Make a Coat!

Winter has officially begun! The winter solstice last week marked the official start of winter and the shortest day of the year. The cold season is upon us. The freezing winds are blowing and the sunshine is weak in the cold winter sky but many of us still venture out to explore and enjoy nature’s splendor. We pile on coats, snow pants, mittens, hats and scarves to get out the door and into nature. But where do we get our warm clothing? Where does the material for your coat come from? Explore the answer to these questions and learn how people throughout history have kept themselves warm with Project WILD’s “Make a Coat!”

Young Child Extension
Help young children make their own coat too and let them decorate the coats when you are done. Discuss how many of the materials we use to keep ourselves warm come from plants and animals. Look at books and pictures of animals in their winter “coats”. Then put on your coats (your real ones of course) and take a nature walk or just go out and play in the snow!

Book List
Grades PreK-2
DePaola, T. 1982. Charlie Needs a Cloak. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Langley, A. 2008. Wool. Crabtree Publishing Company.
L’Hommedieu, A.J. 1998. From Plant to Blue Jeans: A Photo Essay. Children’s Press (CT).
Mitgutsch, A., A. Fuchshuber, M. Reidel, and F. Hogner. 1983. From Cotton to Pants. Lerner Publishing Group.
Mitgutsch, A. 1981. From Cow to Shoe. Lerner Publishing Group.
Mitgutsch, A. 1983. From Sheep to Scarf. Lerner Publishing Group.
Nelson, R. 2003. From Cotton to T-Shirt. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 3-5
Keeler, P.A. and F.X. McCall. 1995. Unraveling Fibers. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Langley, A. 2008. Wool. Crabtree Publishing Company.
L’Hommedieu, A.J. 1998. From Plant to Blue Jeans: A Photo Essay. Children’s Press (CT).
Mitgutsch, A., A. Fuchshuber, M. Reidel, and F. Hogner. 1983. From Cotton to Pants. Lerner Publishing Group.
Mitgutsch, A. 1981. From Cow to Shoe. Lerner Publishing Group.
Mitgutsch, A. 1983. From Sheep to Scarf. Lerner Publishing Group.
Nelson, R. 2003. From Cotton to T-Shirt. Lerner Publishing Group.
Parker, S. 2002. Textiles. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Grades 6-8
Gleason, C. 2007. The Biography of Wool. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Keeler, P.A. and F.X. McCall. 1995. Unraveling Fibers. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Parker, S. 2002. Textiles. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Grades 9-12
Albright, B. and A. Grablewski. 2007. The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak. Crown Publishing Group.
Anawalt, P.R. 2007. The Worldwide History of Dress. Thames & Hudson.
Casselman, K.L. 1993. Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens. Dover Publications.