds. (Author/SJL)

Describes how caregivers and their school-age children can make a "friendship quilt," outlining the basics of quilting, the materials needed, and basic patterns that can be followed. Includes detailed diagrams and patterns for designing and constructing applique and patchwork quilts. (MDM)

An experimental lesson plan on sewing machine tension was developed for blind and sighted students in an attempt to teach this concept more effectively. Tactile/verbal aids were used in the experimental lesson to increase the potential for student comprehension. The experimental lesson produced better results for both groups of students even…

Discusses ways in which teachers can use the appealing study of quilts as a tool for teaching mathematics concepts and connecting multicultural history, literacy, and art. (Author/NB)

Adapted teaching materials and procedures were developed at Florida State University to help visually handicapped students in the public schools participate in a mainstreamed home economics class. (MF)

Describes seven art activities for elementary and secondary classes. Activities include making Pueblo Indian-style pottery, casting stained glass designs in plaster, constructing cloth gnome-dolls, making ceramic reliefs of Victorian house facades and dream cars, drawing South American folk art objects, and sewing wearable art. (AM)

A girl's camp in Maine during World War II had to deal with food rationing and black-market food dealers. Campers picked beans to raise money for refugees, sewed clothes for refugees, and spotted for enemy planes from Mt. Pleasant. An attempt to use a horse-drawn cart for transportation failed, and good help was hard to find. (TD)

This article suggests ways in which specific books about quilts can be used in classrooms or individually to develop personal, cultural, and problem-solving extensions for gifted curriculum. It discusses how gifted children can be encouraged to examine their experiences and ideas and piece them together into meaningful craft products. (Contains…

The author discusses various reasons that have been set forth for teaching sewing in the classroom. Reasons include (1) economy, (2) skill development, (3) quality recognition, (4) self-esteem, and (5) creativity. The latter receives some emphasis. (CH)