Notes for Busy Teachers

Weaving in the School Curriculum

For a specific guide to using Weaving as part of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence click here

Weaving in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence

Although this has been written with the Scottish Curriculum in mind, it has used successfully by teachers in various countries, including Georgia to facilitate classroom work there.

By all means contact me with your comments… ..


Weaving is the process of transforming raw materials into cloth and decorative wall hangings.

The equipment used for this process is called a loom.
To find out more see Brief History of Weaving

In June 2008 I worked with Karen Barbour from Kilmory Primary School who teaches P1-P4.

Karen wrote afterwards:

“The children are loving their weaving and doing well.

We put on some music and they are all completely engrossed!

It is really interesting to see that the children who have really taken to it aren’t necessarily the same ones who show most ability in other art/craft techniques.”

This echoes my experience with other teachers over the years, reminding us that the traditional skills of weaving provide a valuable resource for classroom work within the school curriculum.

Together with Karen and Jackie Colwell who teaches Primary 3, 4 and 5 at Lamlash Primary we have compiled a guide as to where weaving fits in to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

Sharing My Experience

Weaving on a Small Frame

The notes here are based on my own research and experience with weaving traditions and history on the Isle of Arran and how they were developed into curriculum projects over the past 30 years.

I am currently working with teachers at Lamlash and Kilmory Primary Schools on the island, teaching weaving in the classroom to Primary 1-4, covering a number of aspects of the new Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

Why not bookmark this page and follow our progress as we document this new curriculum work and offer you hints and tips for introducing these simple skills into your classroom.

The Background

My work introducing weaving into the curriculum began when my own children were in primary school in Whiting Bay on the island.

I taught the basic skills of weaving and demonstrated spinning and natural dyeing to show the first stages of production from fibre to fabric.

The pupils also learned about weaving in the context of village history, which at that time still centred on sheep raising and the farming community.

We grew and processed flax on a small scale to illustrate what was done in previous centuries.

This work was developed for high school levels. One result was the Arran Heritage Tapestry researched, spun and woven by S3 and S4 pupils.

[ Image ]

You can read more about the Arran Heritage Project on http://www.arranheritageproject.com

To help you introduce weaving into your curriculum plan you can download the following pages from this site:

Brief History of Weaving

Warp Weighted Looms

Weaving Equipment

How to Weave