Theme: Bringing Art to Life in Schoolyards

Weaving Understanding
Youngsters Link Looms and Plant Dyes

A study of Colonial times inspired Patti Shumate's K/1 class in Asheville, NC, to ponder how people created their own clothing, with no shopping malls in sight. "We read books, such as Charlie's Cloak by Tomie De Paola, that got us thinking about weaving and dyeing," explains Patti. "Next, we considered what resources were available to early settlers."

Patti had been inspired to explore plant dyes in the classroom by a workshop facilitated by Handmade in America. Rather than revealing which plants were traditionally used for dyes, Patti invited the class to bring plant materials to school that they thought might produce colors. Samples of their choices — blueberries, coffee grounds, onion skins, grapefruit rinds, spinach, and acorns, among others — were taped onto the left column of a chart. "The kids had already learned from the books they'd read that colors could be boiled out of plants, so we set out to test their hunches about which colors would emerge from each sample," says Patti. Students first tore strips of white cotton fabric and wound white yarn around clipboards, then took off the circle of yarn and secured the loops with small pieces of yarn. As they boiled each batch of plant material, Patti encouraged them to try testing new ideas they had. Among other things, they tried boiling just the acorn caps, smashed fruits with their feet, and mixing plant materials to get new colors. They documented on their chart the amount of each plant material and method used and the final color that emerged. In the end, notes Patti, some of students' predictions were fruitful (blueberries), yet some choices, such as grapefruit rinds, yielded no color.

"As our colorful fabric dried on racks, we first practiced weaving strips of paper," says Patti. Next, the class fashioned small cardboard looms by punching holes in the top and bottom of a square of cardboard, running yarn through the holes, and then weaving colored fabric strips from side to side. Finally, having practiced on a small scale, the youngsters used a large floor loom, fabric strips, and natural materials, such as feathers, sticks, and fuzzy plants, to weave a creative natural artwork.

"Students were captivated by the idea that life was so different in early times — that natural materials that we take for granted were so important to people then," says Patti. "Perhaps more important was their interest in experimenting and discovering things themselves, and their amazement that they'd actually been able to create colors." To extend this project, students created "God's eyes" from dyed yard and sticks, which they gave as gifts to seniors. With their own eyes trained on finding new plants for dyeing, the class used their indoor GrowLab to plant nasturtiums and other plants for their spring garden that they conjectured might yield humble hues.

Author: Eve Pranis

 

Next Page
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Contents

1.	Introduction
2.	Teaching Art in a Garden Oasis
3.	The Art Garden
4.	Lessons to Dye For
5.	Dyeing to Get Started
6.	Dyeing Across the Curriculum
7.	Weaving Understanding
8.	Private Eye Seed Sleuths
9.	Budding Artists Capture Flowers
10.	The Gourd Explored
11.	Native Roots
12.	Resources

Plant-based Dye Kit
Study the historical and cultural uses of plants as dye sources.

Make Your Own Kaleidoscope
Combine various elements and create and endless number of inspiring images.

Browse our selection of:
Books

Outdoor Classroom Supplies

Gardening with Kids
Store Home