Beadwork: Creativity Booster and Stress Reliever
Invite students to experience the benefits of making and working with beads.
By Alison Panik
Besides being fun to make and wear, beads also offer connections to history and culture. Making beads is an old craft. Beads and pendants created by ancient cultures give us a glimpse of the belief systems and materials available in different times and places. Beads have been used in monetary systems, sewn onto clothing, and braided into hair for ceremonies. A study of almost any culture or time period can include an investigation into the creation and use of beads by the people.
Working with beads also promotes children’s development in a variety of areas. As children grasp beads and manipulate them, they strengthen the small muscles of their hands. Creating beads and stringing beads involves the recognition of shape, pattern, and color, all visual perception skills. And the decision making involved in constructing with beads exercises children’s cognitive skills as they ask and answer their own questions, problem-solve when challenges arise, and evaluate their finished work.
Take beadwork beyond the projects. Encourage children to use counting and sorting skills using the beads they have made, even creating games using their finished beads. Provide materials for teachers to set up classroom beading stations for children to use when they have finished their classwork, as a way to be quietly constructive. Gather a supply of different kinds of beads – a variety of sizes, colors, degrees of quality, materials, -- for children to explore and compare.
The lesson plans below provide a variety of ways to invite children to be a part of a beading experience:
Beadwork Lesson Plans:
Polymer Clay Millefiori Cane Beads
While this beading lesson for students in fourth grade and up is material, and time intensive, the process of creating beads by following steps is a way to truly understand how art is produced. The art teacher should dedicate some time to researching the history of the millefiori bead to be able to answer questions, and provide relevant background information. Ideally, students would have enough time and materials to form each of the cane types illustrated in this lesson. Provide ample supervision if allowing children to use sharp cane slicing tools; consider inviting parent volunteers to be on hand.
A great introduction for first graders to the use of symbols as a design element, this lesson plan would nicely integrate with Native American studies. Students experiment with texture on each bead. I like the antiquing procedure; it adds an additional step, but is worth the time and effort for the interesting effect. However, I would have the children wash the jewelry themselves instead of doing it for them so they can see how the brown paint stays only in the carved designs. Simply providing buckets of water on a low table or covered floor area along with plenty of old towels should be sufficient preparation. Be sure to have an area to drain and dry damp jewelry pieces.
Looking for a way to use up supplies of recycled newspapers, advertisements, and magazines? This lesson offers upper elementary students (in third through fifth grades) the opportunity to use measurement skills, while introducing a bead-making technique they can repeat at home independently using whatever paper supplies they might have on hand. Valuable teacher tips are included in this lesson (like using plastic caps to hold the small amounts of glue required for this bead-making technique). Teachers may want to solicit donations of hairspray from families so that more than one bottle is available for students to use to seal their beads. If students show an affinity for this craft, they might create a stock of quilled bead jewelry to sell at a school craft fair to raise funds for a special school interest.
While this lesson could be a quickie for any grade level, I suggest taking the time to make it more meaningful for your students. Discuss the meaning of each bead and how it relates to the planet as well as to the concept of “circle”. Have materials prepared and ready, but only give children each piece as it is discussed, inviting children to contribute their ideas to the discussion. Purchase or solicit donations for beads and cording. Or keep an eye out at yard sales for inexpensive supplies of assorted colored beads. The materials list can be easily improvised with beads and round, “string-able” things that coordinate with the colors suggested. Beads could even be created using art supplies you have on hand, such as clay or modeling compound and paint.
Students in fourth grade and up (including middle and high school, college and even adult education) use traditional materials similar to those available to Native Americans as they use hand-crafting skills to construct their own dream catchers. The added bonus in this lesson is the opportunity to learn about Native American beliefs. While students can follow the illustrated step-by-step handouts included in this lesson, teachers should also consider making samples of each step for students to examine up close and compare with their own work. Teachers should also demonstrate the steps as students work through them. Invite students to write dream stories to display with their finished dream catchers. Classroom teachers might also like to work with students to use the story web handout included with this lesson.
