Lesson Plan for Teaching a Leisure Activity
Lesson Title/Topic: Recycled Paper
Duration: 2 hours
Necklaces
By participating fully in this activity, student will be able
Learning
Objectives/Outcomes to:
 Learn the history of jewelry making
 Learn the skills associated with jewelry
making
 Understand the equipment and supplies
used
Introduction/Warm
Up
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5 minutes- Introduce each other by
playing the name game “Initial That”
 Students will take their initials
and make a sentence describing
themselves by using their initials
as the first letters of words.
 For example, my name is Mariah
Kathryn Stump, so my initials are
MKS. I would use the M, K, and S
as the first letters of the three
words I choose. I could say
“Mariah Kicks Snakes.”
Summary of
Tasks/Action
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10 minutes-Explain that on Wednesdays
we will be teaching them about the
history of jewelry making and skills so
they can make jewelry as well.
Ask if anyone has jewelry on right now.
Ask the students to tell you different
types of jewelry that were not
mentioned. (necklaces, rings, bracelets,
etc.)
Explain that jewelry is not a new
accessory. It has been around for 75,000
to 100,000 years ago. This is before we
had invented words or written language!
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Supplies/Equipment
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Pictures of
ancient
jewelry
Old magazines
and
newspapers
Rulers
Templates
Scissors
Pens
Skewer craft
sticks
Glue
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It is believed that the first jewelry was
beads made from shells. (Show picture)
Jewelry is described as any piece of
precious material used to put on one’s
body.
First jewelry was made from materials or
parts of nature, such as teeth, bone,
stone, shell, and wood.
Does anyone have any jewelry made
from things you would find in nature?
Maybe a shark tooth or shell necklace?
At first, jewelry was used to fasten
clothing together. Eventually, people
started using it for decoration of
themselves, or as a status. The more
jewelry you had, the more important you
were.
About 10,000 years ago, people started
using metals, silver, iron, copper.
Eventually, people started putting jewels
and gems into jewelry to make them
even more elaborate.
Around the 18th century, diamonds
started to be used in jewelry.
Start craft-recycled paper necklaces
Pass out magazines, rulers, pens, scissors,
templates, glue, skewer craft sticks.
(show picture of beads)
Describe that students will pick two
pages from the magazines or newspaper
of colors they desire to have on their
necklace.
Then they will use the templates (show
picture) to trace and cut out the paper to
make the bead.
Once they have cut out all the beads they
will use the skewer sticks to wrap the
paper into a bead. Put glue on about one
inch of the small end of the paper.
Repeat this process until the desired
amount of beads is reached.
Cut the sting, being sure you have a long
enough string to hold all your beads
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String
examples
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Put all the beads on the string, tie it
together at the desired point, and cut off
the excess string.
Wrap-up/Reflect Closure
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Ask the students:
 Did you like that craft? Why or
why not?
 Could you do this at home?
 Was this hard or easy?
 Can you think of other paper
materials you could use to make
the beads?
 Can you tell me some things you
remember about the history of
the jewelry?
Adaptations (For
Students With
Disabilities):
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Difficulty with fine motor skills: bigger object to roll beads, help
with cutting
Visual impairments: help handling the materials, help cutting
paper, guidance with rolling the paper
Cognitive impairment: provide assistance and encouragement
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Guidance while using scissors and skewers
Could use scissors without blades for younger group
Use glue stick instead of glue bottle
Don’t rush students so they are safer
Safety Considerations
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Lesson Plan for Teaching a Leisure Activity
Lesson Title/Topic: Paracord Bracelets
Duration: 2 hours
By participating fully in this activity, student will be able
Learning
Objectives/Outcomes to:
 Educate the students on the uses and
purpose of a paracord bracelet.
 Teach the necessary skills to make a
paracord bracelet.
Introduction/Warm
Up
Summary of
Tasks/Action
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Game-Four Corners: One student will be
picked to be “it”. They must stand in the
middle of the room with the bandana
over their eyes. Each corner of the room
will be numbered from 1-4. When the
leader says “go” all the other students
must walk quietly to a corner of the
room. Students can go to any corner they
choose, but must try to stay as quiet as
possible so whoever is “it” does not know
which corner they have chosen. When
the students have picked their corners,
“it” calls out the number of the corner he
or she feels has the most people in it.
Every student in that corner is out. The
game continues until there are 2
students left. At this point they are not
allowed to be in the same corner as each
other. The game ends when there is only
one student left.
Ask the students what they remember
about jewelry from the last session.
Remind them that jewelry has been
around since before written language.
Discuss the different materials jewelry can
be made out of such as stone, bones,
wood, gold, gems, silver, iron, and copper.
