Never let your schooling interrupt your education.

Growing Up Sew Liberated: An Interview (& Giveaway) with Meg McElwee

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This giveaway has ended. Thanks for entering!

Meg McElwee is a designer, author, former Montessori teacher, and Mama to two sweet boys.

Her blog, Sew Liberated, and first book by the same name, have become popular go-to spots for crafters looking to blend the traditional with the modern–in both their lifestyles and their handwork.

I’m thrilled that Simple Homeschool is one of the stops on Meg’s tour to celebrate her new book, Growing Up Sew Liberated. This title is full of inspiration, practical sewing instruction for family projects, lovely photos, and comforting advice about creating family rhythm.

I recently had the chance to ask Meg some questions about her new release as well as her educational background. Check out the end of the post to see how you can win a copy of her book!

An Interview with Meg McElwee

1. You are a certified Montessori teacher. Can you give us an overview of what this philosophy of education looks like in the early years?

“The Montessori early childhood classroom (2.5-6 year olds) was designed to be as much like a family home as possible, with multiple ages of children, a working kitchen, and the responsibility that comes with living in a “family” – learning to respect space and boundaries, eating together, and caring for the home environment.

“For the young child at home, the Montessori philosophy boils down to the phrase “follow the child.” Follow the child, not the child’s every whim.

“Pay attention to what your child’s moods and actions are telling you, and make adjustments taking into account what your child’s true needs are, rather than his/her “wants.” Adjustments might be applied to the physical home environment, your daily routines, or your way of responding to your child.”

2. In your lovely book you refer to the importance of creating a rhythm for a young child’s day. Any tips on how to go about doing so?

“Oh goodness, that’s something that I’m struggling with right now! Sometimes it can be so hard to keep a child’s day harmonious when there is so much going on in the background of our adult lives. The biggest thing I try to remember is that a child’s rhythm is a SLOW one. I need to constantly remind myself to slow down and enjoy simple moments with my boys.

“Ideally, our weeks are loosely planned around time in the kitchen, time for quiet indoor play, outdoor play, and the steadfast routines like bedtime. This will look different for every family, but I believe that having a combination of these three things in every day (kitchen, indoor play and outdoor play) is so beneficial for the child.”

“Indoor play might include an art experience one day, bread making the next. I’ve also found it beneficial to have one parent-initiated/led activity a day, which provides you a built-in time to connect to your child and allows you to informally guide their explorations of the world. For example, we made bird cookies last week. Another day we might paint with different bird feathers instead of brushes. It’s a fun way to inject a bit of creativity into your daily planning!

“To create a workable rhythm for your family, you need to take time to sit down with pen and paper and write down all of the ideas of routines, daily/weekly activities, and traditions that appeal to you. I love to check the online magazine Rhythm of the Home for ideas. This will be your “wish list.”

“There’s no way you’ll be able to work everything into your family’s life, and that’s ok! Go over your list and weed out anything that appeals to you but not your child(ren). Then cross off ideas that are lovely, but just don’t fit into your schedule right now.

“Come up with a workable list, the smaller the better, for your family, then start implementing ideas little by little.”

3. What is the most important thing mothers of young children can do to prepare their children to excel academically later?

“Instill a sense of wonder in your child. Marvel at the curled tongue of a butterfly together. Touch the squishy wool of a sheep and imagine what kind of sweater it could make. Gaze into the flame of a candle in silence.

“We all know to read to our children, but so often the focus on academic success is slanted toward giving our children the tools required for learning rather than instilling a sense of wonder in the world which will provide him with a lifelong motivation to learn. Especially in the younger years, a child needs to be given every chance to allow his or her curiosity to blossom.”

4. How important is handwork in a child’s life? How can a non-sewing mom or dad find a way to still integrate some of your book’s principles into their days?

“Creativity is in the process, not the product! I often don’t have the time to sit down and sew in front of my boys, but I might have the opportunity to fill my cupped hands with water and throw said water up into the air on a hot summer day, excited about how the gravity pulls the beads of water right back down to the earth.

“If you don’t sew, you might bake. If you don’t bake, you might draw. If you don’t draw, you might build. Every person has something that he or she enjoys doing that involves the hands.

“As Maria Montessori said, “The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.” Handwork is the way that we humans leave our marks on the world, and handwork isn’t limited to fiber arts.

“Do what you love with your child. It’s that simple.”

Giveaway

Meg’s publisher, Interweave Press, would like to give two Simple Homeschool readers a copy of Growing Up Sew Liberated!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, answering this question: What type of handwork do you enjoy doing with your children?

If you’re reading this in an email, you must come over to the blog to comment.

If you’d like two additional ways to enter the giveaway, here’s how:

Additional Entries

1. Mention this giveaway on Twitter, including @simpleschool, @sewliberated, and the URL of this post — http://bit.ly/kMYuQw . Then come back and leave an additional comment here, telling me about your tweet.

2. ‘Like’ Simple Homeschool on Facebook and Sew Liberated on Facebook. Then come back here again and leave a comment, telling me you did so.

This giveaway has ended–thanks for entering!

About Jamie C. Martin

Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020.

Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah B

    My only daughter is 12 and loves to sew. I am terrified of sewing machines and we get together and have “sewing class” where she teaches me how to sew. I LOVE it and she feels so empowered!

  5. Marina

    We make play-clay, we paint, we finger knit, play with beeswax…he little one (1) likes to draw!

  8. Kerri

    At our house we love to be in the kitchen. My girls and I enjoy baking and cooking together.

  10. Erin

    My boys love to help us when there’s any building, fixing or painting (walls, not pictures) going on.

  11. nancy

    I really enjoy coloring with my daughter, especially on the same page and it helps her to do it longer too!

  14. Amy

    I need a little help in this area. I like handwork so much that I have a hard time slowing down to bring it to their level. Add one kooky toddler and I’ve been avoiding it. (bad, bad mama!)

  15. Natalia

    We do a lot of handcraft with paper in this household – from simple drawing and painting to printing on a letterpress and making books. And if there is any building or furniture to be made, our son is right in there helping us!

    I would love to start doing something different – like sewing – but I think we continue to ‘play to our strengths’ around here.
    Natalia’s latest post: Studio Ghibli Museum

  31. Jo

    We love to do wet felting! With a 2 year old boy and a 5 year old felting can either be a more creative form of soap and water play or actually have the end result of making something from the beautiful dyed wool.

  32. Leah

    We do baking, and they love to paint and draw on just about everything. My daughter is also learning how to sew.
    thanks would love to win this book

  34. Jill

    My children love to cook and bake with me. “Mom, can I help?” is frequently heard. I’m so glad they love to be with me in a space we all enjoy.

  36. heidi sink

    My two boys like to be hands on with whatever we are doing. Being in the kitchen and the sewing room with me, we come up with lots of different fun hands on stuff. Their favorite place to be is outside!

  37. Gina G.

    My daughter and I do a lot of baking and simple crafting. This summer I am going to teach her how to use a needle and thread.

  42. illya gonzalez

    My daughters and I love to knit and sew. One of them got a sewing machine for Christmas and we have done many projects with it. They take it very seriously and have learned so much.
    Illya

  43. Melanie Rudd

    We have enjoyed many different handcrafts in our home over the years-sewing (both by machine and by hand), needlework, making things with clay, woodburning, baking, drawing, painting, leaf rubbings, etc. My daughter is especially into all kinds of handwork and artistic-type things. Her favorites are drawing and scuplting. My top choices are baking and needlework and my son is really into the woodburning right now. Thanks for another great giveaway! This book looks like a great resource and an enjoyable read!

  46. Liz Gerstung

    I love to sew and bake! I am in the process of working with all my children on baking and cooking – 3 of them love it, the other one…not as much! But I want her to know the basics! 🙂 My older girls are great artists – especially my 2nd daughter. She is extremely creative with the things she makes – it is so fun to see what she will come up with.

  49. Megan

    great giveaway -I like to do simple open ended crafts with my kids – spreading paint, markers, crayons, and other supplies on the table and letting them take the lead
    Megan’s latest post: -early summer-

  52. Lynn

    Such a lovely book! I like to help my daughter with sewing and baking. I also have a grand-daughter so am looking forward to helping her with the same.

  54. Brie

    My kids and I are always doing projects: suncatchers, finger knitting, painting, drawing, watercolors, hand sew, sea shell art…. Something new most days. My daughter has really enjoyed learning to finger knit and weave. SHe plans on really honing her skills this summer 🙂

  55. Lucy

    I love to knit, crochet and do needlepoint. Both my son and daughter have learned to needlepoint and I am teaching them to crochet. I even taught a knitting class at their school this year.

  60. Nancy

    I love to sew, bake, and just craft and general with both of my 2 kids (soon to be 3, through adoption!) Thanks for the giveaway!

  61. Meredith C.

    We tried crochet and we’ve done lots of paper-cutting projects together–and my son absolutely loves working on origami!

  65. JenT

    My kids and I have tried just about all kinds of crafting, but our favourites seem to be painting and baking

  68. dhess

    I love to foster creativity in my children. We are a homeschooling family and this is a very important “subject” in our homeschool. We like to make cards, latchhook, plastic canvas and look forward to many more handicrafts in the future.

  72. Stacy

    I try to help our children bake something at least once week. We also like to play with play-doh (that’s handwork, right? LOL!) and color or draw together. Thanks for the chance to win this book!

  73. Rose

    I love Meg’s blog, and I already have her first book. Would love to add this one to the collection! Our favorite handwork is making pinch pots out of clay.

  74. Cherie

    I love to sew, crochet, cross stitch, make posters and bake, still trying to figure out how to not be so OCD and let my kids help more. They’ve made muffins with me and I’m branching out! 4 kids under 5 with a pregnant mom in the kitchen stresses me out… I like the advice of learning to slow down with kids though since their schedule runs slower, so true! I’d love to win this book, I need the help and ideas!
    Cherie’s latest post: Childrens Rights

  76. Ruthie

    Baking! I like to sew, but there’s still too young to do too much of that with me yet.

  79. Sarah M

    I have loved Meg’s blog for over two years!! I own her first book and will soon own her second! My favorite type of handwork with kids is something along the lines of playing with felt and fabric. My kids love to make designs and pictures out of both.

    Sarah M
    Sarah M’s latest post: This Moment

  81. Christina Pilkington

    Meg shared some very important ideas. I absolutely believe that encouraging your young child’s sense of wonder is one of the most important things you can do for thier love of learning. I also really love when she said to share what you love with your child. This is not just important for the sake of sharing something new, but it’s sharing with you child what makes you a unique, special person, too.

  82. Chris & Kate

    My husband is a potter, so one of our favorite family activities is working with clay in his studio. Our 3-year-old absolutely loves studio time with Daddy!

  83. Jodi

    Thanks for the oppirtunity to win this! We do lots of handwork here. There is much baking (sourdough bread and whole wheat crackers being our latest treats), as well as sewing, knitting, and general fun kid crafts.

  84. Stacy Tepp

    We enjoy doing some simple embroidery and making felt animals/robots lightly stuffed and sewed together with a simple blanket stitch!

  86. Nikiya McDonald

    What a beautiful book, full of beautiful ideas! I have been assisting my 3 and a half year old in stitching up simple felt hearts to give as gifts on special occasions. 🙂

  90. Leslie M.P.

    We do a variety of things around here. We love to cook. My daughter loves knitting. They both love art and crafts, as well. I’m teaching my daughter to sew right now.

  92. Lori

    We like to embroider together. I make Christmas ornaments, and the kids draw their own designs (usually family names with doodles) on fabric and embroider them, and give them as Christmas gifts. This was totally their idea. They started it last year when they saw me sitting down with my needlework. And they’re boys…6 year old twins. My daughter is 9 and also loves to stitch with me.

  95. Jessica

    Most of our handwork revolves around the kitchen. Although I like to sew and knit, I haven’t found a way to involve my 3 year old boy.
    Thanks for the opportunity to win this book.

  96. Ann

    What a great book! My younger 2 kids are really enjoying painting right now. My older daughter really loves sewing simple things with felt-she’s really creative and has often given me new ideas!

  98. Melodie

    I love to bake and make jewelry with beads. My 3 year old loves to help with both. 🙂

  100. Molly

    I love to sew and knit and can’t wait to teach my boys. They are still small, though, so we draw and cook together a lot.

  101. dayna holbel

    This book looks amazing! I am an emerging sewer and my kids and I are learning together. We also really enjoy creating handmade gifts for the special people in our lives, jams, candles, bath salts, and more!

  102. Esther

    The thing my children & I have been enjoying lately is Fuse Beads! They’ve really gotten creative with the designs they’ve made. It’s an activity that demands focus, but is still conducive to talking and enjoying the cpmpanionship of those around you. There’s also something soothing about placing the beads.

  103. olugbemisola

    great interview — thank you! Meg’s work is always inspiring. I love to embroider and knit with my daughter, or we just sit and wind yarn balls which is a great time for us to mull over ideas for other creative projects. We also do a lot of cooking together, turning it into a “show”.
    olugbemisola’s latest post: News and Updates

  104. Rebecca

    What a great post! As mom to an 18 month old with another on the way, I think this is still an area of discovery for me. I do like to cook, so I hope as my children get a little older we can enjoy that together.

  105. arianne

    Great post. I’ve had this book on my list and would love to win it!

    We love creating all kinds of things together–painting, sewing, knitting. Right now my daughter sits with me and finger knits yards and yards while I work on my spinning wheel.

  106. Tracey

    I love doing beading projects with my daughter. She is a special needs child and is very “girly”, too. We create beautiful jewelry for her to wear and it also helps with her fine motor skills!

  107. anne

    My boys and I love to make scrapbooks and journals together. I’d love a copy of this book to get some more ideas for fun!

  109. Erin @ Mama in Progress

    We cook a lot together and my 5.5-year-old son has recently taken up finger knitting while I knit. We have also tried out a little bit of stitching on felt in recent weeks. My younger boy is all about painting lately so that’s where we spend our time. 🙂

    I love Meg’s work and her thoughtfulness with her children.
    Erin @ Mama in Progress’s latest post: Return of the Mojo

  110. Mary

    My boys love to cook. It always is messy and takes at least double as much time but it is somthing we all love to do together (even if the end product is on exactly good). Another activity the boys really love to do is gardening. They love to have their hands in the dirt and find roots and bugs. It’s become a wonderful learning experience for them.

  114. Sarah G

    My 11-month-old and I really enjoy back yard time together. He explored the leaves, I garden in between making sure he doesn’t eat them. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to be my little helper though!

  117. Amber Walters

    I remember finding Sew Liberated when I was trying to transition from our Montessori 3-6 years to homeschooling. Unfortunately, in figuring out what works for us at home, Montessori has become part of our past instead of our present. For example I don’t remember the last time either of the kids expressed any kind of interest in preparing meals, something they used to do daily. Thank you for reminding me and making it sound so doable.

  119. Janna

    Our favorites are the basics–play-dough, painting, drawing–these are the ones we go back to daily/weekly. But a favorite “sometimes” activity is embroidering simple pictures we’ve drawn–they turn out so neat!

  120. Wendy P

    I love sculpting PlayDo with my grandson, sandcastle building and coloring too. He is just 2 yrs old. I really look forward to so many things later on! Cooking, drawing, painting, sewing. Whatever he is interested in.

  122. Catherine Sheetz

    This is my first encounter with Sew Liberated and am really taken with it. My 9 year old daughter was given a sewing machine and a sewing kit for Christmas by a generous relative and she has taken to it. She hand sewed four quilt squares together for a doll blanket, made me a coaster out of fabric scraps for my birthday, made a felt elephant for her sister and another animal for her brother. Her 5 year old sister is following closely in her footsteps. My 7 year old son loves to whittle sticks, make play bows (sticks with string tied on each end) and anything involving sticks or wood. The three kids got together and worked hard on chiseling out a piece of wood (a foot long) to make into a canoe and painted it for me for Mother’s Day. All three kids enjoy time in the kitchen – my oldest is the expert oatmeal and cookie maker, my son is great with scrambled eggs. My youngest likes to help whenever I am baking/cooking. I am curious to explore the other ideas mentioned from Sew Liberated.

  123. bridget stevens

    we often bake together, and my 2.5 year old like to help “knead” the bread 😉 I do sew a little, but often they are just rewarded with the outcome and not involved with the process at this point, something I hope to learn to change.

  127. Nola

    My oldest and I like to sew on plastic canvas with yarn. Its just the right thing for her since its easier than with thread on fabric. We also have enjoyed using felt and embroidery floss which is a bit harder but still easy enough for her to do. She is 5.

  129. Lena

    We like to craft within nature as much as possible…we are currently making a toad house for our backyard….my 7 year old showed interest in knitting, so I might introduce him to simple knitting this summer….love Meg and her books/ blog.

  133. Paige Whitley

    I have four boys I home school, ages 6-13. The creative “thing” we do the most is painting. I love to sit and paint with the boys. Most recently we’ve added listening to CS Lewis stories on CD, while we are painting. The quiet creativity just flows!

  137. Kate

    I love Sew Liberated (and liked on Facebook too!)

    My favorite “handwork” is cooking or baking. I have found it to be such a joy to spend time with my little one in the kitchen. It has taught me to enjoy the process more than the end result, as things may not always turn out as you plan.

  138. trynna

    What type of handwork do you enjoy doing with your children?

    I would be honored to win this book. Our family enjoys getting crafty on the regular. We have been exploring the wonderful world of felt these past few weeks.

  142. Laura

    I like to paint with my 4 yr old boy. And color in his coloring books with crayons together. I notice such an improvement in his abilities when I get down on his level and do things with him, no matter what it is, writing, reading, painting, drawing. He gets a real boost from having me do those simple little things with him (and let’s face it – it is So relaxing for me to take time out to do them!)

  143. Amber

    My husband and i both spend time with our hands in the dirt with our plants. for me, it’s the vegetable garden, for him it’s his bonsai trees. Our little ones love to spend time right beside us making a mess in the dirt. Lately my 2 year old has been coming to the door saying, “Look at this zucchini!” Holding in his hands a tiny, not-ready-to-be-picked zucchini. It is so fun to watch him enjoy in amazement and wonder as the garden grows.
    Amber’s latest post: June

  145. Kelly

    What a lovely interview! I want to save every morsel of insight to read again and again!

    I am still trying for children of my own, but with other people’s children I love to introduce finger knitting, which they all seem to love so much! I am currently learning to sew and seeing Meg’s book makes me want to make each and every project!

  146. Kelly

    I liked Simple Homeschool and Sew Liberated on FB – looking forward to more great ideas there!

  147. Carrie

    I’d love to win a copy of Meg’s book! We have a craft table that stays set up in a corner of my dining room. Crayons, glue, markets, scissors, paper, coloring books…its all there for them to make whatever their hearts desire. I try to crush those words reminding them to clean up all the time and just let it be.

  148. melissa

    we love to draw together…. bake together … create sewing patterns together. brings such joy while “the moment” lasts and i can see the magic happening of them getting completely involved with their whole hearts in what they are doing.

  149. cally

    I get my kids out in the garden as much as I can. I love their hands in the dirt. Besides the weeds and the harvesting, mulching, etc, they always find something else to do with all that dirt. like throw it at eachother…ugh.

    We love cardboard, too. give them a cereal box and a roll of tape and they make amazing stuff.

    I love Meg.

  150. Julie

    I am a baker and a gardener, and I get them in those two things whenever I do them. But I’m game for any creative activity with them.

  151. sunnysideupmama

    We are knitting and sewing around here! Baby quilts for the doll boys with the littlest and knitting many useful items for the house with my first grade boy! Love every moment of it.

  153. Chelsea the Yarngeek

    I don’t have children yet, but when I watch my friend’s children, we do many crafty activities. The boys love to bake, especially when they all have items to mix in. Creating with dough, drawing, and fort making generally make it into the day as well. Often the evenings end with me knitting or crocheting. Sometimes, the older boys bring out their crochet too (their mother is also a crafter). It’s wonderful when we all craft as a group.

  157. Courtney

    I love to draw and play with modeling clay with my 23 month old (can she really almost be two???). Also, she likes to “cook” alongside me with harmless ingredients like flour and cheerios.

