Bundle Dyeing

Adult course modified for elementary students.  Will it work?  Judge for yourself.

Prep  fabric beforehand:  Cotton fabric had to be soaked in alum and warm water for an hour.  Rinsed and dried thoroughly.  Soaked in calcium carbonate.  Then rinsed again. 

Plant parts  such as marigold and indigo flowers had to be purchased and/or gathered. 

 

Using a pestle and mortar to grind seeds to use.

Students use plant parts to create a pleasing design  on damp fabric.

Next, students roll up their fabric plant parts and all and rubber band them into a bundle.

Bundles are put in a steamer for 20 minutes.

Improvised steamer...

AND...Voila!

Stewards of the Tree Beds

NYC Parks Department met with Lindsay's and Laura's fourth graders to stress the importance of maintaining tree beds to both protect the trees...

And also to absorb rainwater runoff--helping to keep rain from washing waste and pollutants into our nearby waterways.  

Students stewarded the tree beds by picking up waste, weeding, cultivating the soil, and adding mulch. They cared for 13 of NYC’s 800,000 trees.