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Dobbins students learn about wool
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Kim Muff of the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm showed students what raw wool looks like during her lesson at Dobbins Elementary School Feb. 5.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Harley Ho (right) showed Alaina Francis how fleece is combed during Kim Muff's visit to Dobbins Elementary School Feb. 5.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Gabriella Calderon (left) and Brooke Chandler are shown weaving yarn during Kim Muff of Mill Creek MetroParks Farm's visit to Dobbins Elementary School Feb. 5.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Kim Muff showed students how a spindle turns fleece into yarn during her visit to Dobbins Elementary School Feb. 5.
By NATALIE SCOTT
Dobbins Elementary School received a visit from Kim Muff of the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm Feb. 5 to talk about wool and the different processes involved in turning wool into a usable product.
This was part of a series of visits Muff and other Mill Creek MetroParks employees paid to local schools throughout the school year.
Muff began the lesson by showing students how one would hold a sheep to begin the sheering process and the different types of cuts in different places that would be used when sheering a sheep. She told the students people sheer sheep in the spring so that they stay nice and cool in the summer.
Once the sheep has been sheered, you end up with a piece of fleece that must first be washed, combed and dried before it can be used. In this process, an oil that is called lanolin is separated from the wool and left to be scooped out of the water. Lanolin is used in many of the products that we rely on today, such as lotions and chap stick.
Muff ended her lesson by showing students how to use a spindle to make yarn and then weaving the yarn together for a craft.