They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman. ~Exodus 28:6
Target Age
Preschoolers
Activity Description
Use tapestry needles and cross stitching thread and fabric. Be creative. Stitch a beautiful design on the cloth so it becomes a curtain. Or make a bag. Or a tunic for a doll that can pretend to be the high priest.
Field Report
- This was a hard activity. I got tapestry needles because I didn’t want kids getting poked. But the blunt end was difficult even for me to poke through the cloth. Even though it was cross stitch fabric.
- The needles came unthreaded a couple of times.
- The concept of “first you push the needle down, then it come back up” was too complex for them. Fortunately, I had made the threads long enough that they could happily tangle their zany stitches.
- If I did this again, I would either have pointier needles, or cloth with a wider weave.
Kid Appeal
At first, all the boys welcomed the blessed release from circle time by going to play. I had worried that sewing might seem to girly even at this age. (But then every one of those boys headed for the kitchenette, so obviously gender roles are still in flux. They do have a greater need to move around then the girls do, though.) I began setting out the supplies, and the girls immediately came over and wanted to know what I was doing. I showed them how to stitch.
Amdiel commented, “This is hard.” You don’t have to finish. “But I want to. I like this.” Judith squealed, “I did it!” with each stitch. By and by one of the boys came over and said, “Is this only for girls?” No. “Can I do it?” All but one of the kids eventually ended up doing the craft.
