Nurturing Creativity in our Children
Halloween Costumes for Brooklynn and Isabella
Emotional health is grounded in our childhood experiences of being creative.
Creativity is taking something that is within us, a concept or idea,
and taking the risk of bring it into the world of others.
Once our inner world has been given form through our
creative process we then look to others for acceptance.
Acceptance of more than the realism of the picture, the
story, the tower blocks, acceptance our entitlement to be creative. This is why as grandparents we have
refrigerators covered in pictures and Christmas Trees hung with grandchildren's
handmade ornaments. The
beauty in these treasured items is that our grandchildren made them.
Nurturing creativity in our children is an important
task. Children who believe in their
ability and right to be creative learn the following skills:
- To express their feelings healthy ways
- To explore and play with new ideas
- To engage in productive problem solving
- To see themselves and unique
- To be confident in their individuality
- To become complex thinkers
- To trust in their ability to see tasks through to completion and
- To see mistakes as new opportunities to learn
So it was when Emily and
Ruth brought their Halloween costume designs for Brooklynn and Isabella that I determined to support their creativity and bring the designs into reality.
This is Ruth's design for Isabella.
Ruth picked out the three fabric pieces at our local Walmart.
In discussing the design with Ruth she pointed to the sides and talked about how her fringes are along the sides of the dress not at the bottom.
Emily also picked out her fabric at Walmart.
Making Witches Stockings
Step #1 Purchase ready made stockings. I picked a pair of above the knee stockings at Walmart in the costume section for $3.00. There is enough fabric to make two pairs of stockings and stuffed animal (this will be featured in a later blog)
Step #2 Take one of the stockings and pull it onto the doll. Emily and Ruth complain that the ready made stockings ride to low on their dolls, so I position the top of the stocking just below the arm sockets.
Step #3 Once you have the cuff or top of the stocking where you want stand the doll up and place a pin at the point where their toes end.
Step #4 Cut the stocking off at this point.
Step #5 Stabilize the cut end and prevent your stocking from unraveling, by applying a zig zag stitch.
Step # 6 Pull the stocking back on the doll and place your doll in the sitting position. What you are finding is the point at the front of the stocking where the divide will stop. This point is found by locating where the leg end and the body starts. Note: This point will be different for the front and back.
Step # 7 Find the middle of your stocking and cut the front and back to the point that your have marked.
Step #8 Again stabilize the cut edge with the zig zag stitch.
Step #9 pin your edges together and sew using a stretch stitch as this seam will be stressed as the stockings are pulled on and off.
Here is a picture of what the crotch looks like.
And here is the finished product.
In the picture below you can see the finished stockings and what fabric I still have to work with.
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