Mask Making Crafts for Social Studies

Mask lore is fascinating and tribal masks are significant in many world cultural traditions, religious activities and ceremonial dances. Ceremonial tribal masks are important in Native North American, Central American, South American, Pacific Islander, Asian, African, Maori and other tribal groups. Here are several social studies activities on mask-making and recycled trash mask crafts to help students explore the tradition masks. 

Paper plate, paper bag or Styrofoam mask crafts are the easiest. Use mask-making lessons in preschool through high school social studies activities. Mask crafts incorporate green, recycled trash materials. It may seem odd that tribal masks of such significance could be made from recycled trash. But it's important to stress in social studies activities that most tribal masks are made from just that--"found" materials, scraps and natural elements. The gorgeous collection of African tribal masks at the Detroit Institute of Arts are made from leaves, grass, mud, clay, pebbles, shells, animal fur, skin and hair, human hair, seeds and nut hulls. It the artisan's ability to create beautiful mask crafts from found objects that makes mask-making so fascinating. 

The teacher's role in mask-making social studies activities is facilitator. She provides recycled trash, art supplies and found objects for mask crafts. Students bring the creativity. For preschool mask making, adults might draw eye and mouth holes on mask crafts for kids to cut. Older students should be left to explore different facial features, eye hole and mouth hole designs for their tribal masks. They might decide to shape mouths and eyes like stars, squares or diamonds. They might make animal head mask crafts (a common design in tribal masks). They create teeth, hair, skin, fur or scales. 

Here are art supplies and recycle trash needed for mask-making social studies activities. recycled paper or Styrofoam plates, large paper grocery bags, turned inside out to hide advertising print hot glue guns, school glue or Glue Dots. Glue dots are extra tacky, easy to work with and reduce mess by pricey. If glue dots are too expensive, school glue will work. Use up leftover school glue by melting in microwave to remove from bottles. recycled pot pie tins or egg cartons for glue and paint holders and mask-making details. You'll need Q-Tips cotton swabs, tape and staplers. 

Mask decorations from recycled trash or found objects include --old jewelry --craft feathers --beads, glitter --appliques --faux gems --animal feathers --pebbles --shells--assorted dried seeds, beans, popcorn and legumes (these make excellent teeth) --assorted scraps of yarn, twist paper, twine, raffia, straw, reed, strips of paper or plastic, string, scrap electrical cord, wire for hair (unravel recycled knitted garments for curly hair) --fabric scraps --tissue paper, wrapping paper, construction paper and magazine scraps --gift ribbons and bows --assorted recycled pom poms, tassels, buttons, ribbons, --paint or markers (don't allow students to simply draw a design; encourage them to create a 3-D mask with found objects) --plastic mesh from orange bags (excellent for decorating) --recycled trash container lids, milk rings, small lids, jar lids, cardboard scraps (nothing sharp and all thoroughly washed) --clay or play dough: mold into embellishments and decorations, allow to dry, glue in place, paint.

Provide pictures and examples of native tribal masks. Encourage students to choose a basic mask theme (animal, facial expression), sketch it out and create pattern using a collage of materials. 

Household Chemistry Activities, kitchen science lesson plans

You can create a complete semester of science lesson plans and chemistry experiments with this shopping list of school supplies from your local pharmacy. Normal science classroom safety precautions should be taken. 

Ph test strips or Litmus paper. Use these to test the base or alkaline vs. acid level in products. Find them with diabetic supplies or in school supply catalogs. Or make your own litmus paper using this guide from Owlcation. You'll need blotting paper available from Amazon. Here is a litmus paper color chart to indicate acid or alkaline (base). 

 

Assorted vitamins and pain relievers:  Give each student a label from different medicines and vitamin bottles. Have them analyze the ingredients for additives, active ingredients, composition, dyes, etc. Students can also evaluate safety, effectiveness, proper usage, etc. Students should compile a medicine safety booklet.

Pill solubility chemistry experiments. Demonstrate how long it takes various pills to dissolve and enter the bloodstream. Students should note findings in science journals. 

Medicines in water source chemistry experiments. Extend pill solubility lesson plans into an ecology lesson by allowing the water to evaporate. Note any remnants of the pills. Explain how flushed pills and medications enter our environment via sewer systems and are spread to rivers, lakes and streams. Via the water cycle, they enter the atmosphere.  

Glycerin science experiments: Glycerin is basically biodiesel fuel. It has a sweet taste and it used to coat pills to make them taste better and easier to swallow. Debate with students the advisability of using an alcohol based product for ingested products. This thick liquid can also be used to demonstrate viscosity of liquids. Demonstrate it by adding it to dish soap and water to make super sturdy bubbles.

Soap chemistry lesson plans. Compare ingredients with commercial soap brands which claim to be pure and gentle. Ivory, Dove, Caress to castile soap and other natural soaps. Compare ingredients in stronger soaps like Irish Spring, Lava and Fels Naphtha. Use ph strips to test acid or alkaline (base). 

Epsom Salts. Here's a complete unit of science activities using epsom salts and other household chemistry supplies. Here are more epsom salts science experiments and craft projects to make crystals, salt, ice, a salt pendulum and more. 

Lotions and creams. Use Ph strips to test acidity levels in these creams. Students will be surprised to discover that products that are supposed to soothe and protect often contain very harsh drying chemicals like petroleum or alcohol. 

Isopropyl Alcohol: Have fun with this non-Newtonian liquid. That's one that doesn't follow the laws of physics. Rubbing alcohol is used to dry up or evaporate other liquids. Hand sanitizer is a great example as it dries quickly. Alcohol is used for swimmer's ear to keep the ear from holding water and to dry it quickly. In fact consumed, beer, wine or liquor alcohol dehydrates the body. 

Hand sanitizer. With Covid 19, we're using more antibacterial hand sanitizer. Demonstrate to students that while it kills bad germs it's also dangerous because it kills all bacteria, even good bacteria. It's also somewhat flammable. 

Iodine. Iodine has disinfectant and anti-puritic capabilities. It is yellow in color, but will turn deep purple in the presence of a starch (bread, potato, etc.). Iodine can be used in numerous science lesson plans on anatomy, biology, nutrition, chemistry and health.

Hydrogen Peroxide. Women used to "bleach" their hair with peroxide. Use to demonstrate whitening properties by pouring on a lock of cut hair. Use peroxide toothpaste to show how it removes stains from teeth. Remove stains from clothing with peroxide. It is the base of oxy cleaners. It will also foam up when applied to a cut, to clean away dirt. Benzoil Peroxide cleans out pores. Hospitals use betadine now instead of peroxide. 

Syringes. Use to demonstrate a vacuum. Teach measurement and use to add drops of liquid.