Children love to explore materials on a large scale, so exploit this interest by encouraging them to express their creative ideas through a range of exciting outdoor weaving experiences. Once the children are motivated and beginning to share their ideas with confidence, develop indoor opportunities to work on a smaller scale.
Weaving movements
* Familiarise children with the concept of moving 'in' and 'out' by encouraging them to weave in and out of rows of cones, and by playing ring games such as 'In and out the dusty bluebells'.
* Introduce the words 'over' and 'under' as they negotiate obstacles, climbing over benches or crawling under tunnels.
* Once the children understand this basic vocabulary provide a range of large outdoor frames along with suitable items to weave in and out of them.
Weaving frames
Create large-scale weaving frames in a variety of interesting ways, for example:
* Roll some large plastic-coated garden mesh into a circle and fix it securely to a fence or post. (Secure all wire ends with masking tape for safety.)
* Fasten a trellis or wire mesh to a fence.
* Tie rows of string between the bars of a clothes horse secured to a fence.
Weaving materials
Offer the children weather-resistant weaving materials such as strips of hessian, short lengths of thick string, raffia, ribbon, fabric, foil and plastic strips.
Role play
Tie some willow branches together to form a tepee shape, or cover a tent frame with garden netting. Invite the children to create a den by weaving natural and manufactured materials in and out of the branches or netting.
Glittering reflections
Create reflective mobiles by covering some hoops with foil and tying further strips across them to give the appearance of wheel spokes. Invite the children to weave coloured foil and cellophane strips in and out of the spokes. Hang up the wheels and watch them shine as they turn in the wind.
Outdoor messages
Create a message board from a length of trellis attached to a fence and supply mark-making tools and strips of paper so that children can write messages to one another and attach them to the board by weaving them in and out of the trellis.
Discovering woven materials
Look carefully at some examples of woven fabric, such as sacking, and talk about how the threads are woven. Introduce the words 'warp' and 'weft' and explain that 'warp' goes from top to bottom and 'weft' weaves in and out of it.
Paper weaving
* Have fun with simple paper weaving. Create frames from rectangular sheets of thick coloured card with slots cut along the longest side at regular intervals, stopping just short of one edge.
* Demonstrate how to weave a strip of paper in and out of the slots. Invite the children to do the same.
* Repeat the action with another strip of paper, this time starting by going over instead of under the card strips.
* Continue adding rows to form a typical woven pattern. Once completed, trim the paper strips where they overlap the ends of the frame and tape together the loose edges of the card strips.
Cardboard looms
* Cut notches along the short sides of a rectangle of thick card and show the children how to wind strands of wool around the notches from one end of the card to the other.
* Supply a thick needle for them to weave wool in and out of the strands.
* Once the weaving is completed, cut the woollen strands at the top and bottom of the rows of woven wool and tie the ends together two at a time to stop the weaving from coming apart.
* Use the weaving as doll's bedding.
Natural sculptures
* Create natural woven sculptures from forked branches. Invite each child to choose a branch and show them how to wind thick string between the separate forks to form a weaving frame.
* Suggest that they thread their choice of natural materials, such as hessian strips, grasses and raffia, in and out of the string on their frames.
* Stand the finished branches in plant pots or soil outdoors.
Recycled packaging frames
* Cut the base out of food packaging trays to use as a frame. Sew parallel rows of wool through the tray and across the space, first one way and then another, to form a grid pattern.
* Encourage the children to select from ribbon, wool and string to thread in and out of the grids, using a darning needle. Hang the frames against a window so that the light shines through the grids.
