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

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. 

Grade(s):

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

Subject(s):

Recommended Technology:

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

Other Instructional Materials or Notes:

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.  

Lesson Progression

1. Watch the artist's video, and make notes of all her supplies on a piece of paper.

2.  Notice how her hands have turned blue from wringing out the wet indigo-dyed cloth. Could this be prevented by wearing RUBBER GLOVES?

3. Which part of this process appeals to you?   Which part seems like it would be "too much trouble" or "too messy?     

4.  Make a Venn Diagram that compares/ contrasts the "old ways" of dying cloth with natural substances, and the "new ways" using man-made chemicals.(VENN DIAGRAM will be pictured in RESOURCES of this lesson...or you can ask your teacher. )

5. Which berries do you usually have at home?  Do you have bananas? How about vegetables...beets? carrots? yellow onions?  FIND OUT, and make a list in your notebook.

6.  Which spices do you have?  Cinnamon? Turmeric? Paprika? How are these spices grown, and what does the actual PLANT  of each spice look like? [ quick sketch of each in your DYE NOTEBOOK]  WHERE ARE THEY GROWN in the world?     FIND OUT, & list them in your notebook.

7.  VOCABULARY:  ( Research & write WORD + DEFINITION in your DYE NOTEBOOK)

-dye 

-water (pH, hard or soft water)                 

-fibers (animal/protein or cellulose/ plant )               

-WOF   

-mordants - what do they DO in the dying process? ( alum and alum sulfate)

-mordant process for protein (animal fibers)

-mordant process for cellulose ( plant fibers )                

-herbs

-flowers                     

-spices/ turmeric, paprika, cinnamon       

-extracts 

- palette

The VOCABULARY words above are from a wonderful website, naturaldyes.ca...VISIT IT and look at the SPECTACULAR COLORS, great videos, etc!

***********************************************************************************************************************8.  ELIZA LUCAS PINCKNEY was a very smart young lady who was skilled at research and agriculture....BUT - she also was a plantation owner, back in the days of the forced labor of slavery. 

INDIGO cultivation and its use in SC trade brought agricultural riches to the plantation owners, but were torturous for the enslaved people who had to cultivate the crop.    RESEARCH THIS, and include at least 7 facts about Eliza Pinckney, how indigo was planted and grown, the steps that the enslaved people had to carry out to get the crop from SEED ... TO PLANT... TO MARKET. 

9. Have you ever made your own "tie-dyed" t-shirt to wear, using store-bought dyes? Share details of this DYING EXPERIENCE  with a friend in class. Maybe you even have a photo of it on your phone!

    

Teacher Notes

There is really no way to tell the story of Eliza Pinckney and Indigo without mentioning enslaved labor, so please DO THE BEST YOU CAN to tell this story:

-factually, but sensitively

-saying that we must understand history, so that we won't repeat the bad actions of earlier times.

- Reading history and understanding it, is to learn *EMPATHY...and try to understand how others felt

-There are still struggles all over the world about humans and their racial and religious differences...but where we each are, right now. Let's each try to make it better by understanding the things that make us ALIKE, as human beings. 

*EMPATHY - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes

-"what they are and how to use them" . This has a wonderful video intro, with descriptions of herbs, flower, vegetables, and fruits that can be used to make dye for natural fabrics. Also, there are EXCELLENT definitions that relate to natural cloth, dying processes, and other aspects of this "NEW/OLD" craft and textile technique.

View Resource

Organic Dye Company/ORCO

This company advertises "colorant solutions for Industry", & nods toward career paths in agriculture textiles, HI&I, Construction, Coating, Auto Detergent, Chemical Compounding, and other industries.

View Resource

University of Chicago/Organic Dyes and Lakes: The Origins of Color

This resource has great descriptions of coloring agents from nature, and VOCABULARY words that is not included in the first resource sites.There is also mention of career possibilities, history of dying, etc.

View Resource

Little Yellow Wheelbarrow - "A Dye Garden Plant List/ FLOWERS for dying

This is an excellent site with both instructions and photos about which flowers make excellent colors for a dye bath.

View Resource

Standards

Assessments

1. Make a small  DYE BOOK...to keep notes on your dying experiences...using beet juice from bottled beets, or carrot juice/ cranberry juice bought in a bottle at the store.  This is an easy FIRST STEP in NATURAL DYING.  

-cut a 2  pieces of thick white cardboard the size you want for a "dye notes" book.  

-pour bottled juice into a stainless metal bowl.

-either with hands or tongs, dip the cardboard into the juice/dye, swirling it around until it is dark enough to suit you.

-let the cardboard dry

-make a 1" fold on one sheet, to be the "spine" of the book

-lay writing paper across the entire book, and then staple on spine.

[SEE ILLUSTRATION IN ASSESSMENTS] 

-label the front cover, & add your name.

2. Gather materials for making an organic dye, possibly:

-blueberries, raspberries, carrots, yellow onion skins 

-dried marigold flowers

-cinnamon sticks & powdered, paprika, turmeric

-gather cloth to be dyed: cotton or linen cloth/ for a scarf, hankie, or a t-shirt, etc.

-mordants , etc. that are described in the lesson

3. Watch the lesson again  (Kristy Bishop,) and follow her instructions 

-big pot of water & lid ( water heats faster with lid, then remove it)

-stirring spoon / wooden

-gloves for hands

-big stainless steel bowl for wringing out dye water 

4. As you move along with your dying experiments, keep notes on amounts of all ingredients you add to your dye bath

5.  Bring some of your DYE WORK to class to show, and share the story of dying it

 

Marigold flower picture

This is a sample of a marigold, an excellent flower to use for dye coloring.

View Resource

Making a Dye Process Notebook ( with natural dyes)

poster board, beet juice ( from canned beets), a black sharpie, and printer paper were used to make this notebook.

View Resource