Kathryn Rone www.kathrynrone.com/ea kathrynrone@yahoo.com T-SHIRT BAG WORKSHEET Reducing our plastic use reduces our use of oil products, our carbon footprint from manufacturing, and protects our ocean animals. "Plastic makes up the largest percentage of marine debris: 60-80 percent of all marine debris is plastic. Marine debris affects 267 species worldwide. Animals often eat bits of plastic that they mistake for food and endure internal injuries, intestinal blockage, and starvation." www.environmentcalifornia.org/oceans/great-pacific-cleanup ASK STUDENTS: What can you do to reduce the amount of plastic trash you create? How will you remember to use cloth bags at the grocery store? SHOW VIDEO: www.environmentcalifornia.org/oceans/great-pacific-cleanup CREATE BAG: Reuse discarded T-shirts and misprint T-shirts 1. Supplies: • T-shirts from Good Will or WWW.RAFT.NET • scissors (kid's Friskers scissors work to cut cloth) • permanent or fabric markers • optional: thick thread & tapestry needles 2. Cut off sleeves, following arm pit seam Optional: sew sleeves inside bag to make pockets 3. Cut off about 8" from bottom of T-shirt (about the length of wrist to tip of fingers) 4. Cut the side of the bottom loop of T-shirt that you cut off in step 3. This makes a long strip of fabric for the handle. Take strip of fabric through one arm hole and then out the neck. Tie it to itself near the arm hole. Repeat on the other side to make a handle. 5. Close bottom (stomach area of T-shirt) using thread or knots: • Turn inside out, fold over about 1" of the bottom, and sew shut. Teach kids to cut off needle and tie a knot. Turn inside out so original logos and thread seam disappears. • Turn inside out and every 1” to 3" cut bag up from the bottom 4”. Tie fringe together to create knots along bottom of bag, closing it. MOTIVATIONAL LOGO: Use sharpies or fabric paint on your bag to create a motivational logo. Artists motivate us to make different decisions. Artists create images and advertising that makes doing something look appealing. An artist designed these images and games to teach kids about recycling and the environment: www.recycleworks.org/kids/ Other environmental logos: www.itstimeforhope.com www.panda.org What logo can you create to motivate and remind others to use cloth bags? |
