Agricultural fairs are a great way to explore the domestic arts and understand the quality of items made by hand. Exhibition halls are filled with different handmade crafts and culinary arts, such as quilts, preserves, knitwear, canned goods, and pies – all tokens from our past that still have a place in our present today.

Often, math and art are seen as opposites: structure and the lack thereof. At the intersection of the two, however, lies quilting: an art form that is inherently mathematical. Families can explore everything from shape identification to tessellations by learning to create quilts together!

An age-old skill, knitting provides us with some of our most treasured warm clothes. Learning the art of knitting can not only help to provide warmth, but can lead to explorations of local history, local agriculture, and complex math – and families can even engage in service-based learning by donating hand-knitted goods to help support people in need!

An interest in textiles and the domestic arts can be a lens into learning about other cultures, local history, and industry. Here are three free community-based events coming up this month that supports these intersections of learning!