Crafts Educational Package

Cover of the November 2025 issue of Kayak. Colour illustration shows an astronaut outside of a space station.
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Cover illustration: Arden Taylor

As long as there have been people in what is now Canada, they’ve needed useful things to carry stuff and keep warm, to sit and sleep on, to store items and lots more. When these practical things are made beautiful — even though they don’t have to be — we think of them as crafts. 

The people who made them had a lot of time and talent. Sometimes governments or other organizations started craft programs to give people in rural areas a way to make some money. Over time, Canadians started making fewer things and buying more, but we’ve never stopped creating crafts. 

From quilting to pottery, from fences to quillwork, it’s all in the February Kayak!

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Activities

Stories in Stitches

Identify how culture, community, and identity are expressed through the development of traditional knitting patterns.

Passing It On

What kinds of things get "saved" or "passed on" from one generation to the next?

KAYAK CONTEST

Crafted Connections

Have students ask a friend, family member, or Elder about some traditional crafts from their culture or community for a chance to win a Kayak prize pack.

CRAFTING WITH CARE

Reconciliation Through Revitalization

In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Students will research contemporary Indigenous people or groups to understand the way they are revitalizing and sharing aspects of their cultures as part of the process of reconciliation.

Reproducing Historical Objects from Canadian History

In this lesson, students will reproduce a historical object relating to the history of Canada and consider the historical significance of objects of all kinds from Canadian material culture.

2025 Heritage Fair National Showcase

The Heritage Fair National Showcase is a celebration of student curiosity, creativity, and commitment to exploring Canada’s history, heritage, and culture. This year’s participants represent a new generation of historians passionate about understanding the past to make sense of the present.

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Our Thanks

We are grateful to the Department of Canadian Heritage for their support of this educational initiative.

Also available in French

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