Book review: Weaving Unloomed

weave In case you’re new to this needlework/ Internet thing, let me tell you: Diane Gilleland is brilliant. I got so excited when I heard about her ebook, Weaving Un-Loomed: Simple Ways to Weave Cool Things, that I posted the news right away, sight unseen. Now that I’ve had a chance to spend some quality time with this publication, I can give you an unequivocal recommendation: You have to have this book.

In her usual warm, chatty style that we’ve come to love on CraftyPod blog, Diane walks us simply and clearly through the basics of weaving, giving us the vocabulary we need to understand the intructions that follow for five must-try techniques and projects. She keeps her promise that we’ll “maximize the meditative part, keep the measuring and figuring as simple as possible, and generally have a great time.”

And she delivers projects that will satisfy your thrifty and green urges while exciting your imagination. I mean, look at the project featured here: beautiful jewelry woven from old magazine pages. (Guess what all the women and girls in my family are getting for Christmas!)

For just US $10.50, you get an instant-gratification download of 60 pages of crafty delight. Go get the book now!

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Learning about Hanukkah is important for people of all faiths as a reminder that December isn’t just about Christmas and that their are many other important holidays that happen during this time. Hanukkah unit studies can give you ideas for incorporating the holiday into your holiday studies that happen in December, or to use at home for learning about people of different faiths.

Homeschool Superfreak has a lot of basic ideas for how to build a Hanukkah unit study, as well as FAQs about what Hanukkah is and why it is celebrated. This list is a good stargint point but doesn’t include all the details you’ll need. For example it says you can play the dreidel game but doesn’t explain how to do that or why it’s important. (If you need that information, this post from Mama Smiles is a good source.)

Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great lesson plans and activities if you’re willing to pay a little bit to get some good content. Two I really like are this Hanukkah PowerPoint presentation from Shelia Melton, which provides a good overview of traditions, food and the history of Hanukkah; and a virtual field trip to Jerusalem from MagiCore, which includes lots of videos showing the city and activities like playing dreidel, drawing a menorah and making latkes. It’s a Google Drive folder and also includes writing activities and more for kids in second to fifth grade.

Kids Activities Blog has some simple printables with facts about Hanukkah and things kids can color in like a Star of David, sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts) and a menorah. These are great for learning the basics.

Homeschool Giveaways has a printable ebook about Hanukkah complete with questions kids can answer after they read. This would be a good one for older kids with good reading comprehension.

NurtureStore’s Hanukkah unit study includes a printable mini book, tons of crafts, as well as math and writing activities. I love the dominoes game that’s part of the unit.

And check out our previous posts for more Hanukkah crafts and learning activities!

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Have you read?