African Kente Cloth

This year our school is going global which means each grade level is assigned a part of the world to study. Because of this, I will be teaching as many multicultural lessons as I can. I'm loving this opportunity to grow and expand my art knowledge. Since 3rd grade is studying Africa, I decided to start with a fun weaving lesson. Kente Cloth originated in Ghana and is known for it's elaborate pattern and colors. Kente cloth is worn for celebrations such as weddings, graduations, ceremonies, etc. and can tell a story by its colors. We talked about what each color represents in their culture and then students brainstormed what colors they would choose to represent them as an individual. This is the list of meanings I provided them with:

Red/Orange: Strength

Grey: Healing & cleansing

Black: Maturity

Gold: Wealth & success

Pink: Gentle & sweet

Purple: Protective of others

Blue: Love & harmony

Yellow: Beautiful & royalty

Green: Growth & nature

White: Purity & healing

We used several days weaving different colored paper strips. Some colors were added on top of others for pattern. Once completed, students turned it over to the back and taped up the sides to hold it all together. Small pieces of black string were added to the ends for a cloth like appeal. 

House Weavings

This was the weaving lesson I chose to do with the small ones this year. The first day of the lesson was used to make the paper background. They picked a color blue for the sky and a shade of green for the grass. They then added a sun and clouds to they sky. The following day was used to make the actual house weaving. I let them choose two different colors and demonstrated slowly how to weave the strips. It always seems that half the kids get it right away and the other half struggle a lot. I always have the kids who understand it really well to help the ones who need it. Once they completed their weaving they got to add a roof, door, and windows. I will definitely be repeating this lesson in the future! They are so adorable :)

Paper Plate Weavings

I think the older students, and myself needed a break from paint for awhile. It was time for a weaving project! This was super fun to teach and I had full attention and interest the whole time. We went over a few weaving art vocabulary such as textile, loom, warp and weft before we started. I showed pictures of different types of textiles and looms in a slideshow. I told them that we would be making a round loom that resembles a bicycle wheel. Each student got a paper plate and was told to cut slits at every 4 ridge. They then used small pieces of black string to pull through the middle, wrap around each notch, and tie on the back. This took a whole class period. If I did this again, I would have the students double up on the plates for it to be a bit more sturdy and less likely to bend forward. The next day I showed them how to start the fun part! I let them choose as many colors as they wanted, warning them to cut longer pieces each time, as their rings get bigger. I had a handful of students struggle with the over and under concept and they would lose their place, or pull too tight. But even they had fun figuring it out and starting over again. I told the students to stop weaving when they got close to the round ridge of the plate. They then drew a pattern going around their plate with a pencil and used fun paint colors to fill it in. I'm pleased with the results and couldn't wait to hang them in the hallway.