Mobile woolshed brings its lesson to Levin school

Ian Hopkirk of PGG Wrightson Wool at the Woolshed, a travelling educational resource about wool, at Levin School.

Levin School pupils have enjoyed life in a woolshed recently.

Not a real one full of sheep, wool, people working, with lots of noise and smells, but a nice and tidy one full of examples of wool and wool products as well as educational resources to explore the world of wool.

The Woolshed is a steel shipping container that travels from school to school and is an educational project from PGG Wrightson Wool.

"We want to educate kids on the attributes and benefits of wool," said Ian Hopkirk from PGG Wrightson Wool.

Levin School pupils (in random order) Silas, Nature, Honey, Laura and Kymani have enjoyed the Woolshed.

The Woolshed visits each school for a fortnight and the local rep gets enlisted to talk to the kids about wool.

"We show them where wool comes from, how it is used, what it is used for and relate wool to everyday life."

The shed shows off different types of wool, greasy wool, just shorn, scoured or clean wool as well as wool products.

"Wool does not need to be itchy or scratchy anymore. It is safe to be used as bedding, carpet, clothing, furniture coverings, to name a few. Wool is warm, absorbs moisture, releases it slowly back into the environment, and is fire resistant. Wool is sound proof, bounces back and lasts forever and is strong. At the end of its life wool breaks down quickly."

Wimbledon's tennis balls are covered in wool and in the shed there was a silky looking and feeling shirt, made from wool. The inside of every baseball is wool. It can also be used as a growing medium for seed and there are weedmats made from wool that are biodegrade.

A byproduct called lanoline, the grease that comes out of the wool when it is cleaned, but minus the dirt and rubbish, is exported around the world. It is used as a base for makeup, hand and face creams. The Woolshed has a number of tablets with activities and videos, including one of a shearing demonstration.