1. They are fun. Even students who have become accustomed to fancy video games are fascinated by the amazing things that can be created with just a loop of string.

2. They are cheap. You can use any kind of string and just tie a knot in it and that works. I prefer strings with no knots. I used to melt the ends of cord together while my husband held a cigarette lighter and then rolled the ends together! For a while I melted the ends on the burner of my electric stove. I can’t tell you have many strings I have made over the years. But now I buy them from Dave Titus’ store, StringFigures.com. I purchase them a thousand at a time and sell them for 25 cents to my students. (I lose a little bit of money.) I used to buy them, sell them, and keep the money. But my school district is getting quite picky about money. Now the school buys them, I sell the the strings, and the money is deposited in the school’s account. 

3. I don’t quite know the brain theory but isn’t there something about using both hands at once that causes you to get smarter? At the very least, it’s very good for eye-hand coordination. 

4. It’s good for sequencing. You must follow directions in a certain order to be successful.

5. It teaches perseverance. I have seen kids practice and practice and practice before they finally get Jacob’s Ladder. (The smiles are always wonderful.) You can’t lie to a kid. Either they did it or they didn’t and they can tell.

6. It’s a great family activity. Parents and grandparents often know a string figure from their childhood. When one of my students takes home a string they often find out someone at their house remembers a string figure. 

7. I don’t know why it is but often kids who are not as successful academically become the best at doing string figures. Suddenly they are the “cool” kid and it’s great for their self esteem.

8. I love to see kids teach other kids. “Can you teach me that?” “Sure, let me show you how” warms a teacher’s heart!

My older son was born in 1979. In the early 1980′s a Canadian woman, Camilla Gryski, began writing a series of books on string figures. I bought those books, began relearning string figures and my son picked them up, too. It was a fun thing to do together. My second son was born in 1986 and doing string figures became a family tradition. I became a school librarian around that same time and I began teaching string figures to my students.

My interest in string figures has led to a family trip to Winnipeg, Canada, where we met other string figure enthusiasts, my becoming the author of a collection of stories using string figures, and friendships with other string people around the world. Who knew where a circle of string would lead me!

I’ll tell you more in my next post.