Environmental Dyes
| Strand: | Science, Art | ||||||||||||
| Grade Level: | 7 & 8 | ||||||||||||
| Duration: | 3 class periods | ||||||||||||
| Location: | on-site and post site | ||||||||||||
| Objective: | Be able to name various plants, trees, and their flowers. Make a variety of natural dyes from items within own environment. |
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| Materials: | leaves, berries, and flowers small pieces of white cloth, preferably cotton |
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| Vocabulary: | |||||||||||||
| Procedure: | Explain to students that they will be looking for various
colors represented through plants, trees, and their flowers while hiking the trails at
Effigy Mounds National Monument. Students should take written notes of the trees,
plants, and flowers that are marked and explained along the trails. Colors should
also be noted. Remind them to take notes only, not the plants themselves. Upon returning to the classroom, discuss the colors located and the sources. Brainstorm what is available in their own environment that would be similar to what was found at Effigy Mounds. Assign students to research what is available in their own environment that could be used for making natural dyes. Caution students about tasting or swallowing anything. The next day, discuss the possibilities. Be aware of plants that may also be on the endangered species list. After a discussion on the available resources, assign students to gather leaves, berries, and flowers. Crush each color's material and bring it to a boil in a small amount of water. Boil for about half an hour and test with white paper to see if the dye is strong enough to give a good color. Many plants give no color at all or one other than expected. Strain the liquid and simmer pieces of cloth in this solution until they have taken a shade darker than the desired color. Hang out of direct sunlight to dry. Note: You can get the following colors by processing one of these materials.
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