It's no secret we love wool! So when my 6-yr old came home from kindergarten earlier this year with the most beautiful woolly rainbow, I begged her to teach us how she did it! (Full disclosure: She negotiated compensation for her trade secrets for a whopping $2 fee, which was paid in full. This kid, I tell you).

The thing I love about this craft is that it builds suspense and teaches patience. It is done in phases, over many days, but the end result is such a satisfying surprise!

First, you will need:

1. Dish soap (I know you have it)

2. A bowl of soapy water and a bowl of clean water. Easy.

3. An assortment of combed wool – we carry a lovely pack of plant dyed merino wool that is perfect for wet felting which you can purchase here.

Now let the mess commence! Which, let me just say, is best done outside. We did this inside on a rainy day (life in the PNW), but I am looking forward to our next round on a sunny afternoon! But I digress. The first thing to do is choose your starting color. This will be the center color of your geode. Gently tease off a small strip of wool (about the length of your hand) and fluff it out a bit. Then carefully roll it up into a ball as best you can.

Place it into the soapy water and then roll it between your hands, working to keep the round shape. Repeat several times until the ball starts to feel as compact and solid as you can make it, then rinse gently in the clean water.

Select your next color of wool and wrap it around your ball. Repeat dipping into the soapy water and rolling between your hands until it feels nice and solid.

Now pretend like you have a clown nose. This is a very important step, so do not skip. Once you have done a silly dance, you may proceed by choosing your third color of wool and repeating the above steps!

At this point, the wool needs time to dry for a few days. A warm place will speed up the process, but the good old kitchen counter does the job just fine. Working with a few layers at a time, your geode will grow for as long as you want! However, take into consideration you will need to cut it in half somehow and you probably don't want it to use a chainsaw to do it.

So there you have it! A wonderfully sensory activity that can span a whole summer if you like! No doubt you will treasure the pride on their faces when they see the results of their work and they will treasure this special little rainbow that they created during the summer of 2020.