fatquarters

having lots of grands, 2 of whom are in kindergarden, If I were asked I would tell them, that the kids are too young, and I'd be happy to come help when they are older.

The sewing machine must be supervised alot for safety. Many 5 yr olds are not going to grasp the sewing or the safety issues, and you are basicly going to have to do it for them. The attention span will not stick with a project long.

Sorry to sound negative, but that's how I feel. I have an 8 yr old DGS that couldn;t do it even with my help, I have a 6 yr old one that could, and a three yr old that could. The two 5 yr olds, maybe, if I helped alot. Your dgd probably is very patient and has learned from you spending alot of one on one time with her, that't not going to happen in a classroom with kids that have never seen a sewing machine.

Good luck if you go ahead, maybe you are more patient than me! That said, aren't grands just great!!!

BETTY62

You know you love it! I agree that the bean bags would be a great project.

Rainy Day

What about a christmas stocking, precut, sew the two sides together, and fold over and hem? Maybe in Calico on one side so they can write their names on one side?

deemail

maybe you could just have them make one napkin and then do the old 'napkin turned into a parasol' for mother's day from the kids to their moms...i.e., napkin folded to find center, colored paper rolled tightly around a pencil and then taped and pencil removed. Flatten both ends of paper roll. place napkin center on tip of paper roll, pin into paper. pin each napkin point evenly around the paper and then divide the fabric in between evenly and pin those points into paper. now ribbon bow on handle, ribbon bow on top of parasol...the fact that these napkins were made by the kids in the first place would be perfect! And if you play with the sts and find the ones that look good with a slightly 'open' setting (faster to sew) and only give them those choices, it wouldn't be so bad and Mother's Day would give them a few more months to finish.

CarrieC

My only suggestion would be no matter what you pick - to walk in with the fabric precut. When I started to teach my kids that was the part that caused them the most problems.

miriam

tote bag or draw string bag
book cover
shorts or pj pants
pj bag or pillow
for a boy - make a nail pouch
bean bags
chicken pin cushions are fun
chicken pin cushion can be made a bean bag
dog bandana?
print out dot to dot or a maze and use the machine with no thread

jitkaau

This one's a good idea - especially if you make one the 'tube' way and it is like 'magic'.

susie-susie-susie

I agree with FatQuarters. I think they are too young. How many machines do you have? It would take a long time for all the children to make something if you only have a few machines. I would have them get used to the machine without thread, and make a project when they are older. Maybe a hand stitched project. Only a few children are mature enough to sew at such a young age, and many of the children aren't able to pay attention long enough. A few are, but you would be dealing with 20-30 children. My DGS had 18 children in his kindergarden class, and the boys were very difficult to control. They had a very short attention span. Good luck if you decide to do this, and I hope you have lots of help. I vote for either bean bags or pillowcases.
Sue

peggy119

We have decided to make scarfs from fleece or minkie fabrics. This is at a Montessori school so I will only have 9 children in the afternoon. They have 3 age groups per class. I am looking forward to it and hopefully I will inspire a new generation to sew and hopefully take up quilting!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I really appreciate the input!