Welcome to HIA (Hobby
Industry Association) Teacher Talk, a
special link developed to assist
educators, child care providers, camp
counselors, scout leaders and anyone
else involved in planning craft
activities for children.
It has long been
documented that young children learn
most effectively through direct
activity and interaction. According
to the ERIC Digest, What Should
Children Be Learning, funded by
The Office of Educational Research
and Improvement (OERI) of the US
Department of Education,
"Young children
should be interacting with
adults, materials and their
surroundings in ways which help
them make sense of their own
experience and environment. They
should be investigating and
observing aspects of their
environment worth learning about,
and recording their observations
and findings through talk,
paintings and drawing.
Interaction that arises in the
course of such activities
provides a context for much
social and cognitive
learning."
The National Association
of Elementary School Principals
further states,
"Young children
acquire knowledge by
manipulating, exploring and
experimenting with real objects.
They learn almost exclusively by
doing and through movement."
The value of crafting
does not end as children mature.
Adolescents and teenagers also
greatly benefit from developing the
artistic and practical skills learned
through hands-on craft activities.
And because crafting encompasses so
many different activities, students
are able to experience a wide variety
of mediums, any of which may lead to
lifelong hobbies.
HIA developed Teacher
Talk at the request of many educators
who search for alternatives to
traditional teaching methods. Teacher
Talk is filled with a dozen lesson
plans that outline the desired
objectives, necessary materials and
step-by-step instructions for each
project, prepared by Bonnie Morris, a
highly-respected, award-winning
educator currently teaching in the
Montville, NJ school system. Most
lesson plans can be easily adapted to
suit age groups from K - 12 and many
can be utilized for special holiday
projects.
Click here for the
current Lesson Plans
Also available through
Teacher Talk is a special National
Craft Month (NCM) Teacher Information
Kit. NCM is a nationwide celebration
designed to draw attention to crafts
and the benefits devised from craft
activities. Celebrated each March,
America's best known crafter, Carol
Duvall, serves as the NCM
spokesperson. The NCM kit details
ways in which teachers can introduce
National Craft Month to their
students. A full color poster is
included along with additional
project instructions.
Click here to request
a Teacher Talk
Information Kit
