These scraps can be used for papermaking. Through extension activities, these lessons can be integrated into other curriculum areas. A math connection can be made by making a graph of shapes or patterns from Japanese art and having the children put their name in the column for their favorite. Another math activity can use pictures from a book of reproducible Japanese designs. Have children cut and paste elements to make a pattern.
Primary students love to make clothes from whatever culture they are studying.
Have the children choose their favorite design elements to create patterns for their vests. In this case the children would cover any writing on their box with dark colored papers applied with watered-down glue and a brush. When the first layer is dry it can be covered with layers of transparent paper such as tissue paper which the children have saved from packages or calligraphic writing papers which you can obtain from the National Clearinghouse for U.S.-Japan Studies. The trick here is to teach the children to brush their papers flat and to cover the top layer with glue or layers of glue to obtain a sheen. The ideas in this Digest are offered to spur thinking toward practical applications for the study of Japan using art, visual thinking, and the global issue of recycling.