Qq is for Quilts

Quilts
Hanging in our primary hall is a quilt made by students in Mrs. Anderson's 5th grade class in 1975-76.

Students traced around their hand on a fabric square, then learned how to outline by sewing an embroidery chain stitch.  This was a project to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States.  The quilt squares were finished but the quilt was not put together until 40 years later by the teacher's daughter.
It was presented to our school when completed and hangs in the hall along with the class picture and description of the project.

We pass this quilt daily as our class goes to lunch.  So it seems quite the connection to make our own class quilt.

As we learned the letter Qq and the initial sound of quilt, we read a story about a Quiet Quilt and started our own quilt project. 

Each student was given a 6-inch square paper.  They identified the first letter of their name and given that wooden letter to trace.  This is such a good fine motor manipulative skill to be able to hold the wooden letter still while tracing around the letter.  
The students decorated their letter.  Seven-inch squares of colored construction paper were laminated and tied together.  The children's decorated initial squares were taped on the construction paper for our class quilt that hangs in the hall by our classroom.


Counting by 5's

Quilts can be made with tracing students' hands and writing the numbers for counting the fingers by 5's when the children are ready to practice this skill.

Stories

We read The Quilt Story by Tomie dePaola and learned how quilts can be special family heirlooms passed down from parent to child.
We read The Quilt by Ann Jonas and learned how quilt squares can be made by using old clothing as a memory and using our imagination about patterns.

My friend's daughter and goddaughter, Abby, was given a handmade quilt resembling the quilt with Abigail's name as in The Quilt Story's quilt.   

Q-tip painting 

Qq is for Q-tip painting a quilt with squiggles, dots and the letter Qq. 

"The queen is sleeping under the quilt."

Draw queen, a head with a crown on a rectangular pillow at the top of a paper.  
Students glue squares cut from wallpaper samples, or colored construction paper or just color over squares printed with a background design to make a quilt.
Glue the sides of the quilt under the queen's head.  Glue a  printed sentence underneath.  
Students can circle each word in the sentence to practice that 'sentences are made up of words.'

Qq is for queen.

Here is a way to provide practice to trace patterns which uses both hands, one to hold and one to trace along the edge.  Edges that are straight, curved and zig zag vary the direction of control.  Students will be crossing their midline and crossing over and around their stationary hand. They will learn to manipulate moving their stationary hand for maximum control.
Purposeful practice is part of the benefit of doing a craft.