suggestions on dyeing are given; but the small
quantity of raffia a teacher will need may be dyed with very little
trouble with the "Easy Dyes" manufactured by the American Color
Company. Follow directions and the results will be most satisfactory.
Be very careful to have the dyes strong enough, as raffia absorbs an
enormous amount of coloring. All raffia should be washed before dyeing;
it should be well dried before being put into the dye pot, since it
takes the color better when dry.

If you have pupils old enough, or a class on which you can rely,
nothing will delight them more than to do their own dyeing. A
fourth-grade class in one of the Baltimore schools has successfully
dyed all the raffia, cord, cotton, and textiles used in their
classroom. The child dearly loves color; the possibility of having
different shades to work with will arouse an intense interest in
procuring these colors. It will be unusual if the pupils do not handle
with care the materials and the dye pot.

In adapting a commodity to circumstances in this way, the broader
knowledge of how the colors in clothing are obtained will develop and
there will be created in the child a new idea of life and of man's
work.

The natural color of the raffia is much improved by washing; therefore,
before using it loosen it and soak it in clean water so that all dust
and dirt may be removed and the strips or strings straightened out;
then hang it in the air until thoroughly dry.

Before offering any models of the combined reed and raffia, we shall
give a few of raffia alone, as we did of the reed.

7 Plaited Rope

_Problem_--To teach different ways in which the plaited rope
of raffia may be applied.

_Material_--Raffia.

Begin the use of raffia by teaching the child the three-strand plait,
adding a new thread from time to time, until a long rope is made. Next
teach how to coil this rope into a mat, a purse, a basket, or a hat.

In plaiting, keep the raffia damp and use strands of equal size.
Dampness adds gloss and smoothness to the finished article.

[Illustration: THREE-STRAND PLAIT]

In the construction of articles of plaited raffia an opportunity opens
up to bring the child's inventive ingenuity into play. Get him to think
of something he might make, and to construct it roughly of paper. With
his model as a guide for shape and size, he can easily reproduce it in
raffia. The first pattern may be crude, but each repetition will
p