Last Winter I organized a Make It / Take It for the Kodaly Music Educators of Kansas. I thought I would share with you what we did at this make it/ take it in case other districts, chapters, or groups of music teacher friends are interested in putting together their own "Make It / Take It". We decided that we would make the following manipulatives/games at our workshop: 1) Solfege texting sticks For this manipulative, each teacher got a set of Popsicle sticks and a pentatonic page of the texting tone ladders to cut out. We stuck them to the Popsicle sticks with rubber cement. It was a little sticky. Hot glue might work better, but glue along the top edges of the paper will help keep students from picking the paper off the sticks. Download a FREE template here. (Photo credit: Jennifer Patterson) A few ideas for using them: - Sing a known song on solfege and have students use finger to “text” the solfege as they sing - Sing a known song on words and have the students “text” the solfege - Sing do pentatonic melodic patterns and have students echo as they “text” the pattern - Sing melodic patterns on neutral syllable and have students respond with the solfege as they text. 2) Foam rhythm cubes Teachers got a set of 16 cubes. You can order them in bulk here. They could chose what rhythms to put on the sides. I really wanted a set for just ta, titi, ta rest, and takadimi (tika-tika, etc.), so I left two sides blank. Leaving those sides blank opens up the opportunity for student composing or improv if they can fill in their own rhythm on those empty beats. Ideas for use: - Students use the cubes in centers or small groups to find the rhythms of known songs (8 or 16 beats) - Compose new rhythm - Dictate 4 beat rhythm patterns - Compose or improvise new patterns on the blank cubes. 3) Sorted bags of colored transparent bingo chips to use on student high low charts or staves There wasn't anything to make at this station, but a lot of teachers wanted these bingo chips to use on their high/low charts and staves. I have a high low chart, a staff without the clef, and a staff with the clef that is laminated for each student in my class. These chips are cool because although they are colored, they are transparent, so students can see the line going through the middle of them if it is supposed to be on a line and they fit between the lines perfectly for space notes. Each teacher got 250 chips and they could put however many they wanted in bags depending on their class sizes. You can order these chips in bulk here. Ideas for use: - Use the chips to notate, dictate, or compose melodic patterns on student staff paper 4) Four Beat Heartbeat Charts Teachers got 120 heart die cuts and 30 strips of paper that were cut/punched out ahead of time. They glued down the hearts four to a strip to create 4 beat heartbeat charts. Ideas for use: - Students may tap the beat to known folk songs or recorded music - Students use Popsicle sticks to dictate patterns on top of the heartbeats - Students use erasers, beads, etc. to show how many sounds they hear on each beat 5) I Have, Who Has game cards I had a class set of "I Have, Who Has - Tika-tika" cards printed for KMEK members. If you want a ready to print set of cards, you can find them in my TpT store here (lots of different concepts are available), or you could create a rhythm list and create your own cards by handwriting them. If using my set with a big group of teachers, email me at [email protected] for special pricing on additional licenses. The teachers who attended the workshop just had to cut them out and laminate them! Prep Work Before the Workshop To prep for the make it / take it workshop, I spent a lot of time looking for ideas on Pinterest. I put together a Pinterest board with some ideas and let KMEK members comment in our Facebook group to say which manipulatives they would like for us to make. You can see the idea board here. Once we decided what we were going to make, I ordered all of the materials. Some KMEK members helped in advance cutting out all of the heart die cuts cutting strips for the heart beat charts. Once we had enough materials for all of the participants, we sorted everything into bags for each teacher and I printed up a contents sheet with instructions and ideas for use for everything in the bag. Download the instructions page we used here and feel free to edit it for your own personal use! Participants had to pre-register for the workshop so that we could anticipate how many sets of materials we would need to order. There was a lot of prep work that went into this workshop to make it a success, but it was a lot of fun, and our students got to have lots of new hands on manipulatives and games to use in music class as a result! It is always so much more fun to make these things with a group of friends than on your own, and you can benefit from buying in bulk if you are splitting the costs between several teachers. Here are a few more photos of our make it / take it workshop: If you have any questions about our make it/take it workshop or organizing your own, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]
Sleeve designs can be a little bit intimidating. Drafting them is kind of a science on its own, and it’s hard to imagine what shape you need to start with if
My D&D dice bag design, a sleeping dragon on its hoard of golden treasure, is up for voting on fanforge! Please help it get produced by giving it 5 stars and a comment! Click here! They've asked me...
