Renovate your old t-shirt

kindergarten: 15 students between 5 and 6 yeas old | Merton Elementary (Montreal) | January to April 2010

Lesson 3

Title: Where does clothing go?

Technique: tie-dye

Vocabulary: tie-dye, fold, twist, tie, dye

Duration: 45 minutes to one hour

Preparation: Ask them to bring old t-shirts from home that they can dye (do this in advance and write a letter for the kids to bring home to their parents). For the activity, have 4 stations set up. The first will contain all t-shirts in the solution and trays large enough to carry the t-shirts (have one tray and one t-shirt per child). The second table will contain elastics, beads, clips, etc. to tie and fold the fabric. The third table will contain the squirt bottles containing the dyes. Make sure to have at least 2 sections with different colors that when mixed will not give brown (ex: red and blue, yellow and green, etc.). The last station will have Ziploc bags large enough to contain the trays and t-shirts. Make sure to have one per child. Every bag and t-shirt should have the students name written on a securely attached tag.

Motivation:

• Review what has been learned so far: the weaving to make up the fabric, decorating the fabric. Explain there is another method to “decorate” fabric other than those previously seen. Explain tie-dye.
• Ask the students where their clothing goes when they finish wearing them. Did they ever throw out clothes? Did they give them? Make rags from them? Etc.
• Explain that for clothing, we re-use it often: we wear it, give it to humanitarian organisations, use them as rags, even turn it into paper! However, there are certain things we don’t re-use. Ask them what object they or someone they know have used once or a few times, then thrown out.
• Explain that making tie dye t-shirts from old ones is good because they can re-use them for a long time… until they grow out, and then ask them what they can do instead of throwing them out.
• Take out the book that shows examples, and look with the students at the samples you have made yourself. Demonstrate the various tie-dye techniques: tie, fold, twist, and dye.
• Explain what is to be done at every station:
• The first is where all students put on their gloves and smocks, and pick out their t-shirt from the solution to place it on a tray (make sure to let the kids know that they must wring out their t-shirts to make them damp and not soaked)
• The second is where the folding and tying will take place. Demonstrate some possibilities.
• The third is the dying table. Make sure to review color mixing here. Explain to the students how they can get the colors they want without getting one big mucky brown mess.
• The last table is where they put away their t-shirts

• NOTE: Make sure to repeat everything and ask questions to make sure all students understand.
• NOTE: It may also be a good idea to cover the tables with thick plastic tablecloths.

Procedure:

• If possible, have one adult per table to supervise and emphasize good teamwork skills such as sharing and being patient and respecting each other’s space.
• Let them go through each station, starting only a few at a time.
• Follow the dye’s instructions: if 24 hours of soaking time and washing and machine-drying and ironing is necessary, do it so as to get the best quality possible.

Response:

·         When all t-shirts are ready, invite them to wear them.

·         Ask the students what other things can be re-used or transformed into something new.

·         Review everything that has been taught by asking these three questions to them:

§         What is clothing made of?

§         How is clothing decorated?

§         Where does clothing go?

Clean-up: without the students (for safety measures), wipe all the dye from all the surfaces and follow proper instructions for the dye.

References and Resources:

• For the first lesson about how fabrics are made and where they come from:
• Gleason, C. (2006). The Biography of Silk. Crabtree Publishing Company: New York.
• Llewellyn, C. (2001). Material World: Silk. Franklin Watts: London.
• Miles, L. (1986). Focus on Cotton. Wayland Publishers: England.
• Patterson, G. (1987). The Story of Wool. Andre Deutsch Limited: London.
• Francophone resources:
• Fortier, K. (1986).  Decouverte Benjamin: Au FIl De La Soie. Gallimard Jeunesse : Italie.
• Jobin, C. (1985).  Decouverte Benjamin: La Laine Du Mouton. Gallimard Jeunesse : Italie.
• Parker, S. (2002).  Les Materiaux: Les Textiles. Ecole Active : Montreal.
• Riquier, A. (1985). Decouverte Benjamin: Le Coton Qui Nous Habille. Gallimard Jeunesse : Italie.

• For the second lesson about how clothing is decorated:
• Dupont-Auberville, M. (1989). Classic Textile Designs. Studio Editions: New Mexico.
• Elffers, J., and Meller, S. (1991). Textile Designs. Harry N. Abrams. Inc. Publishers: New York.

• For the third lesson about tie-dying techniques:
• Treinen, S., J. (1992). Incredibly Awesome Crafts for Kids. Meredith Books: Iowa.