Academic Success is Woven from the Threads of Social Development

Allegra and her mom Cindy enjoy a few hours of weaving. 

According to social development research, social development is the cog wheel for academic success. (Yovanka and Winsler, 2006; Parker and Asher, 1987;Coie et al. 1990) The work of Eric Erikson shows that social development is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the entire lifespan.  In today's industrialized society mainstream propaganda has bolstered academic learning while neglecting the continuous social foundation to why and how an individual learns.  In response to the link between social development and academic success, peer based learning and socially based expressive arts experiences have the  potential to manifest academic success throughout the lifespan. 

 "I love it at Weaving Connections. Weaving is great occupational therapy and most of all Lorenzo is an awesome friend to weave with." Robert 

   The work of SAORI provides opportunities for social development and thus leads to cognitive development. As participants co-create with fibers, they collaborate as a community of learners. This process involves reciprocity, joint attention, pragmatic language,  problem solving, critical thinking, self-regulation and the ability to communicate ones needs,  recognize emotions and produce appropriate solutions, and make choices. The aforementioned skills  come together to make up a person's ability to engage effectively in complex social interactions as well as provide prerequisite skills for academic success.   

Lorenzo problem solves how to wind the bobbin. 

Expert shuttle threader Nastassja lends Sam a hand. 

"When I go back to school I am going to write about what I created at Weaving Connections." Taylor age12 

"We all learn from each other in the studio." 

"When I was weaving I felt happy and expressive. I created something that was all mine. " Isabelle age 10

"SAORI weaving has become a meditation for me. My creative expression at the loom brings calm to my day. A calm that I share with my friends and family through the projects I create." Sue-adult  

In many cases while working in a SAORI studio the most unsuspected agent emerges as a leader, facilitating and deepening the studio experience. The leadership, led by the self-directed intuitive principles of SAORI generates the depth of the experience. When something is made by hand it has a part of the maker and makers in it. It is from our hands, our imagination and thus becomes a synthesis of our life experiences. Creating a piece of SAORI woven art work is a  unique and sacred process, and because of this, it tells and validates our story. The process of creation informs our relationships, the evolution of our social development, self-efficacy, and agency, thus proving an ever developing foundation for academic success. 

New Treasures from Old Things

During the week of June 27 to July 1 Weaving Connections partnered with The Hunterdon Art Museum  www.hunterdonartmuseum.org to create a fun filled week of SAORI weaving and Repurposed Art. Our art making was inspired by the essential question, " How can we live within the means of nature? To explore this topic the students discussed their favorite parts of nature, shared ideas about how they can protect and preserve what they love in nature, and explored their thoughts on waste management. We enjoyed the work of classic children's authors including Eric Carl, Frank Asch, Lois Ehlert, Dennis Fleming and Leo Leonni. In the spirit of the storytelling tradition we retold folk tales including the Parrot and the Cat, Sunman and Elephant's Surprise. By the weeks end, each student used their acquired knowledge  about sustainability to explore creative movement, create prints, emblems, SAORI bracelets, nature wands and capes all promoting their personal message to protect and preserve the planet we share. 

Exploring Creative Movement During Morning Circle 

Check Out Our Process

Making Prints on Repurposed Material with Recycled Objects

SAORI Weaving with Eve

Everyday the students collected the trash from snack time. We asked each other "Where does the garbage go?" and we graphed how much packaging each snack has. The #1 NO package snacks were apples, bananas and water in reusable water bottles. 

By day three a student brought blueberries in a covered cup rather than a plastic zip lock bag. 

Creating Cape Emblems On Paper 

Using the iron to transfer drawn emblem onto repurposed fabric.

Preparing To Embroider Emblems 

Cutting Out Emblems

All Pinned Down and Ready To Sew 

We used repurposed yarn and material to create SAORI bracelets. 

Stuffing and Stitching our Nature Wands made from Repurposed Material 

Pressing The Sewing Machine Peddle 

Some Of Our Finished Work

My appreciation to everyone for co-creating an amazing week! 

"I teach my children, you know my dolls, to reuse. And my children will always help the animals because that is what I do." Alice age 4 

If the earth is sad when the trash goes into a landfill, what can we do to help make less trash?  

"We can shoot the trash into space." Ted age 4  

"We need to use less, like when Matthew brought his blueberries in a reusable cup." Katherine age 5

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