ACTIVITY

The R-ladder of clothing

The students are informed about the R-ladder and apply it by repurposing an old T-shirt into a tote bag.

The intention is for students to understand the value of circular strategies and practice hands-on sustainability.

Project the ten steps from the The R-ladder of clothing on the digital board, and show the respective examples.

Divide the students into groups by using the Random Groups method. Using the Round Robin method, ask students to reflect in their groups on how they already apply these R’s (e.g., do they wear second-hand clothes?)

Students grab the T-shirts they brought. Hand out one pair of scissors per student, as well as a ruler. If there are not enough scissors, students can work together in pairs. Show the Instruction video for transforming a T-shirt into a tote bag step by step, pausing as needed.

Guide the making process. Help students as they cut and tie their T-shirt into a tote bag. Offer support for tricky steps.

Ask the students which R-step they think they just applied: re-purpose.

Didactic tips:

Let students personalise their tote bag with leftover fabrics strings, with paint, colored pens, or other craft materials.
You can be creative with the tote bag: let them combine patches from different t-shirts (if students know how to sow).
Instead of showing the video on the digital board, students can also be given laptops to pause and play the video at their own pace.

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Investigate

Create

THEME:

Textile & fashion

AGE: 10-12 years, 13-15 years

SUBJECTS:

Arts

TOOLS / MATERIALS:

One old T-shirt per student
Fabric/sharp scissors
Ruler
Projector or digital board