Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Any knitters out there? Thoughts please..

So here's an odd question.. My DS7 is in second grade. His teacher is lovely, a bit eccentric, and we really like her.
She teaches knitting every year to her students. This has become a bit of a sticking point with some of the parents in the school, who see it as a pointless when there is so much else to learn. ( ie: why are they learning to knit when they need to learn spelling, math, science, etc.) They spend about a half hour per day on this, but have a choice to either silent read or knit. No one is forced into it.

However, I knit, and have offered to help in the class.
I see it as an opportunity to help them learn a new skill, gain fine moter dexterity, increase attention spans and practice counting. ( Not to mention it fosters creativity and confidence.)My DS, who is very much "all boy" couldn't have been prouder when he knit a wristband for me for christmas.

Today was my first day helping. It was very interesting to watch those students that "got it" and those that need extra help. Some that are bright struggle, and some that struggle academically take to knitting like ducks to water.
So.. any thoughts? Any educated guesses at who will do well with this? Anyone appalled that this is going on when they all should be studying math facts?
I guess I'm treating this as my own little experiment.
I'll be in the class once a week for the rest of the year.
I'm interested to hear thoughts......

Not a knitter but not at all appalled by this.
One of the biggest benefits I see is that it can teach children the ability to calm themselves (like meditating). The teacher's lessons on spelling, math, science, etc. are probably more effective on calm young minds than stressed out ones. I'm appalled when I see kids playing monster truck video games and watching cartoons at school.
I'd be happy to have DD in that teacher's class learning something new that she could use the rest of her life. Good luck with your experiment.

it teaches
math: pattern, addition, subtraction, etc.

Home economics: How to make something..... not usually taught in the younger grades!

art appreciation: It's considered a folk craft. There have been shows of fancy knittin' in big museams.....

as well as many other things.... what's not to love?

(Of course crochet is better! )

LOL crochet vs. knitting, my mom and I have the same arguement!

The teacher made the comment that her most "hyper" student last year was her best knitter, that it truly did have a calming effect on him.

It seems to me like it is a way to engage the kinesthetic learners in the class. They are a seriously underseverved minority. I am glad they are getting their moment to shine!

I'd love my son to have a teacher who set up this kind of activity. I find knitting very soothing. Reminds me of a friend who says that self esteem increases when a person completes a task that at the begining looked impossible. Don't remember who she was paraphrasing, but I love these ideas!

Smiles,
Grinity

Long time knitter here!

I taught DS7 to knit at the start of the year because he was curious about it. He hasn't kept up with it, and that's fine. But he enjoyed learning, and it was something different.

I see no problem with it, provided it's not holding kids back. It is an awfully useful skill to learn! Kids who are able to relax into it and who have good work ethics will do well at it, I predict. Kids who are tense perfectionists will struggle and get frustrated, though they may overcome it, and it might be a darn good lesson for them. Knitting really helped me accept that perfect wasn't necessary.

I like how the yarn looks when it's being 'unknit.' How could a whole cloth be really only one long string?
Grins

I see it at least as equal to any other art project, with some side benefit of getting some kids to be calmer and learn to concentrate. GS9 loves to knit but still needs a lot of help on a shawl he's working on.