Much to my excitement, a Pre-School on Whitmarsh Island donated a large collection of "Hamma" or "Pearler" Beads and the little pegboards that go with them. For those of you not farmilliar with this incredible product, let me explain....
The 4" plastic pegboards come in a variety of shapes; hearts, stars, hexagons... and all you do is put small plastic beads onto the boards in any design that you like.
When you fill up the whole thing, put a piece of waxed paper on top and iron it for a few minutes until the beads melt together and become a solid shape.
AWESOME! Always my favorite when I was little. Needless to say, it became a camp craze!!! Every single one of our kids (ages 6-16) made at lease one of these creations!
This is a fantastic example of a play-based project. It may not be the most open ended of all activities, but it is fun, quick and builds great fine motor skills and focus. It is also a great way to begin learning about pattern.
"A pattern is a thing where you go one of one thing, and then three of another thing. And then back to one of the first thing. My pattern is just one of one, one of another one. Pinks and reds. I like those."
It was really amazing to see how the kids took this process on as their own. As new kids joined in, the veteran art devotees explained and demonstrated how it worked.
I think that even beyond teaching the kids actual skills, we want to encourage this sense of involvement and belonging. It's wonderful to feel like you have all the tools and know how to fully belong and carry on in a group. We achieved that with all one hundred and fifty of our campers during bead week!
2 comments:
As a crafter, I am in awe! Keep up the great work!
Love it!!! :)
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