From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

Activity 40: Berry Ink

Grades: K-4

Associated Lesson Topics:

• Ericaceae (heath) family; blueberry is a member
• Rosaceae (rose) family; blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry are members
• Contents of cells
• Pigments

National Standards:

• SCIENCE: Standard A, Standard C
• HISTORY: Standard 2

Planting the Seed:

Have you ever dipped a rock in water and rubbed it on another rock to produce ink? What other products from nature do you think can be used to make ink? Can you think of any plants or plant parts that could be used as ink? Where do berries come from? How do you think they serve the plant?

Teacher Information:

If Activity 39 (Getting the Color Out) seems too advanced or involved for your younger students, this activity provides an alternative way to easily extract dyes from berries for students to use as ink. In fact, this is the way that pioneers made ink!

Necessary Materials:

• Several different types of berries from wild or cultivated plants or from a store: raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and blueberries.
• Plastic bowls.
• Large metal spoons.
• Cheesecloth or paper towels.
• Fountain pen.
• Aprons.

• Gloves.
  

Procedure:

• Place the berries in plastic bowls.
• Have students mash the berries with the back of a spoon.
• Add water to the berries. Students can experiment with how much water to add. The more water they add, the lighter the ink will be!
• Stir the water and berry mixture thoroughly.
• Strain the mixture using cheesecloth or paper towels. The strained liquid is your ink.
• Have students create a guide describing how to make ink. They can use their berry ink and a fountain pen to write and decorate the guide!

Harvesting the Crop...

What makes berries so good for making ink? Together, you and your students can explore questions associated with pigments. What purpose might these pigments serve in the plant? Who were the first people to discover that ink could be made by crushing plant parts, such as berries?

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