Explain that jewelry can also be made
from cord. Show example of paracord
bracelet.
Ask if anyone has seen, bought, or made a
Supplies/Equipment
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Colored
polycord
Scissors
Lighter
Duct tape
ruler
bandana
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paracord bracelet before.
Discuss the usefulness of a paracord.
Paracord can be used in many situations
and emergencies. It can withstand 550
pounds and has many different uses. The
paracord bracelet was invented to give
easy access to this useful cord.
Once unraveled, a paracord bracelet can
be used for tying down a tent, clothesline,
bootlaces, boating cord, making a fire,
bow string, dog leash, marking a trail,
holding a hammock, and fishing net.
When you open up the string, you find
thin white strands. These strands can be
used for dental floss, thread, and fishing
wire.
Teach Skill: Paracord Bracelet Making
 Get students to pick the color for
their bracelet
 Measure out a piece of paracord
that is 36 inches long and cut that
with scissors
 Measure out a piece of paracord
that is 66 inches long and cut that
with scissors.
 Take the shorter piece of string
and match up the ends of the
string, and then find the center.
 At the center loop of the string, tie
a knot, leaving an inch of cord at
the end.
 Once your knot is tied, take a piece
of duct tape and tape the knot to
the table, leaving the end pieces
free.
 Take your longer piece of string
and connect the two ends to find
the center of the string.
 Place the center of the long string
underneath the free ends of the
shorter string, close to the knot.
 Now you are ready to start
braiding.
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You will notice that you have 4
strands. There should be a long
strand, two shorter strands, and
another longer strand. You will use
the longer strands for the braiding.
Take the longer strand on your left
and drape it across both shorter
strands, leaving a loop inbetween
the longer strand and the shorter
strands. (show picture 1)
Take the longer strand on the right
and put it over the strand that you
just crossed over the center
strands. (show picture 2)
Then take that same strand and
pull it under the center strands
and up through the loop that was
made on the left. (show picture 3)
Take the two outside strands and
pull them tight, pushing the knot
up towards the center knot.
Repeat the process on the right
side, alternating sides after each
knot.
When you have reached the
desired length, tie a knot with the
center strands, leaving half in inch
between the last braided knot and
the center knot.
Next, take the outside strands and
cut them, leaving a quarter inch.
Slightly push down and rub the
ends, exposing some of the white
inner strands.
Take the lighter and burn the ends,
using scissors or other metal
object to press the burnt end,
causing the strand to fan out.
Doing this will stop the bracelet
from unraveling.
Cut off the access from the center
knot and burn those ends as well.
Wrap-up/Reflect Closure
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Adaptations (For
Students With
Disabilities):
Safety Considerations
Do you think this information is useful to
you? Why or why not?
What are some things a paracord
bracelet can be used for?
What are some ways you could use
paracord in our life?
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Assistance with the braiding in student has impaired fine motor
skills.
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The lighters will be handled by the leaders.
Students will be closely observed when using scissors.
Lesson Plan for Teaching a Leisure Activity
Lesson Title/Topic: Pop Top Bracelets
Duration: 2 hours
By participating fully in this activity, student will be able
Learning
Objectives/Outcomes to:
 learn the many uses of pop tops
 understand the relation between pop tops
and recycling
 make their own pop top bracelet
Supplies/Equipment
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Introduction/Warm
Up
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Summary of
Tasks/Action
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powerpoint of
pop top
jewelry
example of pop
top bracelet
7 pop tops for
each student
36 inches of
suede cord for
each student
scissors
Last Letter Standing: Students will get in a
circle. The first person will say the name
of an animal. The person to their left has
to say the name of an animal that starts
with the last letter of the animal the
person to their right said. The person has
8 seconds to respond and can not repeat
an animal. If they repeat an animal or go
over the time limit they must sit out. The
winner is the last person standing.
Example: If the first person says cat, the
second person could say tiger, and the
next person could say rat, and so on.
Remind the students what they learned
last week
Ask the students to name some things you
can use paracord for
Ask them if they remember what jewelry
we made the first week: recycled bead
necklaces
Explain that we are going to show them
another type of recycled jewelry that uses
pop tops
Pop tops can be used to make many
different types of jewelry.
You can use it to make necklaces,
bracelets, earrings, brooches, and even
accessories such as purses and belts (show
powerpoint)
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Powerpoint of
pop top crafts
Pop tops-7 for
each student
Suede cord
Example of pop
top bracelet
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Wrap-up/Reflect Closure
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Explain that we are going to show them
how to make pop top bracelets using
suede cord.
Pass out 7 pop tops and 36 inches of
suede to each student.
Have students fold the suede cord in half
and tie a knot at the end, leaving a loop
that is about half of an inch long.
