Theme
Practical experience with arts and crafts
Activity Duration
4 days of 4 hours
Group Size
2–3 students
Objectives
- Develop hands-on craft skills through real making processes — from idea to finished product
- Learn to use and maintain tools, machines, and equipment safely and appropriately
- Explore design processes, material properties, and surface treatment techniques
- Connect craft practice to sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Description
Students choose one of three craft tracks — a leather belt, a silver ring, or a glass figure — and work through the full design and production process independently or in small groups. Each track follows the Norwegian curriculum framework (LK20 – VG1 Craft, Design and Product Development) and covers planning, material selection, technique application, and final evaluation of the finished product.
The leather belt track focuses on cutting, fitting, edge treatment, grooving, and surface finishing. The silver ring track introduces basic metalworking: filing, soldering, shaping, and polishing. The glass figure track works with heat treatment and shaping techniques, with attention to safety procedures when working at high temperatures.
Across all three tracks, students are encouraged to reflect on material properties, aesthetic choices, and the cultural significance of traditional craft techniques — and to connect their work to at least one SDG.
Materials/Tools
Leather Belt: planning and design, material selection and preparation, cutting tools, buckle fitting, edge treatment, grooving tools, surface treatment products, buckle attachment hardware.
Silver Ring: silver stock, melting equipment, rolling and shaping tools, files, sandpaper, polishing materials.
Glass Figure: sketch materials, glass cutting tools, kiln for firing and melting, finishing tools.
Space (indoor, outdoor, settings…)
Indoors
Structures/steps (timing)
Each track spans 4 sessions of 4 hours. The general process across all tracks follows:
- Planning and design — idea development, sketching, material and technique selection
- Material preparation — cutting, measuring, and preparing components
- Production — applying core techniques (joining, shaping, soldering, firing, etc.)
- Finishing and evaluation — surface treatment, polishing, and reflection on the final product
Evaluation System/Tools
Badge assignment, verified by one activity organiser. Students present their finished product — orally, through a digital presentation, or via a short video (e.g. iMovie) — and must include:
- A description of the process from idea to finished product
- Their design choices
- The techniques and tools used
- The materials used
- A connection to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal
Work is submitted to or presented in front of a supervisor at FREM.
