Craftworks and Kids' Talk
Children's traditional culture is largely interactive. Throughout childhood and into adolescence, hands-on activities are an important part of being a child. Some of these traditions are passed on from adult to child, but most are taught from child to child. This year during the Great Lakes Folk Festival, the focus of the Children's Area will be on hands-on activities that children can enjoy with their adult companions.
The Children's Folk Activities Area is located to the west of the Valley
Court Stage and runs from noon to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Join us for all these and other hands-on activities at this year's
Children's Area.
Craftworks
Make and take crafts are the focus of this year's Children's Area. Make a cootie catcher and tell fortunes or go on a journey. Create "stained glass" out of paper. Make birch bark cutouts. Make festive flowers out of tissue paper. Use scrap material for leathercraft. All these crafts and more will be available in the Children's Area.
Jump Rope
Jumping rope and chanting jump rope rhymes are perfect examples of
participating in folk games that also have an oral tradition. Try your hand
at jumping (and if you're really good, you can try Double Dutch). When
you're finished, share a jump rope rhyme that you know.
Hopscotch
Hopscotch is another hands-on activity that is often passed from child to
child. While you will not be able to draw your own hopscotch squares, you
will be able to use our various hopscotch courts to play your own version
of the game.
Kids' Talk
Whether it's on the playground, in the classroom, or at home, kids have
their own culture of communicating, interacting, and joking with each other.
With Instant Messaging (IM) using computers and cell phones, kids and youth
are coming up with new cultural norms, language, jokes, expressions, and
other jargon.
Can you speak "IM"?
If you are an IM fan, you probably have an i.d. and know a language most
adults don't know. Add to our IM Dictionary and tell us your favorite
words, phrases, jokes, and expressions in IM.
Cell Phone Folk Traditions
With more and more adults and kids having cell phones, the possibilities for
communication are getting more and more creative. Come share and record your
cell phone lore. Record your prank recorded voicemail/answering message,
text message jokes, or prank cell phone photos and tell us the story behind
the joke.
