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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Tartan making machines

Weave wonderful tartans in the colours that symbolise you as we take a look at this traditional Scottish fabric.
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Scissors
  • Pens or pencils
  • Glue sticks
  • Copies of Tartan colour picking sheet
  • A computer or device with internet access
Tartan colour picker
PDF – 93.3KB
Download Tartan colour picker

Before you begin

  • The person leading the activity should check that they have both card and paper in black, white, red, blue, green, yellow and brown. They’ll need multiple copies of each.
  • The person leading the activity should use scissors to cut their card into A5-shape pieces, if it isn’t already (A5 is exactly half an A4 sheet). Then use a pencil to mark a border one centimetre from the edge of each piece of card. Looking from a landscape view, cut horizontal slits inside the border of each piece of card by folding them and making cuts of no more than two centimetres. Try and space these out evenly – there should be room for five slits per piece of card.
  • The person leading the activity should use scissors to cut strips from the coloured paper. Each strip needs to be between half a centimetre and two centimetres wide.

Run the activity

  1. The person leading the activity should find out what the group knows about wool. See if the group can say where it comes from and why it’s a good material for clothes (e.g. lightweight, easy to work with, common, keeps you warm). Tell the group that wool is often used in Scotland – see if they can tell you why.
  2. The person leading the activity should find out what the group knows about tartan and kilts. Explain that tartan is a fabric made in Scotland from wool, which has a pattern of criss-crossing squares in different colours. Explain that kilts are skirts worn by men and women, and are made out of tartan from the Scottish Highlands. Tell them that each Scottish family follows the tradition of wearing tartan kilts, but that different families wear different tartans. Patterns and colours are different and often one-of-a-kind, so they can be used to tell one family from another.
  1. The person leading the activity should explain that each of the group are going to weave a tartan of their own. Hand out the copies of the ‘Picking the colours in you’ sheet and tell everyone to choose as many of the colours as they think suit them. Everyone should then take a strip of paper in each colour that they have chosen and a piece of card with slits in it. Give the group time to decide whether their collection of colours is a good match for them.
  2. Everyone can begin weaving their tartan. They should choose the first coloured strip of paper and pass it over-and-under through the slits in the card. When the strip passes through to the other side of the card, use glue to fix down both ends of the strip to the card.
  1. Everyone should write their names on their tartan. All of the tartans should be laid out on the floor together. The group should talk about why they’ve chosen the colours that they have.

Reflection

The group have learned about a traditional Scottish fabric – tartan. Were the group surprised to learn that tartan is made from wool? Did they know that there were tartans in different colours, and that each one represents something new?

Having made their own tartans, the group have had to think about themselves and what they are like. Are you proud of your tartan and the qualities that it shows other people? How hard was it to make? Would you ever wear some clothes featuring your tartan pattern?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Online safety

Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Glue and solvents

Always supervise young people appropriately when they’re using glue and solvent products. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by glue or solvent use and make adjustments as needed.

More intricate patterns of tartan can be created by cutting more slits into the card. You could research the meanings of some other colours to include.

Reduce the number of colours and simplify the meanings of them for anyone who is struggling with the activity. Weaving the tartan may be tricky. This handy guide has pictures and may be useful to look at for anyone finding it really tough.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers Thistle Award
Beavers Creative Activity Badge

The group could come up with new meanings for the colours in the tartans, before creating another one in their own image. How different is the pattern now to your first tartan?

Let young people choose their favourite colours when making their tartan if they like. This’ll help them appreciate the pattern of tartan and enjoy learning the skill of weaving.