‘The Creative Family’
Speaking of books, one of my favorites in the whole craft-simplicity-creativity genre is "The Creative Family," by Amanda Blake Soule.
I preordered the book last spring, read it right away, carried it around in my purse for a while, and refer back to it often.
Soule, of Portland, Maine, has written the popular blog Soule Mama since 2005 (in the blogosphere, that's a very long time). The blog chronicles her family of six's adventures in crafting, simplicity, and nature exploration, and serves as an inspiration to many parents who want to raise their kids in a more back-to-basics way. They knit. They put on puppet shows together. They make music with pots and pans. They head to the beach with pencils and drawing pads and let Mother Nature be their muse.
And I'm pretty sure they didn't watch three back-to-back episodes of "Caillou" on TV this morning like my kids did (what can I say? We're still snowed in. We moved on to arts and crafts eventually).
In an Aug. 6, 2007 article in the Portland Press Herald, Soule summed it up like this:
"I want to steer my kids away from thinking that everything they need in life is available at Target or a store," she said. "There is a value, a richness and uniqueness in the things we can make ourselves."
"The Creative Family" is full of how-to craft activities for children and adults alike, including the felt pencil roll pictured above--a perfect companion for on-the-go art making. I've sewn up about a dozen of these (including three this morning) and given them away as gifts to young friends and family members. (You can see more photos of the pencil rolls I made today here.)
I never would have considered having my then 2 year old try her hand at embroidery had I not read Soule's book last spring. To see my daughter's little fingers struggle with the needle and floss--sometimes looping the floss around the embroidery hoop instead of going in and out of the fabric--was a memorable sight. Her primitive first attempts are works of art to me.
"The Creative Family" is more than a craft book, though. Soule shares inspiring ways to make mealtime, holidays--and life in general!--more meaningful.
Have you read Soule's book? Do you have another book or blog to recommend to folks who are seeking ways to slow down? Are you concerned that children are being raised less creatively today?
