Keeping Hands and Minds Busy During Read-Alouds: Part 2

As part of each school day, all three children and I gather in the living room for history.  While we do hands-on activities to go along with our history studies, much of the children's history time is spent listening to read-alouds or watching educational videos.  Since all of us tend to have antsy hands, my children engage in a wide variety of quiet activities during our history time.  In my previous post on this subject, Keeping Hands and Minds Busy During Read-Alouds, I suggested the following activities to keep hands and minds engaged:

• knitting
• sculpting with Sculpey III clay
• making Perler bead creations
• building with blocks (I don't allow Legos because it just makes too much noise when the boys search through the Lego boxes.)
• Equilibrio
• educational coloring books.

This year, my boys have found two new quiet activites that they have been doing during our history time - pony beads and making lanyard creations!

My youngest, Duncan, has been focusing on making pony bead creations.  In addition to making pony bead creations for himself, he is making lots of Christmas gifts.  I keep a basket of pony beads, organized by color, and string available for him in the living room.  His favorite website for pony bead patterns is Beadie Critters Collection.  There are hundreds of free patterns available at Beadie Critters Collection organized by theme.  So far, Duncan has made a whole bag of bead creations and given away many! 

My older son, Mason, has been focusing on making lanyard creations.  He started out making very simple lanyard key chains but has progressed to making some really incredible lanyard creations!  For example, check out this complex, twisted keychain he recently made for me.   

 

These lanyard crafts are perfect for taking in the car as well to keep his hands busy on the way to swim team!   

If you have a child who might enjoy making lanyard key chains, Mason recommends watching the tutorials at Laneyards.  He also recommends starting with the square, circle, or triangle and then trying harder knotting techniques after mastering those. 

I think some people on Mason's Christmas list will be getting some fancy key chains!  I particularly adore the twisted columns and the fish.  My car keys are getting easier for me to find all of the time!

So, do you have any good ideas for quiet activities that are appropriate during read-alouds and educational videos?  We're always on the look-out for more ideas for the busy hands around our house!