Summer Needle Felting Club: Adorable Family Pets (Flex)

  1 file available upon enrollment
Learners will not need any prior experience, but they will need felting materials. 
-Various colors of wool felting wool (wool roving)
-3 or more barbed felting needles
-A foam pad (A partial chunk of pool noodle works great, about 6-8 inches long and cut in half so it sits flat on the table.) 
There are affordable kits available on Amazon if you are just getting started. There is also wool at Michaels, eBay, and Hobby Lobby.
-Pipe cleaners
- A piece of paper and a pencil. (I will show students how to create templates for different fox designs.)

Example of a felting kit from Amazon.com (I like this one because it is inexpensive and can be used for many projects.)
https://www.amazon.com/Needle-Felting-Colors-Starter-Supplies/dp/B07X9Q8HXF/ref=zg_bs_8090912011_15/133-6422118-2535028?pd_rd_i=B07X9Q8HXF&psc=1

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Google Slides
Padlet
Youtube

Students will have access to a class Padlet where they can see images of and like the work of others. All posts need to be approved by me, so only appropriate posts will go up. The Padlet works like a giant bulletin board where students can see their peer's work and get more ideas about what to try on their own. They can also ask questions in the classroom and share techniques that worked. I will also use Google slides to show reference images to look at. When parents enroll in the class they will get a QR code and a video on how to post on Padlet. Padlet is free to join. I just log in with my Google account. If my videos get too large then I may use a private YouTube video link that will work for viewing the lesson as well.

The needles that are used for needle felting are sharp but no sharper than any other new needle. They are special needles that have little ridges on them that grab onto the wool and help to weave the fibers together. The end of the needle is tapered to make a thinner point. I show students some simple safety steps that will teach students how to use tools properly. 
- Needles should be stored in the tube provided in many felting kits when you are not using them. Some students will embed their needles in the foam safety pad and that is okay as well. I also recommend only taking out one needle at a time. Sometimes a needle will break and that is why having extras on hand is nice.
- The foam pad should rest on the table or a hard surface. This way, if the student stabs the foam or wool too deep they would just hit the hard surface and not their lap. 
- Students should needle felt in a space where they can focus on their project. You can turn the wool as you felt so that you are not ever poking a needle at yourself.
- There are little leather finger protectors in many pre-made kits and many students like to use those. I don't think they are needed though.
- I find that students really enjoy needle felting and it is easy for them to pick up. My in-person needle felting classes are for ages 7-15 years old and they do well with their projects. I think your student will love needle felting!