wool makes sense!

At the start of the 2024/25 school year, my students asked for a second sustainable fibre project. They wished for a greater amount of practical work to improve their handcrafting skills, and were interested in a product which could be used in the real life setting of our school.

After considering different ideas, the students decided to design and create a blanket with sensory toys attached, to be used in the relaxation area of our school’s Additional Needs Department “SONAS” (Irish for “happiness”).

Currently SONAS uses a wide range of Stress Toys, which are made from plastics. The students noticed how these plastics emit a strong smell and are in skin contact all day. We found that the toys are produced in China from materials we could not identify, and travel a long way to get to us.

The students were set the challenge to design and make Stress Toys created from natural fibres and based on the theme of “nature”. They researched the history of Stress Toys, explored locally grown fibres, and created their toys by knitting, felting, weaving, modelling and sewing.

We decided to expand the project across 1st, 2nd and 3rd Years, and to incorporate the subjects SPHE and CSPE.

We are deeply grateful to be offered financial support from the Global Citizens Education Grant by WorldWise Global Schools from their Irish Global Citizen’s Education (GCE) program, which assists activities and initiatives in post-primary education settings.

I was invited to present our project at the European Wool Day on the 6th of April in Rome, organised by the European Wool Exchange, which allowed me to explain both our “Fashion Future” and “Wool Makes Sense!” projects in a 15-minute presentation to professionals who are promoting the use of fibre in health and education settings across Europe and beyond. You can watch the presentation here, starting at 3 hours 31 minutes.

For our second consecutive year, we returned to Bunratty Castle where the project was displayed as part of the Irish Rare Breeds Society Heritage display during Irish Heritage Week on the 17th of August.

I also presented our project at “Giob Geab” organised by Galway City Council, a series of talks showcasing local sustainability and climate awareness projects. The event forms part of the annual “Climate Inspirations Festival”, which highlights the environmental, biodiversity and climate actions taking place in Galway City.

European Wool Day, Rome: