WMUK's Nancy Camden visited Beadventure in the Park Trades Center to find kids making jewelry from beads. The kids will be selling their wares at this Friday's Art Hop in Kalamazoo. Camden says what these kids string together are skills that will last a lifetime.

[Page Weathers] "Here at Beadventure, we make jewelry. We sell at Art Hops. We learn how to talk to people. It's really, really fun and Traci teaches how to do all sorts of new and fun stuff."

Traci Furman manages Beadventure as a volunteer.

[Traci Furman] "The materials that you see around the studio, I adopted when I adopted the program. There is public funding, grant money; so, when the old director left and I took it over, all of the materials came with the studio. So, we have so many beads."

[Weathers] "I have made necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings and stuff with chain."

[Furman] "As a mentor, I'm all about the relationship that I develop with them. I really let them lead themselves. Whenever they ask my opinion, I preface it with are you sure you want my opinion? What do you think? I always want them to be evaluating their work instead of always looking to the adult to tell them is it good? Is it bad?"

Traci assists the children in solving technical problems.

[Traci Furman] "I have almost fifty/fifty boys and girls. There's absolutely no self consciousness about being a boy doing jewelry, So, I'm very pleased about that."

Drew Strand an eleven-year-old jewelry maker explains the inventory process that makes sure that everyone is paid the right amount for the sale of the pieces at Art Hop and at other events.

[Furman] "The kids always ask me, how much should this be? So, I say, 'Why don't you look around the studio, see what other people have priced and ask your colleagues here.' And, then they get a range and they take the average that everybody offers them. Our stuff is in the five to ten dollar range and so it is very reasonably priced."

Karissa Weber who is saving her earnings explains that when jewelry is sold, the studio gets ten percent of the sales to pay for rent and the telephone, among other things. Traci Furman has taught the students how to write receipts, keep track of sales, handle customers, make change and keep a balance sheet.

[Furman] "Children, even if they are nine are learning the very basics of, 'Okay, I can do what I love and I can make a little bit of income doing it.' The calmness of kids creating. Talking about, 'Do you like these colors?' That was what tugged at my heart to not let it go."