Wool Project: The Unraveling of the Story of Wool in Center AM

 

Next to our dramatic play area is a discovery table—a table holding items for children to explore hands-on. Inspired by the cold weather on our return from the winter break, teachers set up the discovery table with objects used to create cozy, wool clothing. Baskets of wool, balls of yarn, carding combs and books on sheep and wool attracted the children’s attention. The rich sensory experience of handling wool immediately drew children to examine it more closely: They all expressed delight in how soft, fuzzy and comforting it felt. From sewing, dyeing, finger knitting and weaving, children have thoroughly enjoyed this material. Not only are these activities pleasurable, but they help to promote children’s hand-eye coordination, increase concentration in following directions and foster an understanding of basic patterns: Nico said, “This is a pattern … blue, red, brown, yellow, and blue, red, brown, yellow.” Tara said, “Sewing is weaving. The needle goes in and out in sewing. Weaving is going upstairs and downstairs, upstairs and downstairs. This is a blanket.”

 

Baskets of yarn were placed throughout the classroom, both indoors and outdoors, and children used this material in creative ways. Julian A., who was building with unit blocks, cut a small piece of yarn and placed it between two blocks to “glue” them together for stability. In the dramatic play area, Maria, Eloisa and Katie were busy making pasta, using individual pieces of yarn and big balls of yarn for potatoes and meatballs. Another group of children wrapped yarn around chairs to make a spider web. Wool and yarn were everywhere in Center Room, and children seemed to integrate it into their play seamlessly, whether individually or collaboratively. Children also enjoyed reading books on wool and yarn and extending these stories through dramatic play. As they learned about the process wool goes through to become a sweater, they integrated new vocabulary into their play: wool, yarn, fiber, string, shearing, webbing, carding, weaving, spinning, dyeing and knitting. Ruby said, “I learned how to knit. I had to use chopping sticks. You use yarn on the stick. The teacher starts and I do the rest.”

 

Teachers became co-investigators in unraveling the many theories and ideas that emerged during small-group discussions. While children explored with these materials, teachers asked questions to extend children’s learning. This phase of the project was particularly important in highlighting children’s thought processes. Each child had an opportunity to share his or her thoughts and listen to peers’ ideas on the topic. Some of the teachers’ questions were: What is wool? What do you know about yarn? Where does wool come from? How do you make warm clothes with wool? What animals give us wool? What is the difference between yarn and string? Following are some of the children’s ideas:

 

 

Natural dyes like turmeric, red onion skins, blueberries and tea bags were used to color our felted wool. These were used to make collages. Since our children were so invested in the wool Timesproject—asking questions, experimenting, extending what they learned in their explorations with wool—we decided to invite experts in the field to share their skills with our classroom community.

 

 

Aviva Garrett, our visiting expert at spinning wool, demonstrated how to spin wool into yarn and showed us the different kinds of fiber that you can spin, such as silkworm cocoons and wool from alpaca, rabbit and goat.

 

As she demonstrated, Garrett also added words to our vocabulary such as card, treadle, bobbin, flyer and spindle. For instance, we learned that treadling is turning the wheel by pedaling your feet. And we learned that wool is any fiber you can spin.

 

The children were able to feel the different kinds of wool, card it to mix and evenly space fibers, and treadle and spin yarn. Mack commented, “Goat is softer than alpaca.” Beckett shared, “I know how to make yarn. You take a piece of wool and wet it a little and roll it and roll it and see here is the yarn! Now I have to dye it!”

 

Lastly, Garrett answered a variety of children’s questions, including: How do you make designs? How long do you have to spin? How do you wash wool? Did that wool come from a black sheep? Why do you need to card wool?

 

In answer to “What color sheep are there?” Garrett said: “There are white or black sheep—all sheep that are not white are called black sheep. The white sheep wear jackets to keep their fur from getting dirty!” Children thought that was funny and recalled a book we had read about a farmer making sweaters of different colors for all his sheep.

 

 

Kathleen Dickey, our visiting weaver, demonstrated how a loom works. While she turned fibers into fabric on a miniature Navajo loom, children asked questions, learned names for the tools weavers use, and drew pictures of the loom as Dickey worked on it. The children were fascinated to watch the yarn form patterns on the loom. Dickey explained how the Incas integrated mathematics into their weaving, and children noticed patterns and counted in unison with her as she wove. We discussed how her loom was similar to—and different from—the looms we used in the classroom. After she wove, Dickey shared a book about a little girl who learned how to weave from her grandmother.

 

 

 

 

Play is meaningful to children, and the strongest evidence of this is the amount of symbolic play that goes on through childhood. Even children who rarely play together slip into the world of imagination together, with shared understanding. “Finding purpose in play, children commit themselves to it wholeheartedly.” Not only is play purposeful, according to Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, but it is also the “source of development,” in which “a child is always above his average age.” Children used the yarn, wool and sheep to create their own dramatic play scenarios.

 

As Kian checked the model of a sheep with a blood pressure cuff tool, he exclaimed, “Her blood pressure 2018is pumping low, she is going to die. Actually I think she is going to survive another 12 years—she is 12, so when she dies she’ll be 24!” He picked up a tan sheep and said, “The tan one is going to live 13 years, a lot longer than the other. She has clams in her ears, they are biting her. Here I took them out and now she will live 19 years!”

At story time and snack time, we read books related to wool and sheep. These books led to group discussions, the sharing of ideas, and the asking of questions. Some of our favorites were Pelle’s New Suit, Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep, The Mitten, Woolbur and Extra Yarn.

 

After having many experiences with weaving looms, children came to the woodworking table, where they used yarn and wool to create their own looms in many different styles. Some took their looms home and worked on blankets for their stuffed animals, then brought them back to school to share, fostering a home–school connection. Families were invited to visit Hidden Villa Farm to view wool shearing. Some of our families visited the farm, and children saw the sheep get their annual haircut, cheered hardworking dogs as they rounded up the sheep, and learned how wool goes from shaggy sheep to beautiful sweaters.

 

The children were excited by their visit to the farm, and after their return to school shared photos and stories about the experience. Elena: “I know when you shear a sheep, it turns into a goat.”

 

 

A curriculum like the wool project—where children can engage fully with materials and experiment with them over time—supports their cognitive, emotional, social, physical and language development. These learning opportunities are valuable precursors to the mental processes that later enable reading, writing and mathematical thought. The experience of creating imaginary scenarios fosters oral language, and the ability to talk about their play further contributes to early literacy.

 

Children learn in different ways, and the wool project provided an avenue for every kind of learner. This kind of synergistic group-learning through wool play enriched the children’s experiences. The excitement about wool offered an opportunity for our group to practice a wide range of life skills that are relevant and valuable for each child’s growth, such as:

 

 

As the teachers helped facilitate this project, we also embarked upon our own educational journey through observing, listening and documenting—related not only to the project topic but to how children learn.