AUTUMN
DECEMBER 2012

May 4, 2010

BAAAAA


Mary had a little lamb,
 its fleece was white as snow . . . 

 Children love most anything to do with animals, but I think lambs and sheep hold a special place in their hearts, precious and gentle beings that they are.
 Look for a farm, festival or event  near you that features Sheep and Sheep shearing this spring 


  Children love to watch the shearing and know that it doesn't hurt the sheep, rather it's "getting a haircut" and being rid of the heavy coat for the warmer months ahead. Many places offer activities for children, or do your own at home with wool from the sheep. What farmer would pass up giving a child a chance to know about the journey of wool into clothing and items of warmth and craft.

Children love to wash the wool themselves, even the very young are quite capable.


                                                   Dipping . . . 

 and swishing
 

                                                                  and squeezing 



                                                         The water gets very dirty  . . . 

but so worth it in the end. . .
as the clean white wool dries in the sun 

  Four books that we LOVE and are read to the children, especially each year at sheep shearing time, are :






Children can also learn to card the wool, spin it, and use it in natural crafts.  Carding is a calming activity for children.  Stay tuned for more activities .


happy day!

5 comments:

angelina said...

i love it. and i cant wait for more. my kids love playing with rovings.
xx

Valarie said...

What great helpers you have. The wool looks fantastic. Thanks for the books too. I know a couple of them but the other two I don't. I look forward to reading them.

meg said...

Loved this post - not only did I love the photos and hearing about sheep and wool activities, it brought back 2 fun memories :) The first is Paul McCartney's sweet recording of Mary Had a Little Lamb :) The second is the book A Coat for Anna - we loved that book as well, and I used to read it to our boys when they were young :)

xoxo

Brimful Curiosities said...

One of our favorite sheep books is Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tomie dePaola. I'm hoping my kids can watch a shearing this year.

marcia said...

Thank you everyone for your comments. I am excited to hear Paul mmcCartneys recording ...and the additional book recommendation, Charlie needs a cloak!

happy day!
~marcia