Do Kids Still Get Crafty?

I spent a pleasant hour or so with Barbara this afternoon. She showed me the big pile of books she got at the recent Pointe-Claire library sale. A good number of them were craft books of assorted types: papier mâché, modelling clay, paper, Native crafts, nature crafts - a wonderful collection that the little school library she donates to should heartily appreciate.

I did have to wonder, though, why the library was getting rid of so many books in this subject area in the first place. They weren't particularly out of date and they certainly weren't in poor condition. The fact they were in such good shape, however, could be a sign that they weren't circulating very much. (And I'm sure the library has all the statistics to back that up before they do make the decision to discard.)

The sad conclusion I came to was that kids probably just aren't doing crafts as much as they used to. I remember when I was little I borrowed certain craft books from the library over and over. I loved making things out of paper and doing other fun little projects. But that was before the days of iPads, computers, or even video games. It was also before the days of kids being in after-school programs and living highly-structured lives jammed with extra-curricular activities. These days if they do crafts at all it is probably in an adult-led class, not on their own initiative in their long, free afternoons because those don't exist for many. And, to be frank, if I'd had an iPad, I wouldn't likely have been doing much in the way of crafting either. I don't even think I'd have done as much reading.

And wonderful - and potentially educational - as the iPad is, I still think it's a loss. You learn things by doing crafts too. You're developing your manual dexterity, using your creativity and ingenuity ... and just plain having fun. I know things like knitting and beading do have their circles of followers, and I hope more caring adults can gently lead more kids into crafts of all types. It doesn't necessarily - or even likely - mean you're going to become an artist. But it does mean you'll be a richer person with a fun and relaxing hobby that can take you away for awhile from a world that's sometimes just a little too hectic and high-tech for anybody's good.