With Christmas over and done, it is time to get back to making the corselet skirt once more. In the challenge post I mentioned an interesting discussion we had on the HSF Facebook group. Mainly, it…
One of my favourite plants to dye with in the spring is the stinging nettle – it’s one of the plants I most look forward to. The leaves give me a soft grey-green hue at this time of year (maybe you get a slightly different colour?) – the colour just feels so fresh and “alive”...
In today's post: Learn how to make a cute skirt from an oversized shirt. When I was a kid, sewing your own clothes was always cheaper than buying clothes at the store. But fabric is
Oma's Cream Roll recipe, Biskuitrolle, is the German version of a Swiss roll or jelly roll. Filled with whipped cream and studded with berries, this is an easy-to-make treat anytime of the year.
Once the maypole is set up, the children can dance to a waltz, a polka, a jig, or any tune you choose. Our dancers kept track of their braiding by chanting, "Go over it, then under it, and over it and under it," to keep from getting tangled in their ribbons.
With having three little ones (well, two little and one who is entering big boyhood) it's getting tough trying to satisfy everyone's gift wants and our bank account simultaneously. And truly, the two oldest are
Get 7 fun Cub Scout recruitment ideas. Whether you call it a round up or joining night, these activities will make it a success. #CubScouts #CubScoutRecruitment #BeAScout #ScoutMeIn #CubScoutIdeas
Last Winter I organized a Make It / Take It for the Kodaly Music Educators of Kansas. I thought I would share with you what we did at this make it/ take it in case other districts, chapters, or groups of music teacher friends are interested in putting together their own "Make It / Take It". We decided that we would make the following manipulatives/games at our workshop: 1) Solfege texting sticks For this manipulative, each teacher got a set of Popsicle sticks and a pentatonic page of the texting tone ladders to cut out. We stuck them to the Popsicle sticks with rubber cement. It was a little sticky. Hot glue might work better, but glue along the top edges of the paper will help keep students from picking the paper off the sticks. Download a FREE template here. (Photo credit: Jennifer Patterson) A few ideas for using them: - Sing a known song on solfege and have students use finger to “text” the solfege as they sing - Sing a known song on words and have the students “text” the solfege - Sing do pentatonic melodic patterns and have students echo as they “text” the pattern - Sing melodic patterns on neutral syllable and have students respond with the solfege as they text. 2) Foam rhythm cubes Teachers got a set of 16 cubes. You can order them in bulk here. They could chose what rhythms to put on the sides. I really wanted a set for just ta, titi, ta rest, and takadimi (tika-tika, etc.), so I left two sides blank. Leaving those sides blank opens up the opportunity for student composing or improv if they can fill in their own rhythm on those empty beats. Ideas for use: - Students use the cubes in centers or small groups to find the rhythms of known songs (8 or 16 beats) - Compose new rhythm - Dictate 4 beat rhythm patterns - Compose or improvise new patterns on the blank cubes. 3) Sorted bags of colored transparent bingo chips to use on student high low charts or staves There wasn't anything to make at this station, but a lot of teachers wanted these bingo chips to use on their high/low charts and staves. I have a high low chart, a staff without the clef, and a staff with the clef that is laminated for each student in my class. These chips are cool because although they are colored, they are transparent, so students can see the line going through the middle of them if it is supposed to be on a line and they fit between the lines perfectly for space notes. Each teacher got 250 chips and they could put however many they wanted in bags depending on their class sizes. You can order these chips in bulk here. Ideas for use: - Use the chips to notate, dictate, or compose melodic patterns on student staff paper 4) Four Beat Heartbeat Charts Teachers got 120 heart die cuts and 30 strips of paper that were cut/punched out ahead of time. They glued down the hearts four to a strip to create 4 beat heartbeat charts. Ideas for use: - Students may tap the beat to known folk songs or recorded music - Students use Popsicle sticks to dictate patterns on top of the heartbeats - Students use erasers, beads, etc. to show how many sounds they hear on each beat 5) I Have, Who Has game cards