Scotland: Personal Coat of Arms

After Ghana, 2nd graders traveled to Scotland as part of our Arts Around the World unit. We learned that Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, sharing a border with England, and the capital city is Edinburgh. We also learned that there are different regions: the Highlands, which are mountainous areas, and the Lowlands, which have forests and farmland. 

We also learned about the tradition of a coat of arms. A coat of arms is a unique design, originally painted on a shield, used as a symbol of identity. Coats of arms were originally used for military purposes with a design on an actual coat, worn over a suit of armor, and on the knight’s shield and helmet. Now a coat of arms can represent family heritage, organizations, and professions or jobs. 

We looked at and discussed examples of different coats of arms from Scotland, including the Royal Arms of Scotland and coats of arms representing different Scottish cities such as Glasgow and Aberdeen. Then we thought about what we might include on our own coat of arms. We considered what kinds of symbols might best represent us, and what kinds of information we would want to include, such as: personal interests and hobbies, cultural backgrounds, and favorite animals or food. 

After making an initial sketch of a personal coat of arms using pencil, students created their coats of arms on thicker paper and outlined with Sharpie marker. 

We then painted them with watercolor paint and used metallic Sharpie markers to accent our work.

Students then cut and glued their coat of arms design onto construction paper, choosing a color that would complement their work. Below are examples of our finished coat of arms designs:

Amelia, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Amit, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Angelina, 2nd Grade 

Archie, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Audrey L., 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Ava, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Dakotah, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Eli, 2nd Grade (Stone)

Gabi, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Jack, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Kaylin, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Kenji, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Luke, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Matthew, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Maya, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Meri, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Mia, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Mie, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Naysa, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Nirvaan, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Ghana: Adinkra Stamped Cloth

After our Kente cloth project, we learned about another type of cloth, Adinkra stamped cloth. Adinkra (ah-DEEN-krah) cloth is a hand-printed fabric made in Ghana. As with Kente, it was also developed by the Ashanti people. 

Adinkra cloths were traditionally made for royalty to wear at religious ceremonies. Adinkra cloth is stamped and patterned with traditional Ashanti symbols. Each symbol has its own name and meaning based on values like family, tolerance, harmony, determination, etc. 

People decorate cloth by using a black dye made of bark, called Adinkera aduru, and this is what gives the cloth its name. Using the dye, they draw lines on the cloth to divide it into squares. Next, they carve symbols into calabash gourds, press the gourds into the dye, and stamp the symbols onto the fabric. 

Students designed their own Adinkra stamps, either looking at reference images for inspiration from existing Ashanti symbols or creating their own. They cut out their designs from foam and glued them into cardboard to create their stamp. We let these dry and the following class, used black paint to print with our stamps.

Students rolled out paint using a brayer on our bench hooks and then rolled the brayer on top of our Adinkra stamp. Then students picked up the stamp and pressed it down on their paper, re-applying paint in between each print. Students did a wonderful job making the prints fit their paper in rows. 

After two classes of printmaking, students created a frame for their Adinkra prints. We used red, green or yellow paper to reflect the colors of the flag of Ghana. Students designed their frames to demonstrate pattern and repetition, like our prints, and glued their Adinkra prints in the center. Below are some examples of our finished Adinkra print artwork:

Amit, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Asher, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Ava, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Eren, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Kailynn, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Marlo, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Maya, 2nd Grade (Stone)

Nick, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Nirvaan, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Pravin, 2nd Grade (Stone)

Ryland, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Seif, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Seta, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Ghana: Kente Cloth Weaving

Our next visit on our Arts Around the World tour brought us to Ghana, which is located on the western coast of Africa. We learned that it is hot and humid in Ghana and the capital city is Accra. 

We also learned about Kente cloth, a woven traditional fabric. Kente cloth began in the Ashanti Kingdom and was originally worn by royalty. It is woven by men and is known for its bold designs. Over time, it became more popular and now it is worn by many people, not just royalty. 

When looking at examples of Kente cloth, students noticed the bright colors, geometric designs with rectangles and zig zags, and the patterns in the fabric. Students also connected it to learning about weaving in 1st grade. To begin making our own Kente cloth, students painted a piece of paper with colorful stripes and added patterns with lines and dots to create their loom. Students also painted two sheets of colored paper with a simple pattern of lines using black paint. 

We revisited the process of weaving with construction paper before cutting the painted paper we made to weave with. Students recalled the over and under motion of each woven piece, and students used their painted paper to make their loom and the pieces to weave across. 

It was wonderful to see just how many students remembered the technique of weaving from last year! Students also helped each other once they were finished. Below are some examples of our colorful Kente cloth inspired weaving!

Christopher, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Gabrielly, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Kiana, 2nd Grade (O'Connor)

Lucia, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)

Meri, 2nd Grade (McCarthy)

Nico, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Noah, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Thiago, 2nd Grade (Pearse)

Zoie, 2nd Grade (Hinds Thiemann)