Wow, the felt that is being made at Poland Community School is beyond beautiful. I am so proud of my students. 

We just wrapped up a wonderful first week of K-2 felting at Poland Community School!  I used my Feeling Out Wet Felt lesson that you can find here: /feeling-out-wet-felt.html

The students were introduced to the topic of felt last week with an informational slide show on the history and applications of felt. Students discussed sources of wool, how felt is made, and the practical and fine arts applications of felt. Students were also shown a beautiful Youtube video demonstrating the traditional Mongolian process for felt making: 

This week, students were taught the step-by-step process for making felt. They learned that clean un-spun wool is called roving, and they learned how to carefully pull off small thin sections needed for felting. Students learned how to lay down at least two alternating layers of wool roving, they were taught why water and soap help the felting process, and how to carefully roll up their felting mat. Students then learned how to roll and agitate their wool in order to turn it into felt, and how to test the felting progress in a piece of wool. 

After the demonstration, students set to work making their own creative pieces of felt:

The results were amazing! Next week students will spend another class agitating their wool with warm soapy water; the fibers will interlock even more creating strong pieces of felt. The kids love the process and can't wait to bring home their creations. It makes me so happy to share my excitement and love for felting. 

Stay tuned for more gorgeous examples of K-2 felt!