Summary Crush plants to see the dye colours that are released, and learn about Indigenous plant dyes. Optional: use plant dye(s) to make art. Science content Biology: Indigenous People's sustainable use of Living Things (K, 2, 3) Chemistry: Indigenous People’s Materials/Separation methods (1, 6) Science competencies (+ questioning + manipulation + others that are in every activity) Planning/conducting: data collection/recording (K up) Processing/analyzing: experiencing and interpreting the local environment (K up) Processing/analyzing: recognizing Indigenous knowledge sources (K up) Lessons activity is in Plant Dyes People and Plants Dyes, natural and synthetic Materials worksheet (attached) plants to crush: oregon grape stem, dogwood stem, green grass/leaves, yellow and red flowers, blueberries Optional for art: green fern, ideally without spores underneath yellow flowers e.g. dandelion, buttercup thick white paper (~100lb) or light cloth tape hammer or smooth flattish rock wooden board/chalk board/hard surface to hammer on Procedure Crush the plants on the worksheet, to show what colour dyes they contain. The colour may change depending on the chemistry of the paper, and some colours will fade with time as light changes their chemistry. Crushing to extract the juice from a plant is one of the methods used in plant preparation. Other Indigenous methods for preparing medicinal plants (from J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2012; 8:7): Preparation method Decription Paste Fresh plant parts are crushed to obtain a paste used externally or internally. Poltice Plant parts are crushed to obtain a soft moist mass generally used externally to treat swellings, pain, inflamed or infected body parts. Juice Obtained by squeezing or crushing plant parts and filtering through cloth. Sometimes requires addition of freshwater or other liquid for dilution. Powder Obtained by crushing dried plant parts. Chewing Fresh plant parts are chewed without prior transformation. Infusion Plant parts are plunged in either hot or cold water for several minutes. If hot water is used infusion is taken as a tea. More than one plant species can be used in conjunction. Decoction Plant parts are boiled in water for several minutes and the extract is used. More than one plant species can be used in conjunction. Optional art project: Lay pieces of fern on a piece of the cloth in a design you like. Tape the ferns to the paper/cloth. Make sure they are completely covered with tape. If using paper, it is best if the tape is not to firmly attached ot the paper, so that it is easier to remove again. Use the hammer, or a rock, to pound the ferns onto the cloth. Smash the ferns completely, so their colour transfers to the cloth. Peel the tape and ferns off the paper/cloth. If using cloth, glue it to card. Green leaf chemistry: The green colour in the fern leaves is called chlorophyll. In living plants, chlorophyll traps the sun's energy for plants to grow. Indigenous groups have been making dyes from plants for thousands of years. The leaves, petals, bark and seeds of plants have all been used to make different dye colours. Attached documents Plant dyes worksheet 2024.pdf plant_dyes_graphics_for_van_dusen.pdf plant_dyes_take_home_sheet.pdf Notes Pink rhododendron petals also work well, and their colour lasts for a while. Other BC native plant dye colours: https://learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Attachm… Painting with BC invasive plants: https://bcinvasives.ca/for-educators/activity/painting-with-invasives/ and their plant colour guide: https://bcinvasives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Painting-with-invasiv… Indigenous separation methods from the Australian school curriculum: https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/TeacherBackgroundInfo?id=56834 Grades taught Gr K Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 4 Gr 5 Gr 6