I had a class set of "I Have, Who Has - Tika-tika" cards printed for KMEK members. If you want a ready to print set of cards, you can find them in my TpT store here (lots of different concepts are available), or you could create a rhythm list and create your own cards by handwriting them. If using my set with a big group of teachers, email me at [email protected] for special pricing on additional licenses. The teachers who attended the workshop just had to cut them out and laminate them! Prep Work Before the Workshop To prep for the make it / take it workshop, I spent a lot of time looking for ideas on Pinterest. I put together a Pinterest board with some ideas and let KMEK members comment in our Facebook group to say which manipulatives they would like for us to make. You can see the idea board here. Once we decided what we were going to make, I ordered all of the materials. Some KMEK members helped in advance cutting out all of the heart die cuts cutting strips for the heart beat charts. Once we had enough materials for all of the participants, we sorted everything into bags for each teacher and I printed up a contents sheet with instructions and ideas for use for everything in the bag. Download the instructions page we used here and feel free to edit it for your own personal use! Participants had to pre-register for the workshop so that we could anticipate how many sets of materials we would need to order. There was a lot of prep work that went into this workshop to make it a success, but it was a lot of fun, and our students got to have lots of new hands on manipulatives and games to use in music class as a result! It is always so much more fun to make these things with a group of friends than on your own, and you can benefit from buying in bulk if you are splitting the costs between several teachers. Here are a few more photos of our make it / take it workshop: If you have any questions about our make it/take it workshop or organizing your own, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]
Don't let them get to you. Bullied? Picked on? Know someone who has? This is an important reminder to keep your head up in the face of adversity. This is the LATIN version of the english pattern here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/255453635/dont-let-the-bastards-get-you-down Modern cross stitch pattern is designed on 14 count Aida. It will run just shy of 8x10. If you want to change the colours, I can help you, or just choose from what you want when you stitch to match your decor. This pattern will come with 2 different sized full colour patterns, for printing or viewing convenience, and a handy little tips and tricks printout to help you in your quest for cross stitching awesomeness. I can make this for you if you are intimidated, short of time or just lazy. Send me a message and I can quote you a price and time frame. THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL PATTERN. THIS LISTING IS FOR A PDF FILE. It includes a computer rendering of the finished pattern, a full color pattern, and a key in DMC thread colors. It will be automatically available for download after purchase. The link to download is sent to the email Etsy has on file for you. If you ask me nicely, I can make changes to this pattern for you and crate a custom listing, but really, you can just mess around with the colours when you are stitching, it would work just as well. Please don’t resell my patterns or stitch them for profit, I worked really hard on them. Well actually, I used my laptop on my couch while drinking wine and watching Game of Thrones, but you know what I mean.
Why do you think corporate employees have unique and colorful stands, coffee mugs, planners, fidget toys, and cases at their workstations? It’s because it reduces work stress, enhances productivity and skyrockets creativity (that’s why designers and writers have the most colorful workstations :p) So why shouldn’t you have such items as well? Bringing you the cutest crab pen stand that will instantly brighten up your dull desk. The crab figure will hold pens, styluses, markers, glasses, watches and whatnot in its outstretched claws. Pencil holder was never so cute before. Make everyone in your office inquire about this adorable pen holder. What you’ll get: Scratchless surface: Cuteness doesn’t mean it will get damaged easily. Made out of plastic, it will sustain falls and scratches that are common in an office environment. Cute design: The desk crab pen holder features a realistic crab with 10 legs and it will hold all your office stationery items like styluses, pens, pencils, etc.