Take one of the pop tops and thread one
end of the cord through the bottom hole
of the top and one end through the top
hole. Be sure you are threading the cord
through the back of the top
Next, cross the cords over each other,
making an X.
Then thread the cord back through the
front of the top.
Add another pop top and repeat threading
the cord, making an X, and threading it
back through until you are out of pop
tops.
Make a knot at the last top to keep it in
place.
Next make another knot, leaving half an
inch between the two knots.
Cut off the extra cord
Put the knot through the loop to wear the
bracelet
What are some things that pop tops can
be used to make?
Can you think of any crafts or objects that
pop tops can be used to make that we did
not mention earlier?
How does this craft relate to the
environment and “going green”?
Adaptations (For
Students With
Disabilities):
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Use larger pop tops
Safety Considerations
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Check the pop tops for any sharp edges
Have the suede pre-cut for younger age groups
Lesson Plan for Teaching a Leisure Activity
Lesson Title/Topic: Clay Charms
Duration: 2 hours
By participating fully in this activity, students will be able
Learning
Objectives/Outcomes to:
 understand the skill of creating beads or
charms made from clay
 obtain knowledge on the history of polymer
clay and its uses
Introduction/Warm
Up
Summary of
Tasks/Action
Supplies/Equipment
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examples of clay
charms
Crayola Air-Dry
Clay
Toothpicks
Skewer sticks
Marker tops
Paper
Suede cord
Scissors
Small beads
Cups
Game- Heads Up, Seven Up
 Half of the students will be “it” and they will
come to the front of the room. The rest of
the students will remain at their seat with
their head down and one thumb up. The
students that are “it” will go around the
room and tap one other persons thumb.
After each person has chosen one student,
they will come back to the front of the
room. The instructor will tell the students to
raise their heads. Each student will then
guess who they think tapped their thumb. If
they are right, they will become it. If they
are wrong they remain at their seat and the
person that tapped them remains “it”.
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Discuss the jewelry made so far.
Asks students to name the jewelry that we
discussed in the three previous weeks.
As students name the jewelry of each week,
ask them to tell one fact they remember
about the jewelry or material used.
Ask them if they remember some materials
that were first used in prehistoric times to
make jewelry.
Discuss with the students that another
material that can be used to make jewelry is
clay
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examples of clay
charms
Crayola Air-Dry
Clay
Toothpicks
Skewer sticks
Marker tops
Paper
Suede cord
Scissors
Small beads
Cups
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Ask the students if they have ever made
anything out of clay
Ask them if they have any clay jewelry
Discuss that polymer clay is the clay mostly
used to make jewelry.
It was invented in Germany in the 1930s.
It is a plastic-based clay that is easy to
manipulate and sculpt.
It was first used to make dolls.
Later it was used to sculpt small figures or
ornaments for decoration.
It wasn’t used to make jewelry in the United
States until the 1970s.
Discuss that we are going to show them
how to make clay charms and beads to go
on a necklace.
Show students the examples of charms and
beads we made.
Hand out a piece of paper and small ball of
clay to each student. The ball of clay should
be about half an inch thick when rolled into
a ball.
Tell students to flatten the ball into a circle
by using the palm of their hand. They can
use their fingers to smooth out the creases
or bumps.
Pass out a toothpick and skewer stick to
each student
Have them poke a small hole through the
top of their circle.
Next have them use the toothpick to make
the hole big enough to fit the skewer stick
through. Once it is big enough, test the size
by sticking the skewer stick through the
hole.
Next, the students can use the toothpicks,
skewer sticks, marker tops, colored pencils,
or beads to decorate their charm.
Give the students some ideas of what they
can put on their charm, such as their initials,
a design, a flower, a heart, a sun, a star, or a
favorite activity or animal.
Toothpicks can be used to poke holes and
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Wrap-up/Reflect Closure
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write on the charm. The skewer sticks,
marker tops, or colored pencils to make
different sized circles. Students can also
press the beads into the charm to add color.
Inform the students that the charms will
take 2-3 days to dry. Pass out cups for the
students to put their charm in while it dries.
Tell the students they can paint their charm
once it is fully dry.
After each student has finished their charm,
cut them a 2 foot piece of suede cord.
What did you put on your charm and why
did you choose that?
Thinking back to the past 4 weeks, what was
your favorite piece of jewelry we made and
why?
Can you see yourself making some of these
pieces at home?
Adaptations (For
Students With
Disabilities):
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Use bigger pieces of clay
Use bigger tools for decorating the clay
Not use tools with sharp edges, such as toothpicks.
Safety Considerations
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Only allow instructors to use scissors
Be alert while students are using toothpicks