There was no need to take a field trip to a woolshed for Koputaroa School students - the woolshed came to them.
The Wool Shed, in this case, is a 6m shipping container packed with interactive learning tools for students to learn about this natural fibre and the many ways it can be used. It is a free resource for schools from The Campaign for Wool NZ Trust partnered with PGG Wrightson.
Koputaroa School teacher Lavnan Shuher said students were really engaged with learning from The Wool Shed.
"As a sustainable and renewable resource, it's great for children to understand the importance of wool for our economy," she said.
Pupil Tuawhio Porima was amazed to learn that New Zealand produced the only wool to be used on the inside and outside of Wimbledon tennis balls, while another student discovered lanolin was good for dry skin.
Renata Apatu, Campaign for Wool NZ Trust Chair, said wool has many unique and wonderful properties that younger people are generally unaware of, including its "good crimp characteristics" giving it more bounce and why it is used for Wimbledon match balls.
More information can be found at www.woolinschools.nz