  158. Jen

    what a great interview + giveaway!

    we love to bake and cook together, garden, even fold laundry… and have started needle felting together too (wet felting was a little too ‘wet’ so far : )

  159. Jonah Lisa Dyer

    I love to knit and have taught my son both finger knitting and how to use a knitting tower. I likes to make long ropes to “tie up bad guys.” So cute. We also love to draw daily.

  160. Erin

    My kids love to embroider, starting around age 2. My older daughter (7) loves to sew and knit. A tooth pillow was her first sewing project- a pillow with a little pocket to put a lost tooth in. My son (4) is the pizza maker in the family- that’s our weekly “date”. I can only handle one kitchen helper at a time, so we take turns.

  165. Holly

    My girlies LOVE sewing. Especially little drawstring bags. It’s sloooow work, but they’re all too short to reach the sewing machine pedal at this point, and they sort of like slooow work.

  166. Stephanie

    We pull weeds in the garden and bake together on occasion. I am always looking for new ideas though!

  171. Heather

    I love sewing with my two daughters. We all decided to learn to crochet last summer and my older daughter decided that crocheting is her thing. My younger daughter decided she wanted to stick with knitting. They both love to embroider and enjoyed embroidering the bodice of a mexican dress for themselves recently. I would love to see Meg’s new book up close! Thank you for sharing!

  172. alexa

    My girl will be 2.5 next month and I can’t wait until I can do more with her. For now we love to paint and draw together. And when I sew, she is my faithful giver and receiver of pins or “pokeys” as we call them.

  173. beth lehman

    So excited about Meg’s new book and her whole philosophy on parenting – the Montessori approach, etc. I love helping my kids grow… slowly… encouraging their interests and watching how they learn. This book looks great!

  174. Dani

    Our 2 1/2 year old loves to help me cook and loves to play with the yarn I am knitting with. We do lots of playing with water now, due to the hot days- she makes things in her outdoor kitchen and helps with watering the flowers and our garden to make them grow “big…like me. I a big girl Mama!” We love Megs book and find her work inspirational!

  176. megan resch

    we love drawing & painting in this house. we also enjoy building cool structures with our wooden blocks. thanks meg for another beautiful book!

  177. Suanna

    I’d love some ideas on how to incorporate different handwork with my kids into our lives. Do legos count? Sometimes I play legos or work in the kitchen with my kids.
    Suanna’s latest post: Walking is Fun

  184. megan

    Well, so far it’s just stacking and unstacking the train, throwing pebbles into water, and playing with mud and stones, as he’s only 9.5 months old. Looking forward to finger painting and sand castles when he’s a little bigger!
    megan’s latest post: Aisha the wee hippy

  186. Belinda

    I have just started taking sewing classes, so this will be perfect. Until now i had just been cooking with the kids.

  187. heatherly

    We deadhead the flowers on the deck and we make friendship bracelets out of embroidery thread.

  188. Tracy

    We do lots of baking around here and outdoor time just taking in the beauty around us.
    Great interview !

  192. Tamara C

    The past year I taught both my kids to embroider and cross-stitch and just started teaching my daughter to crochet.

  195. Kerry McNamee

    Long time Facebook fan of Meg and Sew Liberated! Truly a wonderful (Montessori) Mama! Her boys are beautiful…It has been wonderful to see them grow through her blog… She also has so many easy suggestions and great pictures of areas set up for her boys. What a great giveaway!

  197. Meghan

    Meg’s book looks wonderful! The handwork that happens the most with our 2 year old daughter right now revolves around being outside – her favorite place to be. Feeding the chickens, picking apricots, playing with the baby goat while I milk mama, and anything involving tools and helping dad. I guess these are more chores than handwork, though we are working and using out hands!

  198. Nichole

    Hi! I have two boys, 4 and 6. We have a lot of interests going on around here.
    We are growing tadpoles, growing a turkey poult, two dogs and one kitty. Here soon we will bring home 2 guineas. Caring for animals and Mother Earth outside of our home is our hand work. Although we also paint about our days. We are also sewing a flag to hang that represents the summer season. We started it last summer, but intend to finish it this summer. In the end, we hope to have a flag for every season, imbued with energy and pictures representing our family union.
    I hope to win this book!!!

  201. Valerie

    Knitting, with my 7-year old, and sewing with both the 7- and 4-year olds. This book looks wonderful!

  202. Emilie

    My kids and I love drawing and gardening together, and my 4 year old is just learning to sew! Fun times!

  206. Laura Jeanne

    Oh gosh, what an awesome giveaway! I love sharing all forms of handwork with my kids, but especially gardening. It’s lovely to see their sense of wonder and accomplishment as the tiny seeds they planted turn gradually into full grown flowers and vegetables.

    Thanks for the chance to enter!

  207. Nicole

    It’s definitely things in the kitchen . . . cooking and baking . . . they, of course, prefer the latter. 🙂

  209. silver

    We bake bread together now. When they get older (neither are school aged), I hope to teach them to sew.

  210. Laura

    I love to cook and bake with my kids, although I am also really looking forward to the time when they are a little older and we can sew together!

  211. Sheau

    This is great! We do all kind of homemade. The things we enjoyed most now, our little one is 2, is gardening and outdoor play yard. We loves spending time outdoor, making and modifying our play yard with our little one, watching insects and small animals in our yard, picking flowers, growing produces and flowers together, caring and tending. Baking in kitchen, making guacamole with hands, doing art together and participating in all kinds of imaginary play our little one likes.

  213. Melissa N

    What a great interview. I would love to have win to book to use with my two young children. Thanks for the giveaway and the interview.

  215. Meg

    My boy is only six months old, so right now we are all about sensory experience. We play with dirt, water, grass, and paper. We explore the texture and weight of the things around us. We’re starting to offer solid foods, which is a pretty exciting experience for a little guy! As he grows, we’ll include him more and more in things like gardening, cooking, and projects around our home.

  216. Amy

    What a wonderful giveaway! Thank you! My baby loves to be in the kitchen with me as we cook and bake. We also love to play the guitar and sing.

    P.S. I liked Simple Homeschool and Sew Liberated on Facebook!

  217. kelli

    We like baking and cooking, and my middle son wants to learn to sew and knit. Crafts are ALWAYS fun with the kids — mostly paper, glue, tape, markers and crayons.

  219. ashlee

    I still have about 2 months before our first baby arrives, but I hope to include baby in gardening and cooking/baking from the very start just by being there with me while I’m doing them. I’m extremely excited about little helping hands in these activities as soon as they are able to do so!

  220. Heathir

    I don’t cook well, but we love to fool around in the kitchen, trying things out. And for his 5th birthday, my oldest requested a sewing machine.

  221. Elle

    We love to bake, cook and draw in my house. After dinner some nights we all sit around the dining room table and draw together. It’s one of my favourite times that we share as a family. My girls love being in the kitchen with me and at 2.5 they are always asking how they can help:)

  222. Taryn

    I have a two daughters: a 2yo and a 2 mo old. I love to draw with my 2yo but she is usually less interested in sitting still than in running around and climbing on things. We’re a little different. 😉 I am looking forward to digging out the sidewalk chalk this summer and seeing if we can blend drawing and running.

  223. Julie

    We cook, we sew, we knit, we do paper crafts. Thank you for the opportunity to win this wonderful book. My youngest just turned 4 and although we would probably only get a few years out of this book, it would be one that I would buy regardless.

  227. Meg Martin

    One of my favorites is baking with my kids. We are also all learning to knit together!

  229. Heather

    My boys and I love to bake together. I loe being in the kitchen with them taking time to enjoy the ingredients, textures, suprising tastes (vanilla-unsweetened chocolate, he he), seeing the world through their eyes. Love it.

  230. Sue Klingseis

    My two are still pretty young so we are doiong some learning in the kitchen. We picked a lemon from our tree then cut it and looked at it and juiced it and tasted it. I loved their faces!

  233. Katie Campbell

    I love to sew with my two little boys. As soon as I pull out my sewing machine, they come rushing to the table to sit with me. We talk, plan new projects & just listen to the hum of the machine. It is such a sweet time.

  237. PJ

    We love sewing together – the girls help me pick out fabrics and stay nearby during the sewing commenting on every part. And I would love to win this book!

  242. em

    my little one is still too small for us to do much with our hands together, but i wear her all day while i work with my hands…my favorite being the knitting time!

  243. Ramona

    I like to sew, knit, tat, and crochet, but my kiddos are too small to do much of those (though they love to play with scraps). together we bake and cook, and with their dad, they do woodwork (even the 2 year old girl can hammer nails straight down).
    Ramona’s latest post: B Black &amp Sons aka heaven

  244. Michelle

    As a mama of 4, I sometimes feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the handwork activities that I’d like to with my kids. They all love it as much as I do! I do embroidery with my oldest two (11 year old & 10 year old girls) as well as knitting, crocheting and sewing. They are just learning but they really enjoy the process and that’s what it’s all about. We do sand & water painting with the “babies” who are 2 year old and 9 month old boys. They both love to fingerpaint and watch mama knit 🙂

  247. Katy

    I would love to win one of these to give as a gift (I couldn’t wait and pre-ordered mine!). So many wonderful ideas and just a soothing book to look through.

  248. clotilde

    Hi!

    I would be great to win!! With my two little boys handcraft are very basic because their are only 18 month old! but we do some painting or drawings on big sheets! We make so often of “pate à modeler” (i dont know the english word for this!
    clotilde’s latest post: turbulette

  249. Jen

    Craft time and baking are definitely the favorites for my kids & I.
    I would love to learn to sew as well and share that with them.

  251. rosina

    Right now we are doing a lot of knitting and wet felting together for our crafting time 🙂 It is so much fun to teach them how to make things. Thanks so much for a chance to win Meg’s new book 🙂

  253. Amy

    I am enjoying teaching my 9 year old son and 6 year old daughter the basics of sewing as I am learning myself. I enjoy this time together with them and love to see their excitement over their completed projects.

  254. Laura

    My kids (at home now) are 4 and 1. They both like to sit nearby and push my hooks thru their blankets while a crochet a new one. To create, we string a lot of beads and items, tape or glue strange concoctions together, and paint. My son is obsessed with masking tape right now!!

  255. Christina P

    Honestly, I’m just starting to notice how little I “trust” my toddler with things. I need to learn to let go, let accidents happen, and allow him to accomplish more things, even if it means imperfection or even failure at times. For now, at 2 years old, he helps with table setting and watering the garden and doing other yardwork. He loves it!

  256. Kimberly R Brooks

    We have really gotten into cooking together. My 3 year old absolutely adores it.

  257. thea

    I am really enjoying teaching my lower elementary class how to sew! The children are creating small stuffed animals, pillowcases, skirts and tops with a basic sewing machine!

  259. Christine Johnson

    I have 4 little ones 6 and under, so our time is limited. I am teaching my oldest to embroider and she loves it! She also wants to learn to sew and I have started a little bit. The boys are always busy with string, rope, wood, and sticks…making things!
    Thanks for the opportunity to win.

  260. Emily

    I have a 17 month old daughter and I have been loving working in the garden with her. This is our first year having a plot at our house and we are so excited. She is actually really good at planting seeds! I poke the holes where I want them and then hold the seeds in my hand and she picks them up one by one and drops them in the little holes, it’s so sweet! Her dexterity is amazing to see. It’s also I think helping her learn to be gentle with plants. She’ll sit on the edge of the garden while I’m working and we sing to them and smell them. It’s been such a wonderful experience to share with her.

  261. Lise

    Ooh, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this book; thanks for the chance! I love doing embroidery with children in the winter, and gardening in the summer, just a few of the many hands-on things we do all day!
    Lise’s latest post: Yarn along- after a long absence

  262. nicole

    my son and i work on our farm together — he discovers all the strange bugs and brings them to me wrapped in leaves and flowers

  263. avital

    My three year old and I do a lot muffin baking, and he loves to come into my sewing room and have me help him make little things like drawstring bags for his treasures.

  264. Leslie

    I love sewing! My girls are (usually) proud to wear the little outfits that their mommy makes for them 😉
    We also cook together a lot.

  265. Jodie

    Well, I don’t have children yet (we are currently expecting) but I would imagine I would enjoy doing and showing all the things we do and more. I sew, knit, embroider, spin and play violin. We garden, bake, cook and brew beer. I love how Meg talks about instilling wonder in young children, which is something I look forward to with my little ones.
    Jodie’s latest post: Big Announcement!

  266. Norissa Lears

    Great interview! I have mostly been trying to involve my almost-two-year old in food preparation. Our latest endeavor was tortillas, with him putting the balls of dough in the tortilla press and pressing them flat. That was a great success!

  267. Trese

    I have been reading Meg’s blog since before she was pregnant with Finn! It was a wonderful Montessori resource and now an amazing parenting resource. I enjoying sewing for my boys and they love all the treasures I make for them! I would love a copy of this book!!

  269. Emmy @ the student/teacher

    Love this interview so much! My family has just begun our unschooling journey and I had to smile as I read this because our days are pretty much exactly as Meg describes! I enjoy Meg’s blog very much–she definitely feels like a kindred spirit!

    I am a sewist and a crafter, so the handwork I do with my girls is mainly sewing, but we also love art and painting and crafts of all kinds. (I couldn’t agree more about the importance of handwork in a child’s day.) Thanks for sharing this conversation with Meg!
    Emmy @ the student/teacher’s latest post: Childrens Gift Idea- A Geologist Kit

  272. Jen

    My children are ages 5, 2.5, and 1. Gardening and baking are part of our regular routine. My oldest loves to make miniature masterpieces out of modeling clay. He and my 2 year old also enjoy drawing and painting. All three love to get their hands into just about anything!

  273. decemberbaby

    I’m a very hands-on person, and my kids see me working with my hands all the time. On Fridays we bake challah bread together (well, I bake and my 3 yo daughter kneads her dough and eats it raw). I sew quilts and placemats as baby and birthday gifts, respectively, and dd helps me choose the fabrics and ribbons. I hope to teach her some simple hand-sewing, but I feel that it’ll be a year or two before I let her anywhere near my machine!
    decemberbaby’s latest post: Perils of Montessori parenting

  277. RaeLyn Stoddard

    Sewing with my older girls (ages 11 and 8) is very fun, especially when we do projects they like. My 11-yo also loves to crochet with me (I think she’s getting better than I am!). But the main thing I do with ALL my kids (ages 11, 9, 5, 2, and 2 months) is cooking, since that’s a necessity. Some just watch for now, but those who can help out 🙂

  278. Sunshine Mama

    Our favourite is painting! I can tell the kids find painting so freeing… way better than drawing between the lines 😉 They also love to help me bake.

  281. Gesche

    So far we have only experimented with colors and textures a lot, my boy is only 9 month old. But, there is a lot of stuff to come while he discovers the world!

  284. Maryjane

    Wonderful looking book!
    My kids love any type of creative handiwork, especially my 5 year old son, Avery. Both kids really love paper mache and clay. I love to sew, and that is something I’ve been trying to teach my daughter, who is 11. But she is more of an outdoorsy girl. Maybe someday… : )
    Maryjane’s latest post: New Endeavor

  285. Melissa

    My two daugther (3 and 2) love helping me with whatever it is I am doing. Yesterday we cleaned their rooms and baked cookies. Today, we wiped down the kitchen cabinets. Great helpers!

  286. emily

    My family really enjoys knitting, paper crafts such as origami and all kids of felting! We all love to be busy with our hands! This looks like a terrific book.

  288. Ali

    We love to bake cookies! They are also really good at helping dust and light cleaning. I look forward to teaching the simple sewing techniques and maybe knitting or crochet when the time is right.

  291. Amy

    We sew and knit together, although if you take Meg’s definition, we also cook, paint, play with clay, and color together! I’m excited about this book – Meg had a great preview on her blog!

  292. Jaime

    This past week I finally taught my 6 year old how to sew on my sewing machine – she was easily able to sew the straight lines to make a simple tote for each of her teachers. She loved it!

  293. Kate C.

    We go shopping for fabrics together and they ‘help’ me sew. They do lots of creative art on their own too.

  294. Shelley R.

    Currently, taking our nature sketch books and watercolor pencils to our near-by park that has a creek bubbling through the forest. We hike the trail, discover a new plant in bloom, a new lichen, and sketch right there, right then in the woods. All three young kids enjoy this, then we identify the sketches later at home.

  295. natalia

    Hi! I have a 2 years boy and we love to draw and paint together. He always amazes me because he uses many colors and carefully choose these. He also likes to messing with bits of fabric when I sew, jeje!

  296. darah

    yay! this book looks wonderful!
    We are really enjoying embroidering right now. My daughter loves that she gets to use a needle just like adults do 🙂
    darah’s latest post: right now

  297. Jennifer

    We do simple sewing and embroidery. And my oldest and I are both learning to knit! And they all often help me in the kitchen, of course.

  298. Amy

    My 3 1/2 year old and I enjoying cooking together. Just today we made fruit and nut bars. He also likes to “knit” which is really just playing with a ball of yarn. My 10 month old is into chewing on wooden spoons and stacking cups while in the kitchen.

  300. Michelle

    My daughter (almost 3) likes to “knit” when I knit – she has a ball of her own yarn, pokes needles into it, and winds the yarn around the needles. We also bake bread together (and draw in the spilled flour with our fingers), but her favorite is mixing granola. We smell the spices, feel the different textures of the nuts and seeds (after washing hands well!) and stir.

  301. Jill

    We love to make bread…esp kneading it…Although DD looks forward to knitting (too little still) like momma. 🙂

  302. Greeblygreebly

    My children and I love to cook and bake together. My daughter and I also enjoy painting, knitting and embriodry together. My son has tried all of those things and periodically will return briefly to one of them but mostly he loves to cook.

  304. sheila at growingwildfarm

    I love drawing with my oldest son, assisting my middle son in woodworking projects he mostly comes up with, as well as knitting, spinning, and sewing with him (he is my “project” boy), and embroidery and clay building with my daughter. For now, the baby helps me cook by riding in his ergo 🙂

    Thanks for the chance to win! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book one way or another!

    Sheila

  306. Kasey

    I love cooking with both of my boys, and now love having my older boy (5 1/2) help me with sewing projects. He feels so grown-up when he’s the “Keeper of the Pins” 🙂

    Thanks for such a great giveaway.

  308. Tina

    I already bought crayons for my 13mo old hoping he would not put them in his mouth and at least scribble. Oh well~we’ve got a few more months I guess since they went straight to the tongue. I cannot wait until he is drawing on everything!!

    Thanks for the giveaway. This book looks amazing and I would love to win it!

  309. Laura W.

    I’ve had a wonderful time making and playing with homemade play-dough recently with my toddler!

  310. Tammy Maddox

    I just “found” this site_thank you i really enjoyed it! I am not sure if we enjoy cooking/baking together the most or gardening. Either way, that is what we love.
    :o)

  312. Tammy Maddox

    Our families loves to cook and bake together. We spend a great deal of our time in the kitchen and with two celiac children that is just perfect for me.
    :o)

  314. JJ

    My little guy is into helping with everything right now so I try to find little ways he can help whenever I’m baking, cooking, cleaning, sewing, crafting, etc. Usually he’s able to participate in some way and always feels so proud!

  315. erin

    we do a lot different art exploration in our house…gluing, drawing, painting, “stickering”…and as a hand-sewer, i can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to sit and sew beside me!

  319. jennifer

    I love to bake bread, letting her pour and mix and then knead. i also just gave her first knitting lesson this weekend! it was initiated by her and lasted all of one minute – before she was on to the next thing. man did i savor that minute! (she’s almost two and a half)

  320. rachel

    I would love to win this book! I have been a Sewliberated reader for a long time! My older son loves to embroider with me! Never would have thought he would sit still long enough for that! My middle son loves to make any kind of food with me…he’s an eater! My daughter loves to work with clay and mud and paint…anything wild and messy! Thanks for a great giveaway!

  321. Mircat

    I adore paper and paper crafts and enjoy simple things like coloring with markers, crumpling paper, and fingerpainting with my 19 month old. 🙂 I also “liked” you on Facebook….It’s lovely to discover your blog!

  324. Lisa

    Thanks for the opportunity! This book is definitely on my wish list. Right now I mostly cook and bake with my girls, along with doing some wet wool felting. Next on our list is finger knitting and sewing.

