We had just finished four chapters in American history, and after the test I was ready to do something hands-on and creative. But what? Indigo dye, of course. The Southern colonies made lots of money by growing indigo, which was then shipped to England and used to dye cloth.
Historians believe that the first flag of the colony of South Carolina was blue because of the indigo grown there, and the succeeding flags were also an indigo blue. (The reason why the palmetto tree was added is also a fascinating history story.)
So, I told the students that they could bring in something white to dye, and that if they didn't, I would bring each of them a swatch of muslin to use. After the test, we dyed it all an indigo blue. It was way more fun than I thought it would be, and the results were beautiful.
This had been a very white t-shirt.