The Colors of Earth: Making Paint from Plants, Part 2, expanded by K.Bradley - based on the lesson by Kristy Bishop

Lesson Overview

Students will experiment with different plant materials that are known to be safe ( but definitely NOT any plant that is unfamiliar, or known to have juices/secretions that are rash-causing, such as POISON IVY or POISON OAK). So, adult supervision is absolutely necessary, whether this lesson is done at school or at home.

**The teacher should IMMEDIATELY and SERIOUSLY tell students that no one should ever put any plant into their mouths, whether it's found in the yard, the woods, or other outdoor area. Poisoning could happen! (Of course, we understand that if it's a family or friend's garden, it's very natural to "sample" a bite with permission, when the crops are clean and without pesticide.)

For this lesson, only items that have been purchased at a grocery store will be used for dying experimentation...beets, carrots, yellow onions, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas...and spices of strong color, such as turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, etc.

Duration

Semester

Lesson Type

Project Based Lesson

Essential Question

Students will see a familiar item such as colored cloth, and learn that these colors were not somehow "magically" created; instead, they will learn that dying cloth is an ancient technique, which utilized fruits, vegetables,spices, herbs, and flowers. Especially in earlier centuries, people had to experiment with turning natural fabrics made of sheep's wool, cotton, or linen ( which were mostly yellowish, gray, or off-white) into all colors of the rainbow that they wanted to wear.

This kind of realization enhances creative thinking about SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY, THE ARTS, and the evolution of industries such as textile chemistry, weaving cloth, and fashion design.

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Other Instructional Materials or Notes:

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Chromebook for watching Kristy Bishop's lesson and researching ideas for vegetable, fruit, or spice "plant dyes"

This lesson would be interesting to almost any age group;

HOWEVER, for the actual "making of dyes from natural materials", this must be done under STRICT SUPERVISION FROM A TEACHER OR PARENT.

This is because:

-water must be heated on a stove, etc. and stirred

-cloth, once dyed, must be PULLED OUT OF THE HOT POT, and will be dripping with hot dye water...dangerous for a young student

ALSO REMEMBER:

- Wringing the dye water out of the cloth can STAIN bare hands, clothing, and any fabric that one is wearing; so RUBBER GLOVES may be a good option if hands need to stay clean.

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