On November 1st, 2024, Adult Learning Wales hosted a festive, hands-on Arts and Crafts session at The Skills Hub, led by tutor Brett Cryer. The course focused on blending creativity with numeracy skills, offering learners the chance to use simple numeracy, such as measurement, addition, and multiplication, while designing festive drawings using graph paper. By creating designs such as reindeer and Christmas trees, participants discovered how fun and useful numeracy can be in the context of crafting. These are just a few examples of the creative drawings that learners made during the course.

How Numeracy Was Incorporated
The course encouraged participants to use basic numeracy principles in their crafting process. Learners worked with tools like graph paper, rulers, and straight edges to bring their Christmas designs to life. Some of the key numeracy skills integrated into the activities included:

• Shapes and Patterns: Learners practiced creating geometric shapes, using basic addition and multiplication to form elements like triangles for Christmas trees and circles for reindeer faces.
• Measurement: To construct their decorations, learners applied measurement skills to accurately cut and assemble materials. Whether determining the size of a tree or the length of antlers, the use of rulers and measuring tapes ensured precision in their designs.
• Symmetry: The concept of symmetry played a significant role, particularly when learners were designing their reindeer and tree shapes. They worked to replicate identical sides and shapes, reinforcing the importance of balance in both numeracy and art.
• Graph Paper: Graph paper served as a guide to scale drawings, helping learners visualise their shapes and patterns. They calculated dimensions and plotted their designs on the grid to ensure their decorations would be proportionate.
  

Developing Skills Through Creativity
By combining numeracy with a hands-on, creative activity, the course helped learners develop a range of useful skills:

• Practical Numeracy application: Learners saw firsthand how numeracy is used in real-life projects, boosting their confidence and understanding of basic numeracy.
• Attention to detail: Measuring and cutting accurately required focus and attention to small details, encouraging precision and care in their work.
• Creative problem-solving: Learners were able to apply numeracy in a creative context, making choices about how to incorporate measurements, symmetry, and patterns into their designs.
  
  

Learner Feedback: “The course was fun and I feel more confident measuring using graph paper”

Learner Feedback and Impact
The course was met with positive feedback from participants, many of whom commented on how much they enjoyed seeing the connection between maths and creativity. Several learners noted that they had always felt a little unsure about their numeracy skills, but the crafting approach made math seem more approachable and even fun. For them, the course highlighted how numeracy is not just about numbers but also about using skills in ways that are meaningful and practical in everyday life.

The Christmas Arts and Crafts course at The Skills Hub effectively showcased how numeracy can be taught through creative, hands-on activities, aligning with the goals of the Multiply Project. By combining mathematical concepts with crafting, learners were able to experience the practical value of numeracy while creating something enjoyable. This approach not only helped improve their mathematical skills but also demonstrated that learning can be both engaging and rewarding when creativity is involved, supporting the Multiply Project’s aim to build confidence and skills in adult numeracy through real-life, accessible learning opportunities.

If you would like to find out more about the Multiply Project, click here.