Sally, if you click on the first link at the top of the post for Jun 2011 that post describes how it came about. It's really just started by telling everyone to make handicrafts, bring a mat and lay out there wares for sale. There are several very artsy crafty people in the group who raise the bar for the rest.
This is just fantastic--seriously! I'm so impressed by the creativity and skills of your group--how wonderful. I have a couple questions, if you don't mind: How do you set prices? Are moms crafting also, or just kids? And this might be kind of silly, but are there ever hurt feelings about things that don't sell? What do you do with leftover wares?
Thanks! I'm thinking about trying to spearhead something like this in the future.
Glad you asked Celeste! Everything is left up to each family - prices, display, what they make, how involved parents are, etc. Moms aren't crafting and selling their own items as far as I know, but I do think they are involved in helping the kids - how much they help with craft, display, etc. is left up to each family to decide. I imagine that, like their education, it is easier on the mom when it is more the child's work than the parent's. Having said that, there *is* some stiff competition so your question about hurt feelings may be an issue, I don't know. I haven't heard of anyone getting their feelings hurt yet, but I don't always talk to everyone that participates and we do have some very artsy crafty families that raise the bar. I also know my five year old and sometimes my older ones too will walk around and buy those less coveted things; kids seem to find value in most everything made by friends :) so I hope it all works out. My kids have come home with many unsold things themselves in the past and we walk them through it objectively. Why do we think it didn't sell. Was it price? Was it quality? Was it something people wouldn't really want? For example, my daughter crocheted coasters and she tried selling them last time individually for a pretty high price - because to her, it took a good amount of time to make each one - she was pricing things based on her effort. None of them sold. This time, she bundled them up and sold them for a lower price as a set and they sold. They were more valuable to someone as a set so she learned that in the market, things sell based more on their value more than the effort she put into making them. I think CM would have us making handicrafts for less utilitarian purposes, but having an entrepreneur for a husband, this is one area I'm okay deviating from CM. We've talked about possibly selling left overs on Etsy, but haven't gotten around to anything like that yet. They can be brought to sell next time or re-purposed somehow or used as a "buy one get one free" or "buy this get one of those free" type deals. We suggest ideas and the kids decide what they want to do with it. In some cases they give it away as a birthday present to a friend or eat it/use it themselves. As for running the thing - I just wanted to keep it simple for all so we just said bring a mat, bring something handmade by the kids, and I leave the rest to everyone else. Maybe we will come up with additional rules as we go if things tend in a direction that we don't like, but for now, it seems to be going well as is and it's one of our favorite events of the year!
Hello, I stumbled onto your blog as I am researching CM education for my kids and noticed that I was just at the same park (in HB?), doing a bird study. Very impressed by your blog. How did you start your group?
Hi ..., I met a mom on a field trip through Exploring Homeschooling who already had been meeting with two other CM moms and was invited out to meet them for a nature day. The children and moms hit it off so we continued meeting weekly adding people here and there as we came across others who were interested in CM and nature study. If you're interested in learning more about local CM happenings, you can join the www.charlottemasoneducation.ning.com site for more info.
GONK! {sound of jaw dropping}
ReplyDeleteI am in awe of what is presented here in these pictures! Will you share how all this came about? Please, oh please? :)
Sally, if you click on the first link at the top of the post for Jun 2011 that post describes how it came about. It's really just started by telling everyone to make handicrafts, bring a mat and lay out there wares for sale. There are several very artsy crafty people in the group who raise the bar for the rest.
ReplyDeleteThis is just fantastic--seriously! I'm so impressed by the creativity and skills of your group--how wonderful. I have a couple questions, if you don't mind:
ReplyDeleteHow do you set prices?
Are moms crafting also, or just kids?
And this might be kind of silly, but are there ever hurt feelings about things that don't sell?
What do you do with leftover wares?
Thanks! I'm thinking about trying to spearhead something like this in the future.
Glad you asked Celeste!
DeleteEverything is left up to each family - prices, display, what they make, how involved parents are, etc. Moms aren't crafting and selling their own items as far as I know, but I do think they are involved in helping the kids - how much they help with craft, display, etc. is left up to each family to decide. I imagine that, like their education, it is easier on the mom when it is more the child's work than the parent's. Having said that, there *is* some stiff competition so your question about hurt feelings may be an issue, I don't know. I haven't heard of anyone getting their feelings hurt yet, but I don't always talk to everyone that participates and we do have some very artsy crafty families that raise the bar. I also know my five year old and sometimes my older ones too will walk around and buy those less coveted things; kids seem to find value in most everything made by friends :) so I hope it all works out. My kids have come home with many unsold things themselves in the past and we walk them through it objectively. Why do we think it didn't sell. Was it price? Was it quality? Was it something people wouldn't really want? For example, my daughter crocheted coasters and she tried selling them last time individually for a pretty high price - because to her, it took a good amount of time to make each one - she was pricing things based on her effort. None of them sold. This time, she bundled them up and sold them for a lower price as a set and they sold. They were more valuable to someone as a set so she learned that in the market, things sell based more on their value more than the effort she put into making them. I think CM would have us making handicrafts for less utilitarian purposes, but having an entrepreneur for a husband, this is one area I'm okay deviating from CM. We've talked about possibly selling left overs on Etsy, but haven't gotten around to anything like that yet. They can be brought to sell next time or re-purposed somehow or used as a "buy one get one free" or "buy this get one of those free" type deals. We suggest ideas and the kids decide what they want to do with it. In some cases they give it away as a birthday present to a friend or eat it/use it themselves.
As for running the thing - I just wanted to keep it simple for all so we just said bring a mat, bring something handmade by the kids, and I leave the rest to everyone else. Maybe we will come up with additional rules as we go if things tend in a direction that we don't like, but for now, it seems to be going well as is and it's one of our favorite events of the year!
Thanks so much for your responses--very helpful!
DeleteOh, and I forgot to mention that the kids often trade amongst themselves too.
ReplyDeleteSOOOOO lovely, Naomi! Thank you for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I stumbled onto your blog as I am researching CM education for my kids and noticed that I was just at the same park (in HB?), doing a bird study. Very impressed by your blog. How did you start your group?
ReplyDeleteHi ...,
ReplyDeleteI met a mom on a field trip through Exploring Homeschooling who already had been meeting with two other CM moms and was invited out to meet them for a nature day. The children and moms hit it off so we continued meeting weekly adding people here and there as we came across others who were interested in CM and nature study. If you're interested in learning more about local CM happenings, you can join the www.charlottemasoneducation.ning.com site for more info.