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When captive black slaves were escaping the south via the Underground Railroad, they'd take cues from hidden codes on the fabric of hanging quilts, to determine the safest course of action. Black fabric sewn into the quilts warned blacks of impending danger, or pointed the way to freedom.
Before the activity, place several samples of vintage fabrics on a color copy machine and duplicate the patterns and prints on paper. If you're working with children, show them real quilts or pictures of quilts and point out the geometric patterns that are made by combining different colors, prints and patterns. Be sure to include a sample of black fabric.
Create a template quilt square, in pencil, by tracing a design onto the backside of cardboard, with a ruler. A recycled cereal box works well for this. Corrugated cardboard may be difficult to work with, so a thinner cardboard is best.
Before cutting out the shapes, number them or color them to reflect which "fabric" will go in each section. When you're happy with the design, cut out the cardboard along the lines to make a puzzle.
Use a glue stick to adhere the puzzle pieces to the copied fabric. Apply the glue directly to the puzzle piece, then place it face-down on the back of the paper, leaving up to 1/2 inch border around each piece.
Once the glue has dried, cut out the pieces, leaving enough of a border around them that you can fold the fabric over the edges to seal them, and hide the cardboard. 1/8 to 1/4 inch provides a smooth finish, use a craft knife for clean cuts and Be sure to allow the clue to dry thoroughly before proceeding.
Once all of your puzzle pieces are covered in "fabric," assemble the puzzle and turn it over. Spray paint the entire backside black, or leave the cereal box image as a cheat sheet. -
George Washington Carver, a black scientist, invented peanut butter, as well as hundreds of other uses for peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes and pecans.
You'll need a pine cone, bird seed, a 2-3 foot length of fishing line and a lot of peanut butter.
Tie the fishing line around the pine cone, so it hangs. It will be more stable if you bring the string up in between the scales. If your pine cone is "closed," simply place it on a piece of foil, in a 250 degree oven to open the scales. Check it every five to ten minutes, and remove it when it's open. Allow it to cool off completely (do not refrigerate) before proceeding.
Apply a thick layer of peanut butter to the pine cone, pressing the peanut butter up in between the scales.
Roll the pine cone in bird seed to cover the peanut butter. An alternate way to cover it in seeds is to fill a quart-sized freezer bag with bird seed, then drop the pine cone in and shake until it's covered.
Hang it from a tree, clothesline or patio cover and watch the birds peck at the pine cone and even perch right on top for a snack. -
Crayola makes multicultural crayons, paints and construction paper designed for helping teach diversity topics. In several shades of skin tones, almost every child can find one that they identify with.
Trace the shape of a hand onto several sheets of skin-toned paper, in a variety of shades. Cut them out and arrange them, fingers out, onto an embroidery hoop or a disc cut from cardboard.
Make a cardboard disc by tracing a dinner plate onto a piece of cardboard, then center a saucer and trace it, so that you have two concentric rings. Cut along both lines.
Adhere the hands with craft glue and use the wreath as a door decoration, or a photo frame.
