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Woolworks! Teaching to the Standards with Fiber Arts
A Curriculum Guide for Teachers of grades 3 - 8

Teach math concepts with weaving or knitting, chemistry by natural dyeing, history and geography through the history of wool and fiber arts. If you’re looking at this, chances are you have an interest in fiber. Perhaps you are a teacher who instinctively knows the value of teaching kids how to make things and yet feels unable to devote classroom time to “handwork” due to the current emphasis on teaching to the “standards.” If this rings true, then know you are not alone!

The Wool Works! Curriculum has been written by people who know and love fiber, and are committed to promoting the educational value of handwork. Included are the tools teachers need to incorporate fiber arts across the curriculum, and a detailed outline of how the program meets National Standards in Math, Social Studies, Language Arts and Science.

Written by Lorna McMaster, M. Ed. in Gifted and Talented Education, the guide is based on her 20+ years of experience teaching in public schools. This 12 lesson activity guide is packed with great ideas and hands-on projects!

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Table of Contents

Lesson 1: A Brief History of the Sheep Around the World
A history lesson that looks at regional differences of sheep around the world.

Lesson 2: The Science of Wool
This lesson examines the structure and function of the wool fiber itself and teaches about the amazing attributes of wool.

Lesson 3: Humans Discover Textiles: Felting
Students learn about early humans discovery of felted wool and create a felted wool project of their own.

Lesson 4: Simple Machines: Spinning
Children learn about the discovery of simple machines and learn to spin on a drop spindle.

Lesson 5: Nature's Rainbow: Natural Dyeing Dyeing Nature’s Rainbow
Students learn how to make dyes from plants and insects.

Lesson 6: Braiding
From ancient weapons to Space Stations, braids have been used for centuries to produce strong cords for a variety of uses.

Lesson 7: Introduction to Weaving
Learn the basics of weaving with some quick and inexpensive paper weaving projects.

Lesson 8: Weaving Around the World
This lesson looks at different cultures (including Native American) approaches to the art of weaving.

Lesson 9: Introduction to Looms: The Rigid Heddle
Students learn what happens when you add a tool to weaving and how to use a Guatemalan style Backstrap Loom.

Lesson 10: Tapestry Weaving
Students learn the history of tapestry weaving and how to weave pictures.

Lesson 11: From Grandma’s Knee: Learning to Knit
Children learn about industrial life while learning to knit.

Lesson 12: Domino Knitting
Students learn about patterning, counting, reducing, and division with this knitting technique that is so popular in Europe.

How Wool Works! on Brain Development and Learning

Research shows that the 6 year old brain is only 2/3rds the size of an adult’s but has 5 - 7 times more connections between the neurons than does the brain of either an 18 month old or an adult. These young brains have a tremendous capacity to learn new things. By the time children reach puberty; however, they will lose up to 80% of these neural connections because of an enzyme that is released in the brain that will literally dissolve all poorly connected pathways. Although older children and adults can make new connections in the brain and learn new things, they have to work harder to establish pathways that were more easily made in childhood.

The development of the child’s brain is sequential from the most primitive Survival Brain, to the Action Brain, to the most highly evolved Thinking Brain, which begins developing around age 6. This brain development occurs as myelination of the nerve pathways progresses. Myelination involves the covering of the newly developed nerve pathways with a protective fatty-protein sheath. The more the pathway is stimulated, the more myelin is added. The thicker the myelin sheath, the faster the nerve impulses can travel along the pathway.

Research has shown that myelination occurs best when the brain receives repeated stimulation from the environment, with the most effective stimulation being repetitive and rhythmic motion. This is why recess is so important for young children and why activities such as running, jumping, swinging, knitting, weaving, and repetitive activities are crucial to their development. The Right, Intuitive Brain, which responds best to visual images, shapes and patterns, is the first part of the Thinking Brain to develop. The Left, or Logic Brain, which determines a child’s ability to read, write, speak, and think analytically and mathematically, develops next.

The last part of the brain to mature is the Corpus Callosum, which consists of a large bundle of nerve pathways that form a bridge between the 2 sides of the brain. The left and right side of the body learn to function and coordinate with each other through this pathway.

Researchers have found that repetitive gross motor activities coupled with fine motor activities such as knitting and weaving are crucial to myelinating this pathway. A well-developed Corpus Callosum will lead to more flexible manipulation of ideas and creative imagination and provide the connection between analytic and intuitive thinking. Many neuropsychologists believe that poor development of this pathway affects the right and left hemispheres ability to communicate with each other and may contribute to attention and learning disabilities.

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Only $39.95 each.