What do you think about teaching skills like knot-tying in schools?
Asked by
Nullo (
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October 5th, 2011
Knots are extremely useful in the day-to-day. One can tie down furniture with them. Or tie up fixtures with them. Or bind bales of cardboard with them. And when the pole on the gutter cleaner isn’t long enough, it’s a stick, a rope, and a lashing to the rescue. Any time there’s something to be held in place, there’s a knot for the job.
A lot of people, I have learned, do not know very many knots, and so are required to resort to iterations of the square/granny knot (not the same thing, but you have a 50/50 chance of tying either of them unless you’ve been practicing), the slipknot, and the bow that they use to tie their shoes.
Since they’re fairly simple to master, and very useful to know, and aren’t in the least bit controversial (“Knot tying starts off as a harmless hobby, but it soon escalates! Your child may be tying knots in public if this is allowed to go on!”), would it not be wise to teach some common ones to children early on?
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16 Answers
While I do think knowing how to tie a bunch of different knots is incredibly useful I dont really see it as something that should be for school. This is what scout groups are for.
and besides think of all the children runnin rampant tying hangman’s nooses :P
Most people will eventually pick up some knot-tying skills by being alive. I don’t think it needs to be taught in school.
Sure, absolutely.
Along with auto mechanics, cooking, sewing (hand and machine), woodworking, knitting and crocheting, basic wiring, plumbing…
I personally think should be about preparing young people to live in the world, not just imparting information that they are going to forget anyway. So, yes, I think knot-tying as well as other basic skills should be taught.
I’m 22 and I think it is truly amazing how many people my age can’t cook even the most basic meals, do laundry, tie a tie or sew a button.
I have long been in favor of teaching life skills in school such as conflict resolution. I definitely think that knot tying could be a part of that.
@uberbatman The Scout leaders refused to teach us how to tie nooses. :D
I think it’s a great idea to show elementary school kids.
I was a Girl Scout for 4 years and I can’t count how many times I’ve used practical skills learned from Girl Scouts throughout my life.
The main one—“Using Available Resources,” or what my co-workers call me pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It’s not a magic trick, it’s a skill that is learned when basic skills like… knot-tying, cooking, sewing, building fires, nature crafts, etc, etc are taught. Those skills teach critical reasoning, cause and effect reasoning, and problem solving skills—- which are greatly lacking in today’s schools. Especially since they cut PE, music, art, recess, shop and home ec.
It shouldn’t just be in Girl Scouts, but in the classrooms, and this is an English teacher speaking… some… kids… simply… do… not… need… J. Alfred Prufrock (or Byron, Shelley, Keats and… gulp… my beloved Shakey).
I had a picture somewhere. let me look for it and tomorrow I’ll post it. One doesn’t need a special day to learn it. Just watch and follow the instructions and people will learn really fast ^^
I did not find the exact picture but a similar one.
Take a look and learn
These things help out but only if they teach similar things all together in a class or something because these things are easy to learn without too much practice.
I think every middle school girl should learn knot tying, and how to choose the best quality persian rug so when her boyfriend or husband turns out to be a jackass she can rope him, hog tie him and roll him up in her carpet to be suffocated in 4 inch Odabashian wool pile for easy disposal. Maybe pour a pint of Woolite down his throat for good measure. lol
@Coloma I want to be your next door neighbor LOL
I’m always willing to assist ;)
Well, @Coloma, you know what they say about friends, right?
A friend will help you move.
A good friend will help you move… a body.
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