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A hands-on wool education experience was given to the dozen pupils at a Strath Taieri primary school.
A shipping container full of hands-on wool education material was at Lee Stream School for the Wool in Schools programme, delivered by Campaign for Wool New Zealand.
The container was usually at a school for up to a fortnight so there was enough time for every class at a school to rotate through the container and get up close with a range of woollen products, activities and learning for years 1 to 8 pupils.
At Lee Stream School, all the pupils got to share the experience at the same time.
In a statement, Principal Kate Martin said there were not be many other schools were its entire roll could fit inside a Wool in Schools container.
All the pupils knew their way around sheep and shearing, as most came from farms or lifestyle blocks but it was the journey of wool after it left a farm, which captured their imaginations, she said.
The pupils were able to see, touch and talk about wool, Miss Martin said.
“The children loved pulling out the sheepskin and draping it over each other, then grabbing the shearing handpiece and pretending to shear one another.”
The container showcases innovative uses for strong wool, such as the fuzzy yellow outer on tennis balls.
“There were lots of ‘I didn't know that was wool!’ moments. The kids are pretty keen for us to get some wool bandages for the first aid kit at school now.”
The preschool community also visited the container, she said.
“It became part of our learning rather than just a one-off,
“We could head back to class, ask more questions, make connections and then pop back into the container again. It was really special to share the experience with our future pupils from the preschool and their families too.”
The school was passionate about teaching children about the value of wool as a natural, sustainable fibre.
“The container fitted in perfectly with that. I’d say to any small rural school considering a Wool in Schools visit, absolutely go for it.”
Campaign for Wool NZ chairperson Ryan Cosgrove said there was one container in the North Island and another in the South Island and bookings remain strong for both.
However, there remain plenty of schools which had not reserved a timeslot to host the not-for-profit resource.
“This is a valuable, entirely free experience for New Zealand schools that has already reached 33,000 young people.
“We drop the container off and pick it up again afterwards, and we provide the written resources to go with it, too. We get great feedback from schools who relish the opportunity for a Wool in Schools visit and the valuable new knowledge the container brings.”
While the Wool Shed containers provide an immersive, mobile classroom for primary aged pupils, Campaign for Wool also supports early learning with a Little Wool Learners kit and Wool Kits that targeting years 9 and 10 students, offering extensive resources and activities that integrate wool into core subjects.
Wool Dynamics was a tertiary touchpoint, where architecture and product design students learn how to utilise wool’s impressive temperature regulating and noise buffering qualities in innovative ways.
“We find that young Kiwis are really interested in more sustainable ways of living, understand the damaging impact of plastic and love to imagine all the ways wool can be used, now and for many years to come.”
To book the Wool in Schools container or inquire about availability, go to https://www.nzwool.co.nz/wool-in-schools/ or email admin@campaignforwool.co.nz
