my fourth graders are having a guest artist visit their homerooms as part of a
social studies unit. They are going to learn about Native American beading and
I think leather craft from the artist. The teachers have just asked me to do
something related to this in art. I think I can help them out and still stay
on schedule with my other units if I do a quick beading project making rings
out of seed beads, but I need a little expert advice.
When I was a kid at summer camp, we made rings with seed beads and thin wire,
thin enough to pass twice through the beads. We didn't use a loom because the
wire held as we wove it back and forth through the beads, and the rings were
3-4 beads wide. This was supposed to be a Native American project, but I don't
know if it is really authentic at all.
We were supposed to create a pattern, and then purposely place one bead that
didn't fit the pattern. According to instruction, Native American artists
would do this as a reminder that no one is perfect. Or that it was important
not to think you were perfect. . .
Anyway, I need to know more about this before I make a lesson out of it. can
someone tell me if the idea makes sense, is appropriate, or point me in the
direction of more info? I will also need to know what kind of wire to use.
