Ecoprint: Craft Making Techniques to Develop Children's Creativity at Nongkosawit 02

Gunungpati State Elementary School, Semarang City

KKN Mandiri Inisiatif Terprogram 16 Group 05

State Islamic University of Walisongo Semarang

ABSTRACT

Developing creativity in children is an important aspect in the current era, one way to develop it
is by providing training on ecoprint. Ecoprint is a fabric coloring technique that involves direct
contact with printing. The term ecoprint consists of the word eco which refers to nature while print
refers to the printing process. In making ecoprints, a simple and easy process is used, which does
not require the use of machines and is environmentally friendly. The ecoprint coloring technique
involves using natural materials such as leaves, flowers and bark which contain natural dyes. These
materials are used as a substitute for stamps or prints such as traditional written batik which can
be done with various techniques. The method of implementing this activity uses preparation,
socialization, training and evaluation methods. The aim of making ecoprint crafts is to increase
children's creativity a nd skills. It is hoped that the results of this activity will provide provisions
for elementary school students and have an impact on the surrounding environment in the form of
plants being turned into products with economic value.

Keywords: Ecoprint, Children's Creativity, Ecoprint Pounding Crafts

BACKGROUND

Education is a conscious effort made by educators towards students. The meaning of the
business in question is an activity carried out in a structured and conceptual manner that is
packaged in learning activities by instilling character in students through the learning content being
taught. One example is when the collage material for Cultural Arts and Crafts (SBdP) learning
content is done both individually and in groups, students are asked to work on and collect it on
time according to the teacher's instructions. This aims to instill a sense of responsibility for the
tasks that educators have given. Apart from that, collage activities foster students' creative values.
This value can be seen when students express their ideas in a work that produces aesthetic value.
So that at the end of the collage activity an appreciative attitude can be fostered in each student.

Ecoprint is a coloring technique by beautifying fabrics using natural materials as well as

producing motifs (Herlina et al., 2018; Utaminingsih & Wike, 2019). This technique is the current
trend because it is in accordance with the rising issue of environmentally friendly production
(Saptutyningsih & Wardani, 2019). In contrast to dyeing techniques and printed motifs on fabrics
that use artificial materials that can have an accumulative impact on health and the environment
with their carcinogenic and harmful nature. Some examples of artificial materials that are

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chemically synthesized as derivatives of aromatic hydrocarbons are naphtol, indigosol and remasol
(Atirza & Soewond) 2018.

Natural materials that are often used to produce ecoprints include teak leaves (Saraswati &
Sulandjari, 2018), sweet potato leaves (Wirawan & Alvin, 2019) and other types of plants that
have strong colors (Husna, 2016). A diversity of skills can be obtained by students at school. There
are various methods that can be used to produce ecoprints, one of which is the pounding technique.
This method is a simple method in the ecoprint application (Arif & Marsudi, 2019).

Developing creativity in the current era is very important because creativity is the result of
a new mindset that will support the ability to solve a problem. Every child has their own creativity.
The presence of creativity in children can provide a sense of joy and satisfaction. Efforts to develop
creativity in children need to be done from an early age.

Primary school education is needed which provides facilities for students to learn with
creativity and skills so that they are able to produce innovative work. Elementary school is the first
step and a place for instilling skills in children because children at that age are able to grasp
material and directions from teachers independently and can also think more critically than
children who have not yet reached elementary school.

Therefore ecoprint pounding training activities are held at Nongkosawit 02 Public

Elementary School, Gunungpati District, Semarang City, with the hope that through this activity
students will gain new knowledge about ecoprinting as well as improve their skills in utilizing
local potential through plants that are around the school.

The process of making eco print is quite simple and easy. To do this, some leaves, flowers
and twigs need to be prepared and placed on the surface of the fabric. Then the cloth is covered
again with cloth and the leaves, flowers and branches are pierced with a wooden mallet to make
patterns. Then let it air for a while then rinse with alum to set the color and create a unique and
interesting pattern. The Ecoprint coloring technique can be done with different leaves, flowers and
branches. These materials are used to replace stamps or prints, such as ordinary written batik which
can be made using various techniques (stirring, steaming and fermenting).

As a creative student, he must strive to be able to take advantage of the environmental

benefits of plants for a product that has economic value, and as a teacher, he must try to guide
elementary school students in the use of these plants in ecoprinting activities and as part of this
discussion is discussed in the ecoprint guidelines for students. The goal we want to achieve is to
carry out the work program of the 16th KKN MIT UIN Walisongo Semarang, introduce
ecoprinting to school children, take advantage of the environment in the form of plants in valuable
economic products and this program must be able to encourage creativity and can also help
educators to develop skills Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School students.

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METHOD

According to Veithzal Rivai in the Journal (Mulyani, 2013) "training is a part of education
that involves the learning process to acquire and improve skills outside the education system which
prioritizes practice over theory". In organizing effective training, it is important to design targeted
training programs that can increase the chances of success and have a positive impact on training
participants. Training is a teaching and learning process specifically designed to improve one's
skills, knowledge and work ability. The aim of training is to produce positive changes in individual
or group behavior or performance.

Prepar Sosiali Trainin Evalua

ation zation g tion
Stage Stage Stage Stage

Figure 1. Activity Stage

The chosen training targets were grade 5 students at SDN Nongkosawit 02, because at this grade
level the children have started to be able to reason to follow instructions in training activities. The
following is the method for carrying out training activities for making ecoprints for students 5 at
SDN Nongkosawit 02 :

1. Preparation Stage

In the preparation stage, several things were carried out, including:

a. Determine the training schedule to be carried out according to the ability of the SDN
Nongkosawit 02
b. Make training materials that are easy for students to understand so that this training can
run effectively related to ecoprint using natural materials from plants. c. Prepare the
equipment needed to make ecoprint crafts.
c. Consolidating the team as strengthening in the implementation of training.

2. Socialization Stage

In the socialization stage, several things are done, including:

a. Conduct a presentation by displaying training materials for making ecoprints that have
been prepared by KKN MIT 16 Posko 05
b. Discussion and question and answer between students before carrying out practical
training.
3. Training Stage
In the training stage, several things were carried out, including:
a. Participants bring materials and tools needed in making ecoprints.

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 b. The MIT 16 Community Service Team at Posko 05 gave directions to the participants and
explained step by step how to make an ecoprint. After that the participants can start making
ecoprint works.

4. Evaluation Stage

Evaluation is carried out by looking directly at the results of student work.

DISCUSSION
This community service activity