1999-2000 School Year: In October of 1999, I saw my first Temari ball and it changed my life. There it was, a picture in the mail dvertising a class on Temari and I knew I had to be there. One, the craft intrigued me and two, I saw it as something I could bring into my own classroom. I work in the gifted education program and am always on the lookout for activities I can incorporate into our enrichment curriculum. After my first class was over on the 3rd Saturday, I started to make my plans. I knew 3 patterns that I could teach and had already invested in my first Temari book and was ready to learn more. How to do this? Well, I made a list of supplies and sent a handout to my students and their parents telling them exactly what to look for and where to purchase it. That year, I was teaching 4th through 8th grade but had intended to do Temari with only 4th and 5th as my middle schoolers received an academic grade from me. At that point in time, I couldn't see a way to incorporate Temari into their curriculum. My middle schoolers, though, got wind of what I was doing and asked to be included so, before I knew it, I was facing about 50 students who all wanted to learn Temari (fortunately, not all came at one time). For my 4th and 5th graders, I had incorporated Temari into a unit on Asia. My middle schoolers were able to work on theirs for maybe 15 minutes a day out of a 55 minute class. My students were able to get the majority of their supplies at Wal-Mart. Many parents shared the cost of batting, yarn, and a 6-pack of styrofoam balls. I asked for $2 donations which allowed me to purchase the Kreinik marking thread although other students appropriate alternatives. I didn't ask for parent help out right and I believe that would have been beneficial. Even a time set aside to show the parents what to do before I started to teach would have been the smart thing to do. Parents, though, were very much a big part of this, especially for my 4th and 5th Graders. The hardest part was the marking. I was at the front of the class going step by step. Many handled it with no problem but others needed hands-on help and my parent volunteers were lifesavers. Once the stitching began, it was amazing to see my room. Girls and boys alike all over the classroom with needles just flying. I was only able to teach them the spindle design but it was an experience they talked about all year. Many tell me their Temari Balls are proudly displayed in their homes.

2000-2001 School Year -   I started this school year fresh. I had requested a transfer and was now
working with identified gifted 3rd graders at a new school. Can they learn Temari? You betcha! I knew, though, that this time I would need more help and advanced preparation. It had been 4 years since I had worked with this age group and I knew that small motor skills might be a concern. Fortunately, I had a parent volunteer that was phenomenal. I sat down with her and went over the supply list. We sent out a letter saying I would be incorporating Temari into an Asian unit and was requesting a $5 donation to offset supplies. My volunteer Mom then went out and purchased everything that we needed. She then put the following into a large ziploc bag: a stryofoam ball, pre-cut batting, a yarn ball, a paper strip, and a spool of thread. We decided that it would
be easier to not give a lot of choices in colors. I believe we had white, green, black, blue, and a maroon/red color for the maris. When the students came up to get their supply bag, we asked them what color ball they wanted
and listed the choices. Then they picked their marking thread, again, already pre-cut. I had prearranged for parent volunteers to be there, at least one every time we worked on our Temari. The hardest part of this was the marking. The majority of the students needed help, even though I had decided to do a simple 4 division. Once they were under way, look out. Again, I had students on the floor, sitting on tables, in benches, on pillows, wherever they could settle in for sewing time. Many were intrigued by my free hand decorations on some of my Temari balls so I guided them in creating their own freehand. Overall, another big success but only with advance planning and appropriate supervision.  If I do this again, I hope to incorporate Temari into a math unit so that the students can explore the mathematical side of Temari.