  325. Julie

    Great giveaway!
    My daughter loves yarn crafts. Knitting, and weaving are firm favorites. My son enjoys paper crafts. Give him paper, scissors, pens, and glue, and he always comes up with a great creation! My little one (17 months) enjoys our homemade playdough 🙂

  326. Carla

    My girls love playing with my scrapbooking stuff! They also love clay, pay-doh, Lego, etc… Next I’d like to teach my 8 year old some basic sewing crafts! 🙂

  328. Launa

    Finger-painting! oh yes, and baking, and sewing, and digging in the garden… you name it, we’ve dabbled in it!
    thanks for the giveaway!

  329. Maegan

    I love painting, drawing and crafting with my kiddos. I am teaching my 8 year old how to knit. 🙂

  331. Melissa

    My 4 kiddos and I love gardening, canning, cooking, sewing, coloring and watercoloring, and building special “fairy houses” when we go out exploring together. I love what Meg said, “do what you love with your child”…those are the things they’ll remember fondly about their childhood.

  332. Brittany S.

    I love reading perspectives like this – makes me excited to have kids of my own to share the world with. Sometimes it seems that the only side of motherhood I hear about consists of complaints of being tired, overworked, bored, or stifled, so it’s encouraging to see mothers who are intentionally bringing creativity and wonder into their children’s (and their own) lives.

  333. Betsy

    Lately my three girls and I have been loving perusing our fabric stash and then choosing just the right colors and textures to make felt hair clips and ponytail holders for friends. It’s so satisfying to create together as a family!

  337. Sara Savel

    I love doing mixed media collages and finger painting with my toddler! This book looks awesome! Love how she combines Waldorf and Montessori!

  340. Jayme

    We love to garden and sew. My daughter is learning to pick the weeds and not the plants. She is my back tack button pusher when we sew together. I love having her on my lap while we make projects together.

  341. Jayme

    I also liked both sites on Facebook! I love that two of my favorite blogs are connected together!

  343. Samantha

    My daughters love beading. We make necklaces, ornaments, bracelets, etc. And very often they take the beads off and start all over again 🙂

  345. Sharonnz

    Knitting, absolutely knitting. But I’ve just started teaching Mr Six how to hand sew. Fun! Turns out he’s very particular.

  346. Jennifer Camp

    I can’t wait to get this book! My children and I enjoy drawing and coloring together, which sometimes translates into making a book or comic book. I am an amateur sewer and am looking for ideas on how to get my kids involved without it being too complicated.

  347. Serena

    I like to bake with my girls. They are very eager helpers. 🙂 They also enjoy digging in the dirt (gardening).

    Meg is great. Love her blog, love her books.

  351. Marianne

    My son and daughter and I like to bake- they LOVE to crack eggs. We also will draw or color or paint. Sometimes we make music together too, but this post has definitely motivated me to do lots more with them! Thanks!

  353. FunnyGal KAT

    I’m looking forward to baking when my nine-month-old is a bit older. For now, we are having fun with music– we dance to it, beat out rhythms and (of course) sing along.

  354. Amber

    My girls love to help me in the kitchen a lot – baking, chopping veges for dinner. They also love to draw and colour pictures and lately I’ve been teaching them knitting and crochet.
    Amber’s latest post: My Secret Revealed

  355. Margie

    I love doing all sorts of things with my children … gardening, baking and ‘sewing.’ I sew, they play with the scraps and staple, glue, sew with the fabric, paper what ever they find. It’s so fun to see what they come up with.

  356. Stephanie O.

    My son loves to draw so we do a lot of paper crafts, but when the kids get older I would love to teach them to sew, knit, crochet and any other crafts they would like.

  358. Katie

    Lately my daughter is always asking “up please” when I’m working in the kitchen, so I plop her down on the counter and give her 2 year old hand something to do. Sometimes she finds her own thing to do up there as she mimics my familiar motions with whatever she finds on the counter (within the realms of safety, of course)

  359. Jayna

    we are big on making the potholders on the looms, love using beeswax to mold and model with, and of course finger knitting! Also, my children adore cherish and will forever love mud, does that count as handwork also? They are 6.5, almost 5, 3 and 20 months:) That is 4 littles all together, lots of handiwork at my house!

  360. Mindy Leone

    I love to paint with my daughter….And we love to knit together, too 🙂 I love Meg!!!!

  361. Kate

    Oh, I am in love with this book, and would love to win a copy! Thanks for the great interview with Meg and the giveaway.

  365. Katie

    We enjoy baking and painting. I’m not much of a sewer and my girls are little still…. so we’ll see what happens in the future.

  367. Susan E

    With my son and daughter we mostly do things in the kitchen (my 3 year old daughter is in that phase where she loves to clean at the sink) and gardening, I don’t do much other handwork but would love to learn to do more with my kids and get back into the sewing and knitting I did pre-children.

    Thanks!

  368. melody

    I prefer sewing, although I also knit and embroider etc… Oldest dd prefers sewing, as well, but also knits… Youngest dd likes to knit and also loves to make earrings.

    I did everything else you said to do ;o) ~can I please be entered in the drawing! I’ve been an avid reader of Meg’s blog and previous blog for ages now and would love to take a look at her new book!
    melody’s latest post: rain- rain- and more rain

  369. Jenna

    Baking is my favourite activity to do with my children, but painting is a close second. The former is a bit noisy and boisterous (standmixers and all!) and the latter is quiet and reflective.

  370. Brittany

    I try to involve my children in the projects I do, otherwise I sometimes don’t get a chance to get them done. This was especially true with my first child because he relied on me so much for attention. I involved him by having him sit on my lap and press the sewing machine pedal for me. I guess that’s more like FOOTwork than handwork! I also really enjoy having him do embroidery. I’d take a one of his drawings and trace it onto muslin with a washable marker and have him stitch over it. I’m combining several of these into a quilt.

  371. Brittany

    I “Liked” you both on Facebook.

    I’m glad I found your website. I’m a homeschooling mother and I was also homeschooled as a child until I went to college. How neat it is to connect with other homeschoolers!
    Brittany’s latest post: Spiced Up Table

  372. Angelica

    I love working together in the kitchen but it is hard for me. I keep saying to myself ‘it is about the process, not the product!’

  374. Olivia

    I enjoy knitting for my baby, but at 9 months he’s more into destruction than creation. I look forward to many, many creative projects with him.

  375. caron

    What a lovely givaway! My oldest (7) loves to create long chains with a knitting tower, and she is just moving into crocheting. She and my middle (5) make drawings as patterns and then stitch up the creations. Painting, coloring and working with beeswax clay are also favorites for my 2 yr old and his older sisters.

  376. Kara

    Ooh .. We love baking, painting, knitting … we love embroidery, and I don’t mind untangling all the knots! :o)

  377. Kimberly

    Does building with Legos count? 🙂 My boys also both enjoy baking, drawing, and painting together. Thanks for the giveaway!

  378. CatieP

    I don’t have my own children (yet) but some of my fondest memories from childhood were when my mom would let me sew doll clothes on the sewing machine. I still have some of them and I remember being so proud and skilled

  379. Bev

    I enjoy cooking with all 3 of my kids, and my middle child enjoys sewing & knitting with me.

  381. Leah

    I love to do transfer activities with my 22 month old: setting out various pots, pans, spoons, pitchers, etc., and “playing” with water, pasta, rice, beads, or even oddball things like toothpicks. It is a great exploration activity. He’s getting better with his pouring accuracy, but I always have a stack of washcloths nearby just in case :).

  383. amanda

    although knitting is my preffered handwork, baking is what i like to do best with my kids.

  385. Leslie

    My daughter and I have just begun needle felting together and we are loving it! I love to bake, and am finally trying to involve my children more in my baking and cooking. Thanks for the giveaway!

  386. Carol B.

    Drawing would be the main activity. My son would like to learn to knit something for his dog, so that is on the list. Thank you for the give away.

  387. Michelle

    Our daughter is pretty young still, but we like to play in the dirt a lot, and I see much helping in the kitchen in her future!

  390. sarah lavigne

    Have yet to start much handwork babe is only 15th months. But I love to sew 🙂

  391. Elizabeth

    We love to work in the kitchen. My oldest home schooled son, who is 12, loves to cook and my youngest, who is 4, loves to help cut up mushrooms carefully with a dull knife. I feel it is important to allow them to help me. The boys also love to build with legos and blocks of any kind.

  392. Robyn

    I follow both blogs, but didn’t realize you were both on FB also. I went ahead and liked both pages.
    All three of my boys like to cook with me, even my 16 month old. My oldest and I have sewn and knitted together (poorly, but we’ll get the hang of it!).

  393. Meadow

    We enjoy sewing and knitting towers right now. Oh art work too, mostly drawing and painting. Thanks for a chance to win the book!

  394. Krystal

    My two year old son and I do a lot of painting together. We are currently venturing more into play dough and playing with different textures. He has also taken to watching me knit and sew. I integrate him as much as possible, but take care to watch those precious fingers as they migrate a bit too closely to the needle of my machine. Looking forward to showing him these skills…

  395. Emily

    We love knitting. My little ones finger knit. My 4 year old once finger knitted an entirely of wool into a snake that reached all around our house!
    I’m looking forward to looking through this book whether I win or not.

  397. Jennifer

    My daughters and I love to sew, bake, draw, you name it! My goal is to do more things like this with them, and to relax more about the messes they create!

  398. mama_g

    I had a reasonably organized schedule for my daughter, until we had our second, and my schedules fell apart. I was talking to my husband today about developing a new pattern for us, one that allowed for in/out time, creativity, and regular cooking/baking time. Thank you for the interview: Kismet.
    mama_g’s latest post: Pantry

  399. mama_g

    I Liked Sew Liberated a few days ago (I’ve already got the apron project underway (thanks so much for providing it free!), since she’s in the kitchen, has her gardening spot, and needs another smock for painting.)
    mama_g’s latest post: Pantry

  401. Colleen D.

    I love to do handy work. Crocheting play food has been a real joy for me to make for my little ones. We do lots of drawing and painting together. I really enjoy Meg’s blog and I am very excited about her book.

