Weaving on Styrofoam

Weaving on Styrofoam was a recent project with the 1st graders. A restaurant supply store near our school had a huge package of styrofoam plates for very cheap. Slits were cut at the top and bottom of the styrofoam and string was placed in these slits for the loom.  The students used ribbon and fabric to weave over and under the string.  Suggest to the kids to choose a variety of colors and textures. I put out some colored wire, chenille stems, feathers, ribbons and straws. There are so many materials that can be incorporated into a weaving!

Where to obtain yarn: I don’t think I have paid full price for any yarn in the 6 years I have been at this particular school. Hit up yard sales, church garage sales, thrift stores, Craigslist.org and Yahoo Freecycle groups. You will be amazed at what people will give away for free. Send out notes to your parents that you are always looking for bright, colorful, textured and snazzy yarn. I found that if I don’t ask for “fancy, textured or bright colored” yarn, I receive a whole bunch of faded, dusty, gross yarn. By best yarn has come from members of my knitting group. Since I knit in my free time and belong to a knitting group, I have told the members that I would be interested in any of their scrap yarns and leftover skeins for my school. I suppose you could find a knitting group online (such as a local group that has a Yahoo group) and put out feelers for yarn for your school. If you offered a small price, I’m sure some of the members would be happy to sell you their leftovers or even donate them.