Nature Weavings with Andy Goldsworthy

Try the full lesson with vocab, teacher instructions, and step-by-step student instructions and let me know how it goes for your class!

I’ve consistently gotten compliments on this project from teachers and students because they are so beautiful yet fun to make! You’ll need branches, yarn, scissors, and plastic needles. It can be fun to go into the school forest to get branches, or have students bring them in. I also collect some around my yard if we need spares. A good branch that will serve well as a loom must be strong, so just make sure the branches you’re using aren’t too thin. From the examples, you’ll see the variety of branches that all made good looms.

I think it’s exciting for students to think outside the box—students learn about weaving, but they also learn that a loom can be made in an unconventional way. The techniques are all there, but they get to be creative and work with unusual materials.

Depending on the class, I sometimes also have them make poms, fringe, or embroider designs onto their weavings once they are completed. For display, I also have them use string around the ends so that they can hang on a wall. Sometimes, a student’s branch may be more like a sculpture, in which case I leave it free-standing. If you try the lesson, let me know how it goes with your class! Check out the examples below: