Teaching How to Card Wool

I spent this past Thursday at Claude Moore Colonial Farm at their Farm Skills program.  It is a hands-on history experience for children ages four and older.  I was placed at the carding wool station and had the privilege of showing 100+ children how to card wool.  It was great fun.   The kids were amazed to see the "dirty" wool and understand that it came from a sheep who was sheared and that the wool became yarn, which was eventually turned into cloth.  It's an amazing process, actually, and it was so rewarding when you "saw" the children understand!

What makes this program so wonderful is that the children actually get to do the things they are learning about, and so they actually carded the wool.  I would demonstrate the process and then they all could try it and see how the wool fibers changed as they were carded.  The children were then able to take their carded wool over to the drop spindles and try to spin their wool into yarn.  How cool is that?!

We'll be back at Claude Moore July 21 and 22nd to demonstrate blacksmithing for the Market Fair.  Please come and visit.  We'd love to see you!