Learning the art of basket weaving

For five weeks during Spring term, basket weaver Katalin came in to teach the Magic Mighties children how to weave their own foraging basket out of willow.

Katalin lives on Dartmoor where she grows willow for her crafts, meaning she was able to talk the children through the entire process, from growing the willow right through to the finished basket.

The children were taught about the materials and how the willow was grown from scratch, before learning key techniques and ultimately weaving their very own baskets to take home.

They used a variety of tools and scissors, but predominantly learned how to manipulate the willow into creating a strong and stable form for their baskets. Upon completing their baskets, the children went out to forage mushrooms, flowers and plants for the upcoming Ostara celebrations.

Learning how to work with materials from the land gave the children an insight into all the raw materials and abundance that nature had to offer. These hands-on experiences showed them that a creative yet useful household item could be made from the materials around them — and it looked pretty great at home too!