If you’re at all inspired by Waldorf or Montessori philosophies in your homeschool, you have probably played with wool. For those who are new to wool as I was a few years ago, let me bring you into the fold.
I am in love with wool. It’s a fiber that many of us think of as itchy and irritating, but it can be wonderful to work with as well.
When wool comes off the sheep, it is raw wool. It is somewhat sheepy-smelling and it needs to be washed and carded before it can be used. Raw wool can be a good stepping stone to a unit on farm animals, and it can also open a discussion about where our clothes come from. Children might not realize that cotton grows in fields and that wool comes from sheep. How does it turn into the fabrics that we wear? The discussion is just as fascinating as tracing the story of the food that you eat.
To get carded and washed wool, look on online sites like Etsy and Ebay. If you are lucky, a craft or a knitting store in your town will carry carded wool. Many do not. Water felting is a wonderful craft that you can do with processed wool. Move the wool back and forth between hot and cold water and add soap to intertwine the fibers. You will gradually create a mat or a ball. You can cut the mat into pieces to make ornaments for Christmas and other holidays. The balls are excellent for small children, since wool is nontoxic.
Of course, your child can also knit with wool yarn. Wool or a chunky acrylic is a good way to begin knitting. A spool knitter is a simple loom that children can use to wind their yarn over and over, making long lines of knitting. Finger knitting requires some dexterity, but it is a wonderful and basic way to begin knitting without needles. Simply wind the yarn in two loops around the fingers and move the bottom yarn over the top of the finger until it goes to the back of the hand. Fairly quickly, a thin scarf emerges.
Have you played with wool?