I’ve been sick in bed for the past few days and so the kids have been enjoying some extra free time to craft on their own, read books and play outside. They have been getting quite creative both indoors and out. Outside they have begun gathering materials in the yard and clearing an area behind the storage house/shed for their ‘clubhouse’. I’ve been overhearing lots of discussion on the clubhouse including future improvement plans, supply needs and secret handshakes. Inside they asked to needlefelt with me and came up with some amazing creations of their own (especially considering their age and it being their first time working with needlefelting). Elias made a tiger and Hannah made a brown squirrel to go with the gray squirrel I was making. Bayus ran and found nuts from the kitchen (almonds) and search for acorns in the backyard to feed the little squirrels. I learned how to needlefelt from a friend and amazing teacher and crafter named Hastings, the kit I used I ordered from a friend and owner of The Blue Ladybug. Needlefelting is done entirely with natural sheep wool, some undyed and some dyed. We’ve worked with wool before with wetfelting when the kids were about preschool age (they made wool balls) and they really enjoyed a picture book named ‘Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep’. I went ahead and reserved it at the library as a refresher for them on the wool process, plus its an adorable story and Bayus hasn’t heard it yet.
