As we have learned, crafts often evolved as a way of reusing scare resouces. There was not an abundance of fabric for people to use in Early American times, and there were often limits to what could be taken as people moved around the county to settle in new places. Fabric and other resources were costly, and there was often little or no money to spare for the luxury of buying new fabric.

Early Americans often did not have the luxury of going to a store to buy their clothing. When their clothing became worn or damaged it was mended (pieces from old items would be used to create patches for the newer items requiring the meding) When a piece of clothing had become too small or too tattered to wear, pioneer women found other uses for the fabric. For example, using scraps to create quilt squares, or shredding the fabric to create hooked rugs.

Other items were also recycled. It became a popular hobby of women to reuse cloth flour sacks as a canvans on which to sew and create decorative items for their homes.

Objective:

Students will better understand the hardships and sacrifices made by early Americans. They will see the value of recycling goods that are often discarded in today's world. Target audience: history, social studies, environmental science and art classes.

A. Classroom Recycling

Think of how much you and your family throw away each week, how much of that could be recycled or reused? Think of how much we throw away in our classroom each week, how much of that could be recycled or reused?

Place a recycling bin next to the wastebasket in the classroom. Have students discuss what items could be placed in the recycling bin.

Reduce: How can students reduce the amount of waste they produce?

Reuse: What items can be reused?

Recycle: What items can be sent in for recycling? What happens during recyling? What are some recyled products that they currently use?

Rethink: Can students think of new uses for items that would otherwise be thown away?

B. Recycling as a craft

Have students bring in a bag of discarded paper or styrofoam items from home. Create a classroom sculpture using these items.

Or

Have each child bring a scrap of old clothing from home and create a classroom quilt square (or mini-quilt depending on the amount of fabric). Have the children write a paragraph about the significance of the cloth they contributed. What had it originally bee used for? Why did they decide to recycle it for this project?

 

C. Recipe for Dirt

Create a composte pile near your school. This is a long term project that can be continued from year to year (take photos so each new group of students can see what was done in the past, create a class composte project web site with photos and information)l. Have students bring in containers of food waste (e.g. fruit rinds, veggie peels or use similar materials from the school cafeteria. Make periodic observations (e.g. once a month) and keep a log of how long it takes for certain objects to break down or decompose. Use some of the dirt that is eventually created as a planting soil for a small plant--a living example of recycling.

D. Assessment

Questions for assessment:

Can you name one item in your desk that can be recycled?
Can you name one item in our classroom that has previously been recycled?