Quick Wheat Weaving Project for Kids

Wheat weaving is an old craft that uses minimal materials and a little dexterity, which I've seen demonstrated at various fairs and festivals. Some elaborate creations are even marketed on eBay. Suggesting the antiquity of craft, you'll find wheat weaving demonstrators commonly present at renaissance faires.

In discussing it with your kids, you can delve briefly into the history a bit, about how in ancient times, a good harvest would lead workers to construct a large figure of woven wheat which would be erected in a corner of the harvested field as an offering, planted in the spring as a rebirth ritual to encourage the next crop.

It is not an incredibly difficult craft. You can actually try creating these fall decorations this yourself...and so can the kids. There are an endless number of designs you can create of varying intricacy. But here's a simple getting-acquainted project.

Simple Project

We're going to make a decoration for which you will need some wheat stalks. Pick a handful from a nearby field. You can also acquire them occasionally from florists who sell them for dried flower arrangements. If bought dried like this, soak them in a tub of water for about an hour before proceeding. Wheat that is fresh or has been soaked like this and used to create a decoration, you will find, will hold it's shape as it dries.

Besides wheat, you will need some waxed paper, white glue, and colored yarn.

Start with stalks that do not match evenly in height. Set out a piece of waxed paper and on it assemble 8-10 wheat stalks, radiating outward in a circle with the stalks overlapping in the center with a bit extra. The outer ends should be exactly the same distance apart.

Where the stalks overlap, drip a bit of glue to bind the stalks together at that point. Let dry.

Remove the wax paper with care.

Now, you need a piece of yarn. You might consider nice fall colors like yellow, orange, and red.