ive just remembered that my primary school taught us all basket weaving as a regular activity/lesson.

[Pagwatch]

it wasnt just an occasional project. we each had terms of basket weaving in the library taught by the headmaster.

why did i need this skill? did your do any off lessons like that or just my village school

We did country dancing once a week!

We did a lot of country/folk dancing, popmobility and pottery.

Country dancing
Macrame
But no basket weaving

excellent!

did you have a 'take your partner by the hand..' teacher yelling instructions

Did they sell them at the summer fayre?

macrame is niche

@Pagwatch

excellent!

did you have a 'take your partner by the hand..' teacher yelling instructions

Yes! The girls in my class were hugely outnumbered by boys, so you can imagine how much the boys hated it

We did basket weaving.
Were taught recorder and how to read music.
Also did cycling proficiency with a little triangular enamelled pin badge awarded.
BAGA gymnastics (forward roll etc).

We did basket weaving! Macrame, knitting and we all learned proper italic handwriting with nibs & fountain pens, aged 7&8. But I did move to a private school after that and realised I was reeeaaly behind on times tables 😄

I do credit that teacher with imbuing me with a love of creativity & a sense that I can do those kind of things!

yes, they all got sold!

thats it isnt it. My headmaster was like a little etsy

im dim. we could buy the one we made for the cost of the materials or it went into the summer fair thing

We had country dancing complete with a maypole.

I went to a specialist school which had a workshop and shop attached where the kids who had learning difficulties as well as VI went and became basket weavers. In fact it was often suggested that people with a visual impairment should become basket weavers. it wasn’t seen as a compliment. Iyswim.

And yet, as derogatory as people were about the job of basket weaving, I don’t think many of us could weave a basket to save our lives. so I’m not sure it was such an awful/unworthy profession for people who would likely not b able to gain work anywhere else…

yes Flibberty,
bike proficiency, fountain pen for all our work. my rebellion in o level year was green ink

We did country dancing and basket weaving, cross stitch on that special holey cloth etc, though not in excess. The dancing was in infants (ks1) iirc. In juniors, each teacher had to decide on one art/craft to teach, and the classes rotated between them. Basket weaving, pottery etc; one who wasn't at all into art took the 'easy' option of painting. My DM joined the staff, and was at a loss what to do as the existing teachers had bagged all the obvious options - till she hit on origami. I helped her practise making various things, with large sheets of 'sugar paper' - I particularly remember a bonnet, and my favourite 'samurai helmet'.

AlternativePerspective.
yes my son has learning difficulties and he has had a go at lots of skills like that. the ability to make something from scratch gives him a huge sense of pride and is great for his manual dexterity

@Pagwatch

yes, they all got sold!

thats it isnt it. My headmaster was like a little etsy

im dim. we could buy the one we made for the cost of the materials or it went into the summer fair thing

Don't feel bad. My secondary maths teacher also ran a shop and we did a suspicious amount of work that looked a lot like accounting. I could work out 17.5% of about any number by heart by year 8.

christ this has brought back another one -

The girls had needlework and cookery as options at secondary school

every year the first main project once you had learnt the basics was to make your school uniform summer dress out of blue or pink gingham

THE PRESSURE !

Swahili.

School was in South London by the way. None of the pupils were native speakers...

Early 80's state town primary.
Basket weaving.
Country dancing.

And the one I never appreciated at the time, Maypole Dancing. I'd love to have a go at it now.

You never know when you might need to whip up a basket.

We did country dancing and maypole dancing in primary, and then ballroom dancing in secondary which was apparently to teach us ‘manners’ (this was a bog standard city comp in the 80s). It was hideous - the girls had to sit in a line at one side of the hall and wait for the boys to ask them to dance.

1. I have a basket made for my mum, probably more than 35 years ago in my bathroom, it was originally a shopping trolley and is now a laundry basket. It is perfectly functional and quite attractive. It was made by someone with VI who ran his own business and went door to door for custom. So, I would not decry basket weaving.
2. Basket weaving (and many other crafts) will develop fine motor skills, probably numeracy, creativity, and soft skills like planning, persistance etc

so I think there should be more of this sort of thing not less. I'm frequently shocked by the lack of practical skills among adults and now people don't learn them from their parents we will have to learn them in school.

We had a day in class 3 where we made bread from scratch. All the prep was in the classroom and we went over to the kitchens in batches to cook them. A whole loaf!

We made Teddy bears too.

We did country dancing and weaving! I made my Mum a tea tray with kittens on .

We did macrame, knitting, that thing with the plastic grid with little squares where you embroidered with wool, ordinary embroidery.

Can’t think how we fit it all in around all the singing. Just constant singing.

We had a day in class with a substitute teacher who put milk in a jam jar and told us to shake it for 30s and then hand it to another kid. She optimistically brought crackers for the cheese we would have by the end of the day. Suffice it to say they weren't needed