COOKING LIFE SKILLS

All cooking life skills workshops are standalones. Our BeesyHands instructors saw a lacking in precise basic cooking skills in today’s children. That nudged us to create a series of workshops to equip children with basic cooking skills for life. Each workshop will end with a simple meal for the BeesyHands participants.

Values shared – gratefulness, patience

Examples of content taught – words like chiffonade, julienne

• 2 hours per session

• Ms Edith

BAKING LIFE SKILLS

Like cooking, there are also baking life skills which children can learn and experience firsthand and from these they can understand the Science behind each baking technique. For example, baking bread should not be as daunting as it looks, creativity should follow, and the participants will learn for example, how the “yeast graveyard” eventually becomes the bread that we eat. Even if there is no access to an oven at home, baking skills can still be learned, for example through steaming and no-bake techniques.

Values shared – Truth, diligence

Examples of content taught – “what is a yeast graveyard”, fermentation, types of whipping cream

• 2 hours per session

• Ms Edith

SEWING LIFE SKILLS

Sewing is another life skill quite missing in our busy world today. The term “sewists” is a new term and this aptly describes what we do as Sewists at BeesyHands. A Sewist sews and imbues art into his/her craft piece. There is a range of sewing techniques the participants can learn. The lessons include quilting flat squares the good old fashioned way, by hand, stitch by stitch, and simple basting of the square. This can be followed by the applique technique which uses mainly the blanket stitch. Embroidery is a fine sewist’s technique requiring more patience and nimble skills. Cross stitching can also be a sewist’s art piece, from simple to the more elaborate ones.

Values shared – patience, grit

Examples of the content taught – what is a flat square and where it originated from, key terms used in embroidery

• 2 hours per session x 2 days

• Ms Joyce

PAINTING SKILLS

Among the BeesyHands instructors are environmentalists. This led some of us to write printing and stenciling art workshops. Almost anything can be recycled as print materials or cut into stencils. Two painting projects are available for the Painters’ BeesyHands – painting your own tote bag and painting a canvas, stenciling a silhouette on it.

Values shared – saving the earth, respect, sincerity

Examples of the content taught – what materials are not recyclable and how we should be recycling the everyday materials that we use

• 2 hours per session

• Ms Joyce / Ms Edith

YARN HOOK SKILLS

Latch Hooking and Crochet are making comebacks at BeesyHands! Latch Hook (I) teaches the Latch Hooking technique with yarn, BeesyHands will be taught how to design your own mat and latch hooking it! Latch Hooking (II) will see the BeesyHands transferring cartoons and other designs onto their canvas mat and making them into either rugs, chair cushions or pillows.

Crochet is “something you can do anywhere and anytime”, skill to be picked up in this busy world. The beauty of crochet is the more you crochet, the less stressed and anxious you get. Some even claim that crochet improves writing skills! Crochet (I) teaches the basic slip knot, the chain and double crochet leading up to making mug coasters for the home! Crochet (II) is an extension of the first lesson, learning how to use two or more colours on the same piece, with buttons added to it.

As part of saving the environment, old tee shirts have also been added to the Spinners as a side lesson. Making a floor / seat mat using old tee shirts.

Values shared – resilience, delayed gratification

Examples of the content taught – types of yarn and where they originated from

• 2 hours per session x 3 days

• Ms Carol / Ms Joyce / Ms Edith

MOULDING SKILLS

BeesyHands are about using the hands and what best way to do this than through moulding. Using ceramic plaster, clay, wax and soap, children will experience what it is like to mould and decorate their craft pieces. For ceramic plaster, the BeesyHands will make bear aroma diffusers. Wax is also another choice of base ingredient used in moulding.

Values shared – freedom, patience

Examples of content taught – different types of clay, wax and soaps

• 2 hours per session x 2 days

• Ms Angie

DECOUPAGE

Decoupage is a dying art. It dates back to as early as the 12^th century. It was made especially popular in the 18^th century by artists in Florence, Italy. At BeesyHands, we take decoupage a notch higher by teaching the children from the very basic, how to use a pair of scissors. In Decoupage (I) children will learn the proper use of the scissors, to cut precisely, after which we use print outs, magazine prints and decoupage on a cookie tin. Decoupage (II) will be a decoupaging a wood art piece, using paper napkins. Decoupage (III) is mosaic decoupage. Other techniques like sponge painting and varnishing, using a squeegee will be taught.

Values shared – patience, helpfulness

Examples of content taught – history of decoupage

• 2 hours per session x 3 days

• Ms Angie