  403. Laura Aiuto

    My daughter is still young, only 16 months, so right now we’re still just exploring art materials like crayons and colored pencils. I love to knit and she is always fascinated by it, especially unwinding my ball of yarn!

  404. Stacy

    Our favorite handwork takes place in the kitchen — chopping, cutting, washing, drying, kneading, and arranging.

  407. KateC

    My son Jack wants to learn to knit so we will be working on that together. Also, we did a little embroidery a while back – time to get out his sewing bag again. Thank you for highlighting this – it is great inspiration.

  408. Anne

    I love baking in the kitchen with my child, pouring, mixing, kneading 🙂 Or we draw and paint together.

  411. Jill

    I love doing art projects with my kidos. We color, draw, cut, and paste all the time and I swear I can make hundreds of projects from paper plates and construction paper! 🙂 LOL I have always loved to create things from paper and to paint and now I can share that with my girls.

  413. Meredith

    I most enjoy baking and drawing with my daughter right now. I’m very much looking forward to introducing sewing and other fiber arts to her as she grows into those abilities.

  416. Heather

    My boys both enjoy doing some embroidery, though their attention span is pretty limited. 🙂 It is still enjoyable to do that with them, even for a short time, and they’re both thrilled when I get out the buttons.

  418. Justine Viets-McLean

    My favorite type of handwork done with my daughters is creating hand-sewn clothing for their dolls…often designed by them, as well.

  419. kelsey

    my children are both under the age of two. i knit while the baby sleeps and toddler plays and my toddler and i do a lot of kitchen work… baking and “washing” dishes together! my husband is a carpenter so he does simple projects with her as well! We would love to win your book it looks wonderful!

  422. Pamela

    My little almost three year old loves to cut and paste! We have lots of fun doing this together. She loves to paint (especially on canvas!) and loves to cut soft fruit and veggies using her “Curious Chef” knives! I look forward to exploring and trying new forms of handwork with her. Thanks for the chance to win the book!
    Pamela’s latest post: Reggio Emilia Approach

  424. Tammy R.

    My daughter and I are learning how to sew dolls and cute stuffed animals. She is just loving sewing!

  426. Kayla

    Wonderful interview and very timely for me. My daughter is 2 and I am still figuring out what kind of handiwork she is capable of helping with but for now we bake together quite often.
    Kayla’s latest post: Painting accident

  428. Meda

    My oldest daughter, 3.5 years, loves to build things–roadways, trails, houses–out of any everyday household materials she can get her hands on. My youngest daughter, 1 year, is definitely into drawing with crayons and pencils. She’ll find one around the house and go over to the easel to figure out which end writes. It is so sweet! Great interview!

  429. Merrielle

    I really like hand-sewing with my kids. It it so relaxing. It is fun for them to grip the fine point of the needle and feel the thread.

  431. Annika

    I’m a knitter. Neither of my children is quite ready to learn themselves, but they LOVE to help me wind my yarn into balls, choose colors, and all of the work that goes into preparing my yarn. I love how much it forces me to slow down and focus on the task at hand, not just the goal (a ball of yarn ready to knit).
    Annika’s latest post: New Website Contest!

  432. katie

    My little girl and I enjoy baking together–at least now that I am making peace with part of the ingredients ending up on the floor 🙂

  434. Molly L

    Well as a waldorf homeschooling family we do lots of handwork! i knit and spin and the children help as they are able. Everyone likes to bake, and of course anything MESSY!

  436. Kat

    My daughter Vera is one, and she is loving her hands right now! So much to discover!! The handwork we do most right now is discovering with the sense of touch (leaves, flowers, bumpy paper, sticky honey).
    Kat’s latest post: Waking up happy

  437. Amy DelaTerre

    My sons and I do a lot of baking together. Bread, pizza dough, and muffins are our staples. I also love to knit and sew. I used to be a preschool teacher, and have worked in Montessori and Waldorf classrooms, and I love reading Meg’s blog, it’s so inspiring! I would love a copy of her new book!

  438. anu

    My daughter is five. We started sewing together when she was about two years old. Recently she found some bear clothes that she sewed back then and fixed her large two-year-old stitches with tiny five-year-old ones. It just melted my heart!

  439. Amy

    I love to sit down and watch my daughter spool or finger knit. We sit together in peace, knitting. It’s wonderful!

  440. Jennyroo

    We cook with our young boys, but I haven’t attempted sewing with them yet… one day soon, I hope!

  441. Carrie

    Our favorite handwork is definitely art — we do lots of it! My oldest daughter and I also enjoy embroidery, and she loves to make her own books. Thanks for the chance to win this beautiful book! 🙂

  442. jennifer

    My 2.5 year old and I enjoying cleaning, cooking (making salads is a favorite), baking, watering the plants, and painting together. I enjoy sewing and knitting and can’t wait until she’s interested in joining me!

  443. Erin

    I love to bake with and for my children. The oldest three have each moved though the phases of sitting on the counter to standing on a chair or a stool to share in the experience.

  444. Catherine

    I love to watch my 4 year old daughter sew–she doesn’t want any instruction, and it’s wonderful to watch her “invent” different techniques on her own. What a lovely interview–thanks!

  447. Omaira

    My son is two and we love to cook/bake together, we also love drawing together, cutting and pasting, as well as building with blocks, sand, pillows or anything else we can find. Recently we started a container garden and will be potting the seedlings soon. I hope to soon start some sewing with him, but not sure how to start that yet… I love getting emails from Simple Homeschool. Thank you for all the amazing information.

  450. Amy

    My two littles and I love to explore wool together. We wet felt together or they play with the wool “clouds” while I needle felt.

  451. Alison

    I like to sew and enjoy sewing with my daughter and son. They have learned to do embroidery and are learning to sew on my machine now. That’s exciting!

  452. Johnna

    We love to make bread, sew, and “do” art (paint, color, use glitter glue and play dough. My youngest son loves to cook and all the measuring and pouring that goes with it. My youngest daughter loves to craft and make doll clothes out of felt. This book looks so fun– we’d love it.

  453. Lanie

    I love to sew for my sons, and my four year old likes to match fabric squares and sew bean bags. We also love to cook together (our latest favorite being orange marmalade on orange olive oil cake) and collect things found in nature for beautiful displays.

  455. Margita

    My daughter is slowly learning to do embroidery-when she feels like it! We are working on completing a stuffed embroidered Matroyoshka doll. We would love your book/

  456. Michelle Layton

    My 4yo loves to embroider… we were able to get started with some suggestions from Amanda Blake Soul’s book “the creative family”…so many great ways to get stared being creative with kids and for Mama too!

  459. Waverley

    This past winter, my 5 children and I did a lot of sewing, embroidering and knitting. It is so wonderful to watch an older child work with a younger child on learning a skill. I love the book Sew Liberated and have made and enjoyed many of the projects. I would love the opportunity to win a copy Growing Up Sew Liberated.

  461. sherri

    Mostly we bake. I am learning to sew, and my girls are very interested in learning along with me.

  462. Nicole

    My favorite was anything that involved a brush—gluing with a paint brush, any kind of paint, etc. My daughter has really taken to hand sewing and embroidery which in turn, has made me very interested in doing it, too. That’s our latest thing. She loves to make pillows with something embroidered on it. She’s 4 now but was doing this when she was 3 1/2 and it totally amazed me!

  463. Melissa

    We use watercolor paints frequently. It is age appropriate for both kids (ages 4 and 2). They love to mix the colors and explore with additives like glue, salt, glitter, rice, sand, etc.

  464. Erin

    Everyday is full of some creative exploration with our hands…from baking to gardening to art and science experiments!

  466. Erin

    I like to do crafts, beads and sewing with my kids. Thanks for a chance to win this book – it looks great!

  467. Kyrie

    I love to needle felt with my sons. I let my 4.5 year old use a sharp needle, and 2 year old brother uses one with a broken tip. Mushrooms are our favourite thing to felt!

  469. Bee's Nest Deb

    I “liked” you on Facebook and I like your blog and I would LOVE to win this book. Although i am a busy public school teacher, I am learning to slow down to toddler time on the evenings and weekends, and I’m looking forward to building a teepee with her this summer.
    Bee’s Nest Deb’s latest post: Inspiring- Kelly Neidig

  471. Tsigeyusv

    What I do and what I do with my kids are two different things. When alone I prefer to sew and to create things. I’ve never been successful in getting my kids to enjoy that, too, although they both clamor for a new quilt for their bed.
    Cooking, however, seems to get them running to help. I love to have their help in the kitchen, as they are now of the age that they really do help! Sure, when they were smaller, cooking took twice as long when they helped me, but that bit of time invested then has certainly paid off as they have gotten older. I can ask a child to cut the chicken into bit sized pieces, or I can ask the other to mix a dough until the dough sticks together and they will do that until I am done with MY chore for cooking. My youngest really seems to like cooking. I showed him how to layer a lasagna one day and the next week, I was late coming home, but I phoned him and asked him to get supper started. The meal was in the oven by the time I got home. That was a wonderful evening! The kids are high school aged now, but getting them accustomed to using kitchen implements when they were smaller was one of the best things I ever did!

  472. Alex

    I really enjoyed the interview, especially the part about instilling a sense of wonder in our children. Meg’s book looks lovely too, especially the dolls and the teepee!

  473. Alfa

    Ariadna (2 ) and me like to paint together, we paint with finger paint or crayons, she love when i draw Santa for her, She makes her lines and is always happy drawing.

  475. Lisa

    thanks for the great interview – I thought it was a sewing book but it’s so much more – looks really interesting especialy as our daughter is about to start Montessori next week. I try to involve my daughter in any craft I am doing if she is interested – she helps me knit – sits on my lap and winds wool around needles .We love baking together – its a much slower and messy but such fun it’s worth it. Lately I started teaching her to sew – it’s amazing what a 4 yr old can do!

  476. Sylvia

    my boy is only 19 months, but we enjoy emptying the dishwasher together, drawing, folding laundry, sweeping the floors…

  479. byrney

    I love to sew and am currently sharing that with my older 2, we have also been working in the garden recently which we’ve all enjoyed more than I thought.

