There are a group of parents in and around Pietermaritzburg that have decided to do something about the cost and quality of schooling available here in South Africa. They do it themselves.
Sure, it takes a lot out of the normal home maker’s day; what with the shopping, cooking, washing, and the other domestic activities that fill most of their days. However there is one thing that they do not have to worry about, and that is driving their children to and from school. It all takes place in the home; well almost all.
Linda Meyers, who teaches her children at home, met Elisabeth Baratta at the Royal Show. Linda likes to quilt and she was impressed with the award winning Mzansi Zulu Quilt Centre’s stand at the show, which was being managed by Elisabeth Baratta. Linda asked how old a child must be to learn to quilt. “They have to be big enough to reach the sewing machine” answered Baratta.
So in the fullness of time Linda contacted her social group of home school parents and asked if they would be interested to having the “home economics” portion of their child’s education fulfilled with a visit to the Mzansi Zulu Quilt Centre in Merrivale.
Arrangements were made and thirteen children from eight to thirteen years old spent six hours recently learning the basics of quilting.
Of course one cannot plan, cut, sew, and make a quilt in six hours just starting, with no experience at all… but the children did not know this. So they learned how a sewing machine works, planned and cut their fabric, and sewed their blocks together, all in six hours…with a bit of help of course.
Their success provided motivation and they demanded another lesson on how to actually quilt their products. So back again they came to Mzansi Centre, along with three anxious parents. Needless to say they did learn the demanding art of pinning tops, bottoms and batting together with a hundred safety pins, and then pushing the sandwiched fabric through a needlessly small sewing machine.
After mastering this process they were allowed to actually try their hands quilting on a Gammill Long Arm Quilter. Each of them actually quilted their names on a quilt made by Khethwe Shezi (eight years old).
If there is anything to learn by this story it is that we should never underestimate the abilities of our children. Don’t box them into an age group: one size fits all. Give them the opportunity to seek their own level of capabilities. You just might be surprised.
|
