Patterns are all around us. Some are found in nature. Some are made by people. A pattern is a repeated decorative design. Patterns can tell stories and be used as a way of communicating. Since patterns repeat over and over again, it could be useful to have a tool that helps you easily recreate the same shape or image. That’s where stamps come in! A stamp is a tool that has an image on one end and a handle, or something to hold, on the other. The image on a stamp is not flat, but raised up. When you dip the image of the stamp into ink or paint and press it against a piece of paper, your image is transferred over. Patterns can be drawn out, but that would take a lot of time. Stamps give us a chance to play with making patterns.
On your next adventure outside, look at how the leaves grow on branches, the leaves themselves, the clouds in the sky — you’ll see patterns everywhere!
If you were a pattern, which pattern would you be? Follow along with Briana and Aáron in the video below as we discuss how to make stamps, what the first stamps were actually made of, and how you can design patterns using stamps:
Learn more about guest Briana in this interview.
To make your own stamp, you will need:
- Stamp Materials: Cork, straws, buttons, beads, cups, pipe cleaner, popsicle sticks, and anything with an interesting shape or texture.
- Base Materials: Cardboard pieces, straws, cork, rubber bands, and glue.
- Tools: Scissors, Pens, Pencils, Markers, Paper
Looking for additional inspiration? Check this out:
We want to see your projects! After the livestream, we encourage you to post your stamps and patterns on Twitter or Instagram. Tag us @MakerEdOrg with #MakerEdAtHome and #PatternPlay
Learning in the Making: LIVE! is an online video series designed to support educators and families with accessible hands-on learning experiences. This work is part of our focus on supporting remote learning in various environments. (To learn more, read this blog post about our work during shelter-in-place measures in 2020.)
Every other week, we are hosting a live making activity on our YouTube channel and sharing related resources on our blog.
We are so excited to support hands-on learning as educators, caregivers, and young learners shift to distance learning, and we need your support! Donate today so we can keep going.
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