  480. Sarah b.b.

    We love cooking together, and my son has recently begun asking me to teach him how to knit. It is a bit of a daunting task in my head though, to figure out how to show him the techniques..
    Sarah b.b.’s latest post: Ode to a Dress

  483. Jill

    I bake and sew and garden – and my three year old is an enthusiastic participant. I also try to make sure we have lots of outdoor time, and it looks as though several of the projects in Meg’s book will fit in well with that – I want to make that wigwam!

  484. Rosa in the Antipodes

    My 4 years-old girl and I have been doing embroidery together. Sometimes it’s quite, sometimes she’s all over me for directions and questions. Both of times we enjoy doing it together pretty much! I “like” both blogs on Facebook! Thanks!

  485. Lisa

    We have 6 children, so handwork varies w/ age as well as interest. with the younger ones we paint, use play dough, and bake. Our older kids build, draw, and maintain our vegetable garden. I enjoy Meg`s blog and find her words and pics a daily inspiration.

  491. Amber

    I enjoy cooking and have started including my 21 month old son in on preparing food. He loves being able to stand on a stool next to me and help!

  496. Shelly

    My daughter is still young, so there are a limited number of things she can do. But, we enjoy painting together, coloring, and of course, making messes!

  497. Pili

    I love to knit with my kids, my daughter is finally using needles and my son is mastering finger knitting, we also love messing around in the garden, and at four my son is becoming quite the chef, helping with almost every meal. We have also started journaling together. That is our quiet time during the day.
    Pili’s latest post: 20110529

  498. ruth

    I am just starting to bake with my son. He loves to stick the spoon in and out of the bowl, and watch me scoop the ingredients in!

  501. Jenny

    My boys and I love to sew together and they have all attempted knitting. My youngest (8) is the most interested. They all love building too.

  504. Julia

    I love to do needlework with my kids. Simple sewing, knitting, weaving. But their favorite thing us cooking!

  505. fm

    My little one just turned 1 and it is so fun to see each day how he is able to do a little more…hand me laundry to be folded, get this spoon out of his drawer at mealtime, etc.

  508. nopinkhere

    For my almost 2yo daughter, it’s coloring/drawing. She often won’t do it unless I’m drawing too.
    For my 5yo son it’s cooking. We measure, stir, sniff, taste, feel. Great stuff!

  509. Ixel Rus

    I have two boys ( 3 and 1 year old) and we love to cover our dining room floor with butcher paper and get our hands and fingers dirty with “edible” paint in bright colors!!

  511. Laura D

    Our favorite hand activity is drawing and coloring. My girls are so inspired to do this that they will fall back on it themselves on their own without prompting or guidance. It is so wonderful to see them express themselves through pictures and to see their skills with handling drawing instruments and achieving the look they want improve over time. This is actually an activity that they enjoy doing with my husband (who is an artist).

  512. Jodi

    My girls and I would hand sew and crochet. My granddaughter and I use playdough and paint to create beautiful art. Thank you for the opportunity.

  513. Meghan

    My three year old is becoming an expert cloth napkin folder, and my two year old loves to watch and help me bake. Yesterday we all had a blast weeding the garden together!

  516. Casie E

    I love to sit down and create art with my boys (1 and 3). Its so fun to watch them explore the materials and create something.

  518. marianne

    So far, we like doing papercraft…cutting, glue, coloring, etc. I would love a copy of Meg’s book!

  520. jae jun

    for now my daughter likes to cut and drawing, but I would love to sew with my daughter when she gets older

  522. erica m.

    my children and i love to needlefelt! my 2 year old will wetfelt and stick the wool onto things, my 3 year old is just starting to use the needle

  525. DaniJ

    I am absolutely smitten with this book!!
    We spend lots of time baking, exploring and making art from recyclables!

  526. Deb Price

    I love Meg’s book! What my daughter’s and I love to do is bake, swe and cross -stitch. My girls are very spread out in ages, but I have always had them involved in the workings of the home from a young age. I have homeschooled the last 3 girls and wish I would have homeschooled the first two. It is a wonderful experience to teach your children! My daughter Laura and I have enjoyed Meg’s first book and cannot wait for this new one to come into our house!

  527. Deb Price

    I have just been to my Facebook and have officially put ‘like’ for both of you!

  528. Julie W

    I often bake homemade bread with our boys. They both love doing crafts, especially anything that involves cutting and gluing!

  529. Jacki

    My step-daughter and I do a good amount of handwork. Lately her favorite is kneading bread. There is no small loaf just for her though, she wants the whole thing and to really get messy.

  530. Caroline

    While he’s only 2.5, I’m finding that Patrick loves to work in the kitchen with me. He helps by adding ingredients and working the tools of the kitchen all whilst pushing his little stool around to his fancy!
    Caroline’s latest post: Cupie Doll

  531. Morgan

    Over Memorial Day weekend my dad got my daughter to help with a project of weaving rope through the wooden frame of a chaise long after it had been repainted. I thought it might be a little to advanced for her, but with his help she really got the hang of it and was very proud of her work. Now I can’t wait to do more simple weaving projects with her!

  532. Andrea S.

    My daughter and I cook together and have started some rudimentary sewing projects. This book looks awesome! I’d love to try out new craft projects.

  537. Jackie

    I just taught my 6 year old son how to knit. He picked it up so quickly. I love that we can sit quietly, side-by-side with our needles click clicking away.

  539. patricia

    My daughter is only 21 months, but we enjoy playing with my sewing supplies together – the bag of scraps and the spools of thread are her favorites right now, although the tape measure has been a big hit in the past.

  541. Leigh

    I love to bake and cook and I’m trying to figure out ways to involve my children in this.

  542. Trish Widell

    I get my son involved with the garden & flowers. We also like to make crafts out of ordinary objects that might otherwise end up in the trash.

  543. Marsha

    My daughter and I muck about in the garden together. I love to see her pick peas and beans and eat them right off the vine, knowing that she helped them to grow!

  544. Miriam

    My daughter is 9mo, and we love tapping different surfaces in different rhythms, to see what sounds they make!

  547. Jessica

    My favorite type of handwork to do with children is embroidery. I think it’s because I was taught embroidery at a Montessori school at such a young age. In fact, my mom saved ALL of my old pieces and made them into a quilt, which she gave to me at my graduation (as a Montessori teacher!) I hope to do something similar with my own children one day.

  549. Holly Hyde

    My boys and I love working out in the garden together. They are four-year-old twins and it cracks me up how that instead of pointing to a plant and saying, “flower” they say “Shasta Daisy, etc.” This books looks fabulous!

  550. Peggy

    I wish that I had more time to sew (*sigh*). But the good news is that my boys are all interested in learning, so I may have some sewing partners in the future!

  552. Margaret`

    I love to cook and sew with my daughter. I need to re-learn embroidery and crocheting so we can do those, too!
    mcglen8 [at] gmail [dot] com

  553. Sarah

    We love to draw around here! My oldest daughter goes through stacks of paper each day, and I sit down and draw with her quite often. My other daughter loves to bake with her daddy or I.

  554. Sarah

    I already “like” Simple Homeschool on facebook, and now I “like” Sew Liberated too!

  555. Rebecca Peters

    My children and I love to bake and craft together. Even if I don’t win, I’m definitely checking this one out!

  556. Mary

    I love making handmade cards with my daughter. She also likes to sit on my lap sometimes while I’m sewing, but that’s not nearly as enjoyable because it makes the whole process much more difficult.

  558. amy johnson

    Gardening is our creative outlet most of the time in this house. We LOVE it, rain or shine.

  559. HiPathe

    Now that my son is nine, I find just about any handiwork I do is something we can do together; sewing, painting watercolors, dyeing yarn, or just everyday cooking. Teaching him to do these activities for the first time gives me a fresh perspective on what I’ve been doing “my” way for years.

  560. Katie

    My four-year-old enjoys pulling up bits of yarn with a crochet hook. He also loves sitting on my lap and/or working the peddle when I’m at the sewing machine. It’s definitely a joint effort! 🙂

  561. Kelly

    I don’t sew, but I do bake. My 5 year old son enjoys helping me. I like paper crafts, but he’s not too much into using crayons, etc yet. Sometimes we just get out the paper crimper and fun punches and work with that.
    Kelly’s latest post: A Day of Rest

  565. Liz

    Fascinating reading – my daughter is just starting to use her hands to grab and play and taste. To encourage this, we try to ensure a range of textures and shapes are within her reach, making or finding toys that catch and hold her attention. We will be using the ideas here as sh grows and develops. Thanks for this post… And the website more generally!

  568. Liz

    Thanks for such an interesting article – many things to think about for the future. Our daughter is just starting to use her hands to touch, grab and taste her world – we encourage this through play and through including her in our activities: cooking, sewing, gardening and enjoying our surroundings!

  569. Holly

    My boys love to help cook, bake, and wipe down the counters. We also enjoy making play dough. Painting is huge for my younger guys. My youngest likes to help me knit. They all love to help in the garden… if I could just find a way for all of us to enjoying folding clothes and scrubbing toilets 😉

  570. jennylark

    beautiful thoughts…beautiful book! would enjoy a copy of my own to fuel my wonder.

  571. Nancy

    My boy is just over one so we’re both still learning what he’s willing and capable of doing at this age but he loves water so we do a lot of water activities when it bath time, swimming lessons, filling up his watering can so he can water plants, running through the sprinkler and he has a sand/water table that he spends a lot of time at exploring! Thanks for the giveaway, would love to win this book.
    nlczerw(at)gmail(dot)com

  572. Nancy

    little sewing projects are best with my kiddos — last week we made cupcake pencil toppers out of felt. fun!

  573. Sarah

    We love to sew and bake and draw! Wish I could ignore my chores and do it all day! Would love some fun new projects with this book 🙂

  575. Beth

    I enjoy drawing with my daughter. It seems she came out of the womb wanting to scribble on paper (and everything else!)

  576. Marina

    The kids and I like to cook together and have just recently started learning to se together and love it!
    And yes, I did add Sew Libertated to my Facebook. Either way, if I don’t win I have to buy the book, sounds amazing!
    Hugs!

  577. Corey

    My kids like to finger knit while I knit and we often bake together. My son is becoming quite a cook, especially anything that involves eggs. Love your first book and this one looks great too.

