This latest project was a very challenging one for the children but they rose to the challenge and did a fantastic job. The lesson was inspired by Adinkra cloth created by the Ashanti people of Ghana. We began by reading the book, "The Talking Cloth" by Rhonda Mitchell, which tells the story of a little girl who learns about Adinkra from her grandmother. We then looked at examples of Adinkra symbols, which have a variety of meanings, like pride, loyalty, family and love. I brought in two Adinkra stamps (carved from dried gourds) to show the children. Then we began our paper weaving, focusing on going over/under/over/under, and using color to create patterns.
After the weaving was complete, the children practiced drawing Adinkra symbols in their sketchbooks. They chose a couple of symbols they liked, or created their own new ones, and using a pencil, "carved" the symbols onto pieces of styrofoam. The final step was to use their styrofoam stamps and some tempera paint to stamp onto their paper weavings. Beautiful examples below:
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| Martin |
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