Outdoor and Ecological articles (sporadic Mondays) at http://blog.dxlogan.com/ and my main site is found at http://www.dxlogan.com/
Practice being a Maker without first being a Consumer whenever possible...
Sharon Kallis wrote: I like what you said about a teacher doing ragrugs- Tim Johnson in England has done some stunning kids projects http://www.timjohnsonartist.com/education-projects/ that are worth checking out- I particularly like his rope making with old plastic bags- they idea of taking old bags that won't break down, teaching kids how to make rope them, and then you can use that rope to make net carry bags- that will last!! teaches a full loop cycle- something practical and useful, Using a plastic bag that only has a few uses before being landfill and the skills our ancestors developed to make carry bags for migratory and hunting purposes...and now we can use those skills again- and re-purpose with what we find around us. I think rope making is a skill every person should know how to do. And then having the fun as class of discovering what different materials in your surrounding can be cut up and made into rope. Natural and human made materials are both full of rope making options! This of course then also leads to drop spindling- the same physics apply of two plied yarn and 2 plied rope. My studio mates and I had a show a few months ago of various ropes and yarns dyed with local materials, the lines just all hung off a pole in straight lines, people could handle them- they were labeled so you could learn which was ivy, or nettle, or eel grass, wool or cedar...etc It was amazing how much that show resonated for folks, lots of feedback to how amazing it was- and yet so simple!
So for a classroom- start with rope!!
End note_ I was trying to find the great photos on Tim Johnson's website of him using different coloured plastic bags for rope making- couldn't find them, but as always spent an inspiring amount of time just looking at his website- a must see! here is a link to classroom project on disguise- which I think is a fabulous way to reclaim Halloween from being store bought throw away costumes, check it out here: http://www.timjohnsonartist.com/costume-disguise/costume-workshops/
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