Classic "practical life" activity

Our today's practical life activity was made possible by generous donation by Daddy. His old shirt's sleeves were cut into squares that we used for this classic two-part activity. First, we fringed the edges; Then we sew on some buttons.

These are self-explanatory, and you might still remember doing this in elementary school, so, I'll just write some tips.

- use woven fabric with low thread count. It will be more difficult to fringe the edges of the sateen vs linen, e.g.
- use embroidery hoop to support the fabric when sewing on buttons.
- use blunt end needle, like the ones that are used by knitters.
- start with the buttons that have 2 holes.
Draw the diagram for the 4-hole buttons combinations and help the child figure out the directions.

- to modify the activity for younger kids:
make buttons from heavy cardstock (cut the circles and use a hole-punch to make the holes) and use a sheet of plastic canvas for the fabric. Use thin shoe laces or a plastic needle with yarn to sew.