Thursday, June 12, 2008

Needlefelted Alphabet Set

This is a set of alphabet cards that I made for my daughters who are learning how to read and spell (the older one) and identify letters (the younger one).

Both are hands-on, visual learners. The four picture cards on the corners are either ATCs or ACEOs that are available (the top 2) or traded (the bottom 2).

Each card is the standard ATC/ACEO size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") and is made with 100% sheep wool. The letter and background are both needlefelted with a single barbed needle onto a white wool base.

The girls have watched me make needlefelted ATCs (and tried their hand at making their own which is a different story). So, I started by making the A, B, and C cards one night. The next morning, they saw the cards and were so excited.
I said, "If I made the entire alphabet so you could put the letters together to make words, would you like that?"
"YES!" Sophia (the older daughter) said.
To Olivia I said, "You could put all the letters in order when you sing the ABC song. Would you like that?"
"YES!" she said.
So, I began working on the needlefelted alphabet set. This was a great way to use the many colors that were in the wool bin (I was surprised at how many different types I had as I was making the cards).
Now that they're done, the girls used them yesterday when they were "playing school" together. I could hear Sophia ask Olivia what each of the letters were...and she used them to create words to teach her sister. "This is how you spell 'cat' ... C - A - T."
They are learning...even when I'm not teaching them. It made me smile.
*****
For families/teachers/home educators, individual cards and the entire alphabet set that look like these are available in my Etsy shop (http://www.harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com/).
For those who enjoy trading ATCs, if you are interested in trading one of your cards for a needlefelted one, please email me.

2 comments:

Sara said...

Oh wow, I love these cards! They're amazing! What a clever idea!

knitweavesew said...

I love your site and I love these cards, could you tell me some more about the ATC swap, I don't know anything about it, is there a site I can look at about it?

Are you teaching your children to read through phonics? If so, which method/book are you following and how are you getting on?

I am teaching my eldest girl (6) to read at home with me now,

best wishes,
Lune x