FELT SQUARE QUILT
| Give your children 12 or l6 felt squares
of one color plus small felt shapes, such as leaf shapes,
in three or four other colors. Let the children glue the
shapes onto the felt squares any way they wish. To make
the quilt, select a large piece of fabric for a backing
and either stitch or glue the squares to it in four equal
rows. Display the quilt on a wall or bulletin board.
Show your children pictures of crazy patchwork quilts.
(These are fun quilts that are made by sewing small scraps
of fabric together anyway they will fit.) Then set out
a large paper for a backing, along with assorted gift-wrap
and other colorful papers. Let your children cut or tear
the colored papers into random shapes and glue them onto
the paper backing collage-style until the entire paper
is covered. Frame the paper quilt by displaying it on
a slightly larger colored background.
Together, look for patterns in pictures of quilts and in things
around the room. Then try these activities with your children.
- Arrange colored blocks in patterns (one red, two
blue, one red, two blue, etc.).
- String colored beads in patterns.
- Make colored dot patterns on lined paper.
- Glue three kinds of collage materials on paper in
WHAT'S UNDER THE QUILT?
Ask your children to close their eyes while you hide
a familiar object partway under the edge of a quilt.
When they open their eyes, have them try to guess what
the object is. Then let the children take turns being
the one to hide an object.
| LET'S SEW!
Fashion a set of sewing cards for your children. For each card,
make a quilt-square pattern on a cardboard square, and punch
holes around the edges. Tie one end of a piece of yarn through
one of the holes and wrap tape around the other end to make
sewing easier. Invite the children to sew the yarn in and out
of the holes.