While working in the House Area, the EW children discovered that flower petals make marks on paper. This inspired the teachers to offer further discoveries through color, mark-making, and natural materials. To extract colors and see compost as more than a different kind of trash, we investigated natural dyeing processes. The teachers saved specific compost items separately for a week – onion skins, avocado seeds
Lily: (addressing the avocado dyes) I think it will make green.
Poppy: (indicating a different outcome for each part of the avocado) I think light green and dark green.
Ephy: I was thinking that too.
Lily: Because avocados are green.
Arnon: I agree with Poppy
We purchased dedicated strainers, aluminum pots (for their stronger reactions) tongs and bowls. We treated various white material to natural mordants like soya milk. We’ve been extracting color overnight and today we cold water dyed the fabrics. We wonder if this new look at compost will add value to the process of throwing away unused items. Will our trash become valuable?