Beading with Babes

We have spent most of these school holidays hanging at home. I have found that this year has been so busy that we haven't had a lot of time to just play.  So on one of our beautiful sunny days, the kids were getting a little demented so we decided to make some jewellery! 

I have some very fond memories of sitting for hours with my sister, our heads in Mum's bead box. There was an endless search for that special bead! We both had our own criteria for the perfect bead and I think these changed with every hunt. Sometimes it was the shiny one, the big one, the one that looked translucent or looked like a fish! If there was a few of our selected bead, we would collect them all out feeling that we had hit a treasure trove.

 I was lucky enough to 'adopt' Mum's bead box when she had finished her beading ventures and I had started my own. I had already developed my own bead box, but for some reason have been unable to merge the two. 

So, on this sunny afternoon, I was thrilled to see my two beautiful children, squatting, heads over the two bead boxes searching for precious beads. They both made collections, laughed about the shapes of the beads and squealed with delight, sharing their treasure finds with each other.

I made up the jewellery bindings ready for them to start threading. 

Matilda took a random treasure and CAREFULLY threaded them on to the wire. At 2, threading is a MARVELLOUS opportunity to practise and improve hand-eye coordination. She was SO focused and was able to co-ordinate both the beads and the wire with great accuracy. The process of threading the beads was the entire experience for her. She was uninterested in the idea of a finished product. She purely wanted to thread and she gained great joy from this.

Orlando on the other hand, made special piles of special beads. He sorted them into a necklace and a bracelet and set to work creating patterns. He counted them, sorted them and lined them in neat, ordered rows. He then threaded them with the fingers of a well practised 5 year old.

He was focused on the product. He loved the process and focused for a full 2 hours on his creations, but he had a goal in sight and wanted to reach it. He made his 'boy necklace' first and then wearing it with pride set to his bracelet. His bracelet inspiration was that people would think he had branch wrapped around his wrist :)

 I on the other hand, had been inspired at the markets by someone making bracelets for children out of semi-precious stones. She was charging a ridiculous $60 for about 20 small beads on elastic cord.... I liked them but she was seriously deluded with the cost. Instead I came home and made one myself, also using semi-precious stones like amber, garnet, jade, rose quarts and amethyst. Matilda loves it and has worn it ever since!

A productive beading session for all involved !