Crafts & Hobbies

These days, the word "hobby" evokes a sense of blase interest. Children have hobbies; bored housewives might have a hobby or two; the rest of us can scarcely be bothered. The original connotation was much different, however—a person's hobby was their avocation, not a primary sense of income, but certainly the focus of passion and interest.

To put it in perspective: Rene Descartes was a mathemetician by trade, but his hobby or avocation was philosophy. Not everyone with a hobby is going to change the course of Western civilization, but the point is that Descartes' hobby wasn't a mere back-drawer doodad he pulled out when he was bored and lonely, it was a motivating force in his life.

We're not suggesting hobbies need to take over your life, like robots in some creepy sci-fi movie. Just the opposite, in fact—hobbies should keep us from surrendering to the doldrums of existence, make us excited, provide an opportunity to exercise our creative talents and explore our interests. They shouldn't be simply a way to pass the time, because that's just another name for boredom.

At the same time, making your hobbies (whether they include cooking, weaving, woodworking, book-binding, or origami) the focus of all your attention is just as harmful. If you find yourself only working to fuel your interests, your hobbies (however harmless they were to begin with) have become your idols and you need to put them aside and learn to prioritize. Still, you need to have interests outside of work, and they need to be cultivated and not just casually dabbled in from time to time.

Why do we take hobbies so seriously? Because what we spend our free time doing reveals a great deal about who we are. If your primary activity when you aren't at work or cleaning the house or whatever is buying clothes, then clothes are what's important to you. The same is true for playing video games, watching reality TV, and bare-knuckle boxing.

It's important to choose hobbies that are constructive. As Christians, we're to do everything to the glory of God, and while some activities done in moderation might be fun, doing them all the time is more a sign of selfish addiction than simple enjoyment. Hobbies should be relaxing, of course, but they should be good for something, and good for other people.

The books you'll find below won't tell you what your hobby should be. They will, however, help you develop the skills related to certain hobbies so you can pursue them to the best of your ability. In a world that excuses lack of excellence and even defends poor quality, we need to work even harder to do our best, whether in our vocations or our avocations.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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50 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Used Books & Materials
American Boy's Book of Sports and Games
from Lyons Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Belle & Boo Book of Crafts
by Mandy Sutcliffe; photography by
from Roost Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Bible Puzzles to Solve
by Keith and Rosanna Heatwole
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Boys' Book of Model Railroading
by Raymond F. Yates
from Harper & Brothers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Carving for Kids
by Robin Trudel
for 2nd-6th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Christmas Crafts
from HarperCrest
for 3rd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Claymation Sensation: Underwater Claymation
by Emily Reid
from Windmill Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Concoct it
from Walter Foster
for 2nd-5th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cork & Wood Crafts
by Arden J. Newsome, illustrated by Nancy Coner
from The Lion Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Creating with Fimo Acrylic Clay
by Libby Nicholson & Yvonne Lau
from Kids Can Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Shellcraft
by Katherine N. Cutler, illustrated by Giulio Maestro
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Do People Grow On Family Trees?
by Ira Wolfman
from Workman Publishing
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Easy Carpentry Projects for Children
by Jerome E. Leavitt
from Dover Publications
for 1st-6th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Everyday Mysteries
by Jerome Wexler
from Dutton Children's Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fun with Next to Nothing
by Wesley F. Arnold and Wayne C. Cardy
from Harper & Row
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Gardening With Children
from Brooklyn Botanic Garden
for 3rd-8th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gifts to Make for Father and Mother
for 1st-3rd grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Gizmos & Gadgets
by Jill Frankel Hauser
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 1st-8th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Graph Grapplers
by Evelyn B. Christensen
from Mindware
for 3rd-6th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Animal Search
by Caroline Young
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.30 (1 in stock)
Green Thumbs
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
Kids' Multicultural Art Book
by Alexandra M. Terzian
from Williamson Publishing Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Make More Presents
by Esther Hautzig, illustrated by Ray Skibinski
from Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Look What You Can Make With Boxes
from Boyds Mill Press
for 2nd-6th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Look What You Can Make With Paper Bags
from Boyds Mill Press
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in Paper Crafts & Origami (Location: ELE-ORI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Made Easy
by Larry Kettelkamp
from William Morrow & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Make it with Felt
by Arden J. Newsome
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Me and My Family Tree
by Joan Sweeney, Illustrated by Annette Cable
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
More Sewing Machine Fun!
by Lynda Milligan, Nancy J. Smith
from Possibilities
for 1st-6th grade
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
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$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
National Geographic Kids Brain Games
by Jennifer Swanson
from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Optical Tricks
by Walter Wick
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Outdoor Handy Book
by Daniel Carter Beard
from Skyhorse Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Paper, Ink and Roller
by Harvey Weiss
from Young Scott Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days
by Mary Cobb, Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
from Millbrook Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Quilting Bee
by Gail Gibbons
from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Real Book About Real Crafts
by Catherine Roberts
from Garden City Books
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Recycling Things to Make and Do
by Emily Bone and Leonie Pratt
from Usborne
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$3.15 (1 in stock)
Sewing School
by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle, Photography by Justin Fox Burks
from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sleeping in a Sack
by Linda White, illustrated by Fran Lee
from Gibbs M. Smith
for 3rd-6th grade
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Spoolcraft
by Arden J. Newsome, illustrated by Arden J. Newsome and Kathleen McGee
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Starting Chess
by Harriet Castor
from Usborne
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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$2.25 (1 in stock)
Steve Caney's Toy Book
by Steven Caney
from Workman Publishing
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in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sunflower Houses
from Workman Publishing
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Super Science Concoctions
by Jill Frankel Hauser
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 1st-6th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$12.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Starting Gardening
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Cheryl Evans, Sue Johnson
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Walter Potter's Curious World of Taxidermy
by Pat Morris with Joanna Ebenstein
from Constable & Robinson
for 3rd-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
What Shall I Do Today?
by Ray Gibson
from Usborne
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
Woodworking
A Son and Father Activity Book
by Roger Lewis
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)