It’s rough being a BOY in a sea full of girly blog tutorials and sewing ideas. …
For whole of february, Made is teaming up with Made by Rae for a whole month of boy only tutorials and ideas – including: boys clothing, crafts and toys + 12 guest bloggers – sounds exciting.
To kick start the month made has a boys backpack made from men’s cast off pants, and made by rae has a tute on how to refashion a men’s shirt into a little boy’s shirt.
made has some awfully cute pirate lounge pants and the most fantastic 90 minute stretch top (above). Go join the blokey fun – I will be checking in during the month to see what else they are up to.
About the Author: Laura is the resourceful mother of 4 children. She enjoys finding creative ways to motivate her family to do things they should do. If you would like to learn more about her ideas and how she thrives in a house full of boys please visit her website.
As a mother of 4 boys- I was happy to see this months submission request highlighting boys and men. I once naively thought, since I didn’t have daughters, that I would miss out on hours of crafting with my children. Boy was I wrong! I’d like to share some lessons/tips I’ve learned while crafting with my sons.
First I have to admit, my boys like to craft differently than me. And I have had to adjust my expectations accordingly in order to be able to craft together and enjoy our time.
For example while I like to keep my crayons & markers organized and neat, my boys are quick to break their crayons and rip off the wrappers. At first I protested, “These are NEW crayons!” but I was answered with blank stares. Then as I watched them manipulate and crunch the crayons in their papers to get interesting textures and shading I learned something from my boys.
Collages are another satisfying project, combining ripping apart magazines and catalogs to make relevant themed posters for their bedroom walls.
I also enjoy using crafts to extend what they are learning and reading. While my boys were reading the ‘Spiderwick’ series we made Bogart houses out of milk cartons with their book club. We’ve created cardboard stand-ups of rabbits and other animals so they could practice their bow & arrow skills like the character Brian in the story ‘Hatchet’. We just finished reading ‘Lunch Money’ and in the story they explain how to create and bind your own comic book! How cool is that?
I am so glad I‘ve been persistent in crafting with my boys. I have learned so much by their fearless approach to creating. Their interests have also helped me try new projects- I can’t wait to finish our comic books!
Studies during the last few years have shown a general alarm over boys struggling with reading. Headlines have called it “The Boy Crisis” and stating “we’ve sort of shifted our gaze away from boys for the last several decades”, calling boys “Reluctant Readers”.
Here is an idea to try – for parents to help their boys overcome obstacles to reading: Boys Book Clubs. A book club just for boys but that are energy oriented with activities and games that relate to boy books.
So how is a ‘Boys Book Club’ different to a regular book club?”. Boy Book Clubs embrace the action-oriented nature of boys and help them make connections with books through their interests. For example, if you are reading a book with sport related themes – have the boys play a basketball game- Then have a free throw contest to see who can make the most free throws. Once you’ve gotten some energy out, start your discussion of the book over pizza. If you need more ideas or examples check out
www.bookclub4boys.com – with free book club outlines that include incentive games to really motivate boys to read.
www.guysread.com is another great resource in finding books that boys read and authors that write just for boys. Boys don’t want to “get in touch with their feelings“, they are also turned off by female heroes. Authors who write for boys understand this and keep their stories packed with action and adventure while teaching them something on the sly.
The most important thing a parent can do to encourage their boy to read is provide books boys like and to stay positive about reading. Even if you have to begin reading the book to your son to get him hooked. The more he is exposed to books the more likely he’ll be to read a book. The more he reads the better reader he’ll be and if he knows a book club meeting is coming up – he’ll be that much more motivated to finish the book.
If you need help starting a book club, need some survival tips on hosting a boys book club meeting – or want to connect with other boys book clubs – check out Bookclub4boys.
Authors who write for boys: Dan Gutman, Gary Paulsen, Anthony Horowitz, Paul Jennings and Dav Pilkey. (what are your favourite authors for boys?)
About the author: Laura Blum is the mother of 4 boys who has tackled this very challenge. After hosting book clubs for her own boys for 4 years, she started a book club for boys website to share her Boy Book Club outlines and other helpful tips. She is proud to announce all of her boys are reading at grade level or higher!