  578. Kelly

    cooking! anything that they will help cook, they usually will eat. I’d love to win this book

  580. MzTallulah

    I admire Meg greatly for her thoughtful mothering style and skillful sewing and pattern drafting, so I already ordered the book, but I’d love to be able to give a copy to a friend who’s just about to have a baby. I enjoy all kinds of making with my child, from cooking and baking, to drawing, and we’ve recently tried finger knitting. I’d love to have a garden so we could do some digging and planting too!

  583. BreannaS

    I cook and bake with both of my children and over this past winter my son started sewing and knitting; we also enjoy painting with water colors.

  585. Leah

    With my own two children I love to do painting and working with clay. As a Montessori Elementary teacher, I love teaching crochet and knitting to the children in my class. It never ceases to amaze me how well even 6 year olds can knit or crochet.

  589. mimi

    baking and cooking are our favorite handwork activities. arts and crafts come a close second.

  590. Sarah

    working together in our garden: picking out the seeds and plants, digging, planting, weeding, watering, and of course harvesting the goodness.

  591. Maryvonne

    I love to knit, crochet, sew and bake with my 2 daughters and we occasionally through in a bit of drawing or painting……
    Have I mentioned gardening???

  592. Cindy

    My two and a half year old daughter loves to touch and pull on my yarn while I knit! We also spend time scribbling with crayons and squishing homemade play dough through our fingers.

  594. Michelle

    I LOVE sew liberated and I’m soo glad you guys homeschool, too! I was schooled at home! 🙂

  596. Jill A.

    I do different types of handwork with each child according to their interests. With my 10 yo daughter, it’s knitting. We often have a joint project going and take turns knitting rows while the other reads aloud. With my 13 yo son, we cook together. He’s interested in learning the mysteries of gourmet cuisine right now. My 7yo son likes mushroom hunting so we hike and search and identify what we find. Handwork has always had a place in our home and through the years it has looked differently — in the early years, there was more painting and clay modeling, now we’re doing more “life skills” kind of things together. There’s still much drawing going on (I hope it never ends) but it’s a thrill to see my kids grow in proficiency in the skills they learn together with me.

  599. Sarah Terrell

    I am a freelance harpist, and I love to play in front of my children. I play a large concert harp, but I acquired a smaller lap harp for them to play along with me or solo. We have lots of other instruments in the house as well, and many times we play together to songs that the children create.

    This book looks amazing–I would love to try these creations with my kids!

  601. Jennifer Calfee

    I love to sew and bake with my son. He will even make his own “patterns” modeled after the ones he sees me doing. It’s fun to watch his creativity blossom as we enjoy crafts that I love – and even venture into things I’m not so good at because he is (like drawing). I’m glad I found your site because of Meg’s book tour. I will definitely be back!

  602. mountain girl

    Lately we have been making paste. It began as a means to glue dry pasta on pictures, but making the paste was so much fun for my preschooler that now we do it as an end in itself, then she smears and smushes it all over poster board. Her favorite part is coloring it with food coloring. We usually add 2 colors so she can she what they make when mixed.

  603. Brookiej

    Cooking & baking are big ones at our house right now! My oldest wants to learn how to sew, so I’m working on figuring out how to teach her…where to start! Fun! 🙂
    Brookiej’s latest post: a first

  606. Rhian

    I love dyeing yarn with my toddler, using Kool Aid. He gets really excited about ‘painting wool’ and loves to point to the finished skein afterwards, saying “I did that!”
    Rhian’s latest post: Heart to heart

  608. Eileen

    My girls are 21 months and 3 1/2 years old, so we do LOTS of baking right now-bread, muffins, cupcakes, cookies….my mouth is very appreciative; my rear end is not. We also do regular art projects from Mary Ann Kohl’s book “Scribble Art,” which I HIGHLY recommend. And the oldest likes to “help” me sew; mostly simple hand-sewing tasks, like mending and basic embroidery.

  611. Dawn Suzette

    While both my kids love sittting with me at the sewing machine my son love to draw and I am always making new journals with him… at the sewing machine and my daughter loves the baking days… taste testing along the way!

  614. Sarah

    Oliver and I love to work in the garden together. Raking, watering, mowing, harvesting, he loves to do it all!

  616. Emily

    I love to garden with my daughter. I pull weeds or plant, and she plays happily in the dirt. At 11 months, she doesn’t really help yet, but I know we’ll have even more fun together in the garden next summer.
    Emily’s latest post: Ten Things I Love About Spring

  617. Heather Thiel

    Ooh! I would love a copy of this book. My Little Miss is still quite young, but I love coloring, painting and blowing bubbles with her. I am so eager to watch her skills develop and see her enjoy watching something come to life from her hands.

  619. Jessica

    I love cooking with my children. We have also have hours of fun together in the garden, weeding, planting and watching things grow.

  625. Kati

    We love to cook together and draw and paint and “make projects” which basically means raiding our recycling bin. I am so looking forward to teaching my girls to knit when they get just a bit older.

  626. Nicole

    I love to cook, work on home improvement projects, and clean with my son. Even a fourteen month old can be involved in these things, even if only from in my arms or on my back. I simply engage him in “conversation” about the activity and let him help where he can!

  629. Erin

    I love to explore the outdoors with my boys. I will often draw their attention to some of my macro-observations, while they introduce me to their micro-observations. They reintroduce me to nature every day!

  631. Melanie

    We love to paint with everything : hands, feet and all kind of different materials , we can find inside the house or outside in the garden.

  634. Sonya

    I just ‘liked’ Simple Homeschool and Sew Liberated. Love both websites, so it’s nice to be connected on FB as well. Thank you!

  635. Louise

    I’m so glad I found your blog via Meg’s blog, I’m going to spend some time today browsing around 🙂 My two children are completely different in the types of handwork they enjoy – my 6 year old daughter loves to draw and to create dolls and doll houses. My son loves his Lego – he will put together and pull apart the bricks for hours; some of the bricks are tricky to manouver but his little 3 year old hands persevere and he is so happy with what he creates.
    Louise’s latest post: 15 June 2011

  636. faro

    my daught and i enjoy sewing! she’d just 3 so it’s simple, like long buttons necklaces, garlands of scrap felt, and freeform design on cloth in quilting hoops.
    would love to check this book out!

  637. Theresa Coffin

    My daughter is only 18 months, be she is enjoying her “knitting” while I knit bigger things for the coming fall (I am slow, I need to start now!)

  638. Amy F

    I am so excited about Meg’s new book! I loved her first one, and will be picking up her second one, if I don’t win this giveaway. My daughter (3) and I enjoy needlework together. I set up a hoop and brightly colored embroidery floss, and let her make lines however she likes. I love the Montessori method, and all the great ideas Meg comes up with on her blog! Thanks for the opportunity

  639. Erin

    I am a mama of four children, ages 2 to 8. Since my oldest was tiny we have been striving to create a Montesorri/Waldorf atmosphere in our home, including homeschooling now that the children are older. We love to do wet-on-wet watercolour painting, embroidery, finger knitting, lots of baking, gardening and so much more. I would love to read Meg’s book. Her blog is lovely!

  640. Claudine

    I love Meg’s blog and would love the chance to win her book!!

    My favorite handicraft with my kids….hmmm, it’s tough to choose! But I think right now it is sewing at the sewing machine, they are so interested and patient and work so hard!

    Claudine

  641. AngelaS

    Ooooh! I’d love a copy. Right now at 21 months my daughter loves to help in the kitchen. Sometimes she is actually mixing up biscuit dough and sometimes she just gets to mix up a little flour and water in her highchair while I’m cooking.
    AngelaS’s latest post: Organized Lists

  643. Jenny

    This book is on my to get list. 🙂 The activities that my 2 year old & 4 year old currently like to do are string pony beads on pipe cleaners, mash bananas for banana bread, and make paper airplanes.

  644. Kim

    I love cooking with my children. I love how they want to get involved and are so proud when their food is cooked and they get to eat it and share it with their dad.

  645. N. Perez

    I have three young children and we love baking banana bread together the most. Everyone has their job: peeling and mashing the bananas, mixing the butter and sugar, mixing the dry ingredients, and so on. At times there is friction because they want to do what the others are doing and forget about ‘taking turns’ but in the end we all have our share of fun and the little people in this house feel special when they ‘help’ mommy.
    Thanks for the opportunity to win this marvelous book
    naslyyadid(at)gmail(dot)com

  646. Jane

    Well I don’t have my own children, but my favourite handcraft to do with my nieces and godsons is a little handsewing applique onto something special like a kindergarten library bag or a little baking. my 9 year old godson is right into gourmet food and it is so fun to make things together!

  647. Allysa

    My girls and I love to build Fairy Houses! We got into Wee Folk construction after a visit to Porthsmith, NH during the Fairy House Tour. Our houses are made from only items found in nature and truly loved by the fairies in our NC backyard!

  648. Melissa S.

    When I make cards my 3 year old sits down with me and uses my punches on his construction paper. We can get quite creative together!

  649. siu

    I dream with this book!
    Meg’s blog is such an inspiration!
    I work with children at community centers and often find ideas in her blog!

  650. Deborah

    Although I don’t get to see my nephew often, I enjoy cooking with him when I visit. The other day we made brownies together for his little brother’s birthday.

  652. Andrea

    My kids love to bake with me. I’m learning to sew at the moment, so when they’re older, and I’m more experienced, we’ll do that as well.

  654. patries

    We love to paint. And watching mama sew is sooo good. My daughter can’t wait to sew herself hahaha (she just turned 2).
    Patries

  656. Mary Bruno

    My little 2 year old and I love to bake pies- she is wonderful at pinching the sides! She is also learning about sewing and loves to give me ideas of what animals to sew with what fabrics- we would love this book!

  657. Sara B

    My children and I enjoy all sorts of baking projects – bread, granola, cookies, pretzels etc…. We also have been making our own cards and gift wrap.

  658. Stephanie l

    I have been doing a lot of sewing lately and I have been showing my 4year old how to pin pieces and help feed fabric. She loves helping.

  659. Leah

    I love doing lots of different activities. My only daughter is still young, so I made things for her- crocheted toys, blankets, bibs, and of course lots of food. She has colored with markers and crayons. I hope to teach her all sorts of art as she gets older! Oh, she also sings and dances and plays her instruments!