Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Loom, Loom, Loom-a-Loom

      After doing a little bit of research, I discovered a quick and easy way to make a loom.  I wanted the students to experience actual weaving, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on those little pot holder looms, and it seemed like a lot of trouble to drive jillions of tiny nails into frames.  So, I asked two of the high school gentlemen to nail two by fours together, and--walla!--we have thirty mini-looms.  
 

     All of the students third grade and up are diligently weaving and enjoying it at least somewhat (some more than others).  I tied this into our history class about the Industrial Revolution:  “Can you imagine carding all the wool, making your own yarn, and then weaving into cloth like this to make clothes?”
 


A few years ago one of the students asked my husband, “Do we really have to do art?  Can we just go outside and play?”  Now they ask us, “May I please go and work on my art?”  How wonderful to a teacher’s ears!