I find that paper is a good way to introduce kids to weaving as the patterns are more visible than with yarn. And I keep running across many 4th and 5th graders who have never tried any kind weaving, so I have concluded that this media gets overlooked way too often
1. I did myself one favor and bought some good construction paper from Staples that was much brighter than the public school brand. One large 9" x 12" sheet needs to be chosen for the background “warp”, the term for the parallel lines in a weaving. Parallel lines need to be cut 3/4" apart from each other, leaving the top and bottom edge intact. This is most easily done with an xacto knife and ruler.2. I cut varied widths of 9" strips of paper for the “weft”, the lines that go across in a weaving. Starting at one end, a paper needs to be woven up and down from one side to the other. The next paper is woven in the same manner, just done in the opposite way as the first. Shove each strip close together as you advance and repeat until the area is filled.
3. To add an extra bit of color, the students can go back to the widest strips and add another skinny strip on top. It adds a bit more interest to the artwork.
