Wool Lesson

Here are my notes for my "wool" lesson with the kindergarten class. Estimated time: 1 hour.

begin by reading Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow
show raw (washed) wool
show and demonstrate hand carders - from A Child's Dream Come True
pass around hand carders for children to try
show undyed roving in white and grey - from A Child's Dream Come True
show dyed roving - from Weir Dolls
show and demonstrate drop spindle

"Soap in a Sweater" Felting Project:
dyed wool in various colors
wool yarn for accent colors
small bars of soap, one for each child
bins of hot water, one for every three children
short lengths of pantyhose tied at one end, one for each child
cooling rack for soaps to dry on


By the way, if you're washing your own just-sheared wool, there is a way to do it other than to wear dishwashing gloves and just ignore the poop. Trisha Lambert of The Colors of Nature told me that you can do it in a washing machine. Just turn off the spin cycle, run using warm water and add a little liquid soap, and rinse and drain several times. We did the hands-in-poop way and just poured the water into the vegetable garden. But I wouldn't do it again. ;-)