Natalie loves to knit! Her first home school teacher, Rose Gander, an educator / innovator / tutor, who was like her Ann Sullivan, gave her her first pair of needles and her first knitting lesson. Artist Denise Wey also contributed to her instruction, as well. It was one of those things that Mom, although proficient in knitting and crochet, was willing but not able to teach. No credibility. This happens and ya just gotta go with it.
The Natalie Academy Home School is firmly founded on a big sense of home. Having friends and neighbors as part of the teaching team has been an integral part of our success. Many opportunities for good cop friend and bad cop mom to leverage learning situations to fruition.
Knitting has been a wealth of access for Natalie's advancement:
Colors: Choosing colors to go together at the store has provided shopping instruction teaching moments. Asking people what their favorite color is has provided non-threatening conversation moments.
Workin' it: Knitting itself is calming and enjoyable for Natalie. It's productive. It gives her an ongoing sense of accomplishment. It's open-ended because new elements can be added, like learning to cast on and cast off on her own.
Giving them: Sharing the scarves has been a source of great joy and pleasure for Natalie, and as you can see, they are very well received.
Independence and confidence: Natalie has gotten her first commission for a scarf!
