“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Slöyd at St. Paul
“Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.” Mark 10:14, Matt 19:14, Luke 18:16
Slöyd, first and foremost, is about shaping the character of children through the process of working with their hands.
Slöyd is Swedish for “skill” or “craft.” Developed in the 19th century, it is still in use in various forms in some Scandinavian schools that uses intentional and directed handcraft work as a means to develop the character temperaments necessary for learning and flourishing.
Luke and Allison Johanson created Slöyd Experience (SE) 5 years ago in a park in Louisville, CO. SE is now a non-profit organization that brings the Slöyd method back to the US. They’ve been successful in integrating Slöyd into classes at a local elementary school, and continued with summer offerings. Currently, they are also building a training program for Slöyd teachers at the University of Iowa. The St Paul Fine Arts Academy has licensed their curriculum and brought it into a Christian context. The lessons are guided by the original 19th century Slöyd curriculum of character development through hand tool woodworking, practiced in an environment of Christian love.
Slöyd is not trade school. It is not “shop class” as commonly understood. Slöyd engages children’s body, mind, and spirit toward the good, the true, and the beautiful. Using traditional hand tools to make useful objects, Slöyd develops temperaments such as patience, resilience, confidence, concentration, the ability to work through difficulty, and to find joy in experiential challenges and productive tasks. Slöyd also encourages neatness, care for the tools and workroom. It encourages doing things well, without striving for perfection. Mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow. Children are always encouraged to “tryagain” to discover for themselves their limitations and their possibilities.
Slöyd begins with simple models and tasks, proceeding toward greater complexity and skill. Teaching is individualized, with each student working at their own pace, ability, and aptitude. The classroom atmosphere strives for focused attention on the work, as well as encouragement from teachers and peers. This individualized learning means that class sessions do not need to be divided rigidly by age.
Slöyd has many cross-curricular benefits, touching on subjects such as engineering, math, forestry, biology, botany, art, design, music, reading, and history, among many others.
Class Structure
- Class is for students ages 7 – 14
- Maximum of four (4) students/class
- Class length – 75 minutes
Cost:
Classes are $40 for each session. Scholarships are available for St Paul member children.
Class Times
Currently, classes are offered on alternating Saturday mornings. Openings for these times are available through the registration process.
Sessions are also being organized during the week for homeschool children. If you are a homeschooler or part of a home school group that would like to organize a class, please inquire with the instructor for class times during the week. These times are tentatively available at 10 AM or 11:30 AM Monday – Thursday. Classes are minimum of two (2) students with a maximum of four (4). Class can be made up of children from different age groups 7 -14. If you have a child younger or older than this and are interested in a Slöyd class, please contact the instructor.
Instructor – Steve Schwolert. Learn about Steve at our faculty page here. Contact him at steve.schwolert@stpaulaustin.org
