It's not often that we see handicrafts incorporated as a school subject in a curriculum plan.

Oh, we might see them on the schedule for preschool or kindergarten,

but rarely do we see that priority extended into elementary school,

and almost never into middle school or high school.

Yet Charlotte Mason believed that handicrafts were a vital component of a child's education.

She understood the important benefits that our children can gain from working with their

hands.

Let's take a few minutes to remind ourselves of those benefits and why Charlotte Mason included

handicrafts in the school's schedule

for every student.

Welcome to the Simply Charlotte Mason podcast.

I'm Sonia Schaefer.

Whether you are a dyed-in-the- wool artsy craftsy person or feel like handicrafts

are a waste of time, you may be surprised at all of the ways that your students will benefit

from working with their hands. First, perhaps we should clarify what we mean by handicrafts.

In the preschool and kindergarten years, we're

used to thinking of crafts as coloring with crayons and cutting with scissors and gluing pieces

of paper together. That may be a simple way to get started, but when Charlotte Mason talked

about handicrafts, she meant crafts like knitting and sewing and

woodworking and leather tooling, the kinds of crafts that have proven useful and beautiful over the centuries.

Charlotte had four tests that a handicraft project had to pass in order to be of benefit to the students.

Number one, the project had to be useful. The students must not be assigned a task

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