Last Winter I organized a Make It / Take It for the Kodaly Music Educators of Kansas. I thought I would share with you what we did at this make it/ take it in case other districts, chapters, or groups of music teacher friends are interested in putting together their own "Make It / Take It". We decided that we would make the following manipulatives/games at our workshop: 1) Solfege texting sticks For this manipulative, each teacher got a set of Popsicle sticks and a pentatonic page of the texting tone ladders to cut out. We stuck them to the Popsicle sticks with rubber cement. It was a little sticky. Hot glue might work better, but glue along the top edges of the paper will help keep students from picking the paper off the sticks. Download a FREE template here. (Photo credit: Jennifer Patterson) A few ideas for using them: - Sing a known song on solfege and have students use finger to “text” the solfege as they sing - Sing a known song on words and have the students “text” the solfege - Sing do pentatonic melodic patterns and have students echo as they “text” the pattern - Sing melodic patterns on neutral syllable and have students respond with the solfege as they text. 2) Foam rhythm cubes Teachers got a set of 16 cubes. You can order them in bulk here. They could chose what rhythms to put on the sides. I really wanted a set for just ta, titi, ta rest, and takadimi (tika-tika, etc.), so I left two sides blank. Leaving those sides blank opens up the opportunity for student composing or improv if they can fill in their own rhythm on those empty beats. Ideas for use: - Students use the cubes in centers or small groups to find the rhythms of known songs (8 or 16 beats) - Compose new rhythm - Dictate 4 beat rhythm patterns - Compose or improvise new patterns on the blank cubes. 3) Sorted bags of colored transparent bingo chips to use on student high low charts or staves There wasn't anything to make at this station, but a lot of teachers wanted these bingo chips to use on their high/low charts and staves. I have a high low chart, a staff without the clef, and a staff with the clef that is laminated for each student in my class. These chips are cool because although they are colored, they are transparent, so students can see the line going through the middle of them if it is supposed to be on a line and they fit between the lines perfectly for space notes. Each teacher got 250 chips and they could put however many they wanted in bags depending on their class sizes. You can order these chips in bulk here. Ideas for use: - Use the chips to notate, dictate, or compose melodic patterns on student staff paper 4) Four Beat Heartbeat Charts Teachers got 120 heart die cuts and 30 strips of paper that were cut/punched out ahead of time. They glued down the hearts four to a strip to create 4 beat heartbeat charts. Ideas for use: - Students may tap the beat to known folk songs or recorded music - Students use Popsicle sticks to dictate patterns on top of the heartbeats - Students use erasers, beads, etc. to show how many sounds they hear on each beat 5) I Have, Who Has game cards I had a class set of "I Have, Who Has - Tika-tika" cards printed for KMEK members. If you want a ready to print set of cards, you can find them in my TpT store here (lots of different concepts are available), or you could create a rhythm list and create your own cards by handwriting them. If using my set with a big group of teachers, email me at [email protected] for special pricing on additional licenses. The teachers who attended the workshop just had to cut them out and laminate them! Prep Work Before the Workshop To prep for the make it / take it workshop, I spent a lot of time looking for ideas on Pinterest. I put together a Pinterest board with some ideas and let KMEK members comment in our Facebook group to say which manipulatives they would like for us to make. You can see the idea board here. Once we decided what we were going to make, I ordered all of the materials. Some KMEK members helped in advance cutting out all of the heart die cuts cutting strips for the heart beat charts. Once we had enough materials for all of the participants, we sorted everything into bags for each teacher and I printed up a contents sheet with instructions and ideas for use for everything in the bag. Download the instructions page we used here and feel free to edit it for your own personal use! Participants had to pre-register for the workshop so that we could anticipate how many sets of materials we would need to order. There was a lot of prep work that went into this workshop to make it a success, but it was a lot of fun, and our students got to have lots of new hands on manipulatives and games to use in music class as a result! It is always so much more fun to make these things with a group of friends than on your own, and you can benefit from buying in bulk if you are splitting the costs between several teachers. Here are a few more photos of our make it / take it workshop: If you have any questions about our make it/take it workshop or organizing your own, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]
Anisah is a contemporary shawl featuring a textured cable and lace panel surrounded by classic garter stitch. The asymmetrical triangular shaping begins with just a few stitches which then flow into a wide panel composed of a graceful cable flanked by mesh lace. While that panel forms the left edge of the shawl, the remainder of the body is filled with squishy garter goodness. The combination of lace, cables, reverse stockinette and garter stitch knitted in worsted weight makes the texture of all the various design elements really pop. I love to design shawls which are especially appropriate for social knitting. Anisah has no pattern repeats, has a simple 8-row chart repeat, and once you get past the early charts which set up the wide panel and body, you’ll have everything memorized in no time. I named the shawl Anisah—which is an Arabic name meaning “good friend”—as a nod to the wonderful friendships that result from knitters bonding over a shared love of our craft. Anisah is also an excellent pattern for adventuresome beginners to try their hand at simple lace, cables and triangular shaping. Plus it’s a fun and fast knit for more experienced knitters looking for a relaxing TV knit. Worked in worsted weight, it knits up in no time even at the generous pattern size. So you still have time to knock one out for warm and snuggly holiday gifting this year! The Anisah pattern includes both charts and full written out instructions for those of who you prefer not to use charts. While dimensions and yardage are provided for worsted weight, Anisah could effectively be worked in other yarn weights, although sport weight or heavier is recommended to show off the texture to its best advantage. Also included are detailed blocking instructions. SIZE AND YARDAGE: My lilac sample shawl pictured used about 540 yards (494 m) and measures 63 x 27” (160 x 69 cm) relaxed after blocking. Test knitted shawls used between 540-590 yards (494-540 m) on US Size 8 (5.0 mm) needles. Note that the US Size 10 (6.0 mm) is used for the bind off only. The size is easy to customize by changing the number of Chart 4 repeats; full instructions are provided, including how to calculate stitch counts for any size. The yellow green shawl (worked in Hazel Knits Cadence, “Sedge” colorway) and the deep aqua (worked in Hazel Knits Cadence, “Laguna” colorway) are slightly larger versions, both having 2 extra repeats of Chart 4 for a total of 28 repeats. Both of these versions used about 600 yards (549 m).
This one was knit by Lani Rae, get the pattern here. Designed by Alana Noritake, get the FREE pattern via Ravelry. Here's one for crocheters: Designed by Cynthia Rae of Candy Pop Creations, get the PAID pattern via Etsy. * This post contains affiliate links.
Here is a beautiful little toy that you can make out of things that you probably already have in your house: We have given these as birthday gifts a few times, and they work very well for 4 to 6 year olds. We put them in a special pouch with 6 arrows, and we use fine point pens to decorate the bow with the child's name. They require some practice and fine motor coordination. Contrary to what you saw in that last menacing picture, in our house there is a no-shooting-in-the-direction-of-people-or-pets rule. Take care, they can shoot a surprising 15-20 feet!
Looking to add a personal touch to your Christmas gifts? Check out these 40 amazing DIY gift wrapping ideas that will impress your loved ones!
When I was putting together our camp crafts roundup the other day, it got me thinking about all of the crafty things I used to do when I was a kid. One of my favorite things to do was weaving on a drinking straw loom, a project I learned in girl scouts. The result is […]
Learn how to successfully fit an armhole by using a muslin. Adjust the bust, back, and shoulder—and your armhole almost takes care of itself.
Multi-Color Monkey Fist: This multi-colored monkey's fist I discovered while trying to find out a way to remove flaws in the original monkey's fist when making turns from one direction to the next. I realized by cutting the cord it enabled me to use different colors and t…
Lick my balls. This latin is a direct translation of "Lick my balls." The Latin makes a classy addition to your home. You can tell people what it really means, or make up whatever you want! It would be a good idea to get for someone you don't really like and see if they fact check it! This pattern will come with 2 different sized full colour patterns, for printing or viewing convenience, and a handy little tips and tricks printout to help you in your quest for cross stitching awesomeness. THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL PATTERN. THIS LISTING IS FOR A PDF FILE. It includes a computer rendering of the finished pattern, a full color pattern, and a key in DMC thread colors. It will be automatically available for download after purchase. The link to download is sent to the email Etsy has on file for you. Please don’t resell my patterns or stitch them for profit, I worked really hard on them. Well actually, I used my laptop on my couch while drinking wine and watching Game of Thrones, but you know what I mean.
This pom pom sheep garland is easy to make and adorable! Great for Easter or for any 2015 "year of the sheep" decorations!
For some people, birthday cards don’t matter as much as the gift. But, we think this special card really matters. It can be a special gift when it’s handmade
Learn how to braid a basic 8-strand round Kumihimo bracelet using a Kumihimo disk and satin rat tail cord. This is a FAST and EASY braid to make.
Ever have one of those days? It sounds far more elegant in French when you say "C'est Toujours La Meme Merde" which translates to "It's always the Same Sh**" in English. This sale is for the cross stitch downloadable PDF PATTERN ONLY which was designed by myself in a classy vintage Art Deco style. The pattern itself completes at approximately 8.5 X 12.5 cms or 3.5 X 4 3/4 inches. The frame I have used in the photo is 13 X 18 cms or 5X7 inches. This pattern is also available as a kit! Please send me a message if you are interested in buying the completed item and I would be happy to discuss your requirements. Happy Stitching!
Stay connected to family and friends by sharing the LittleThings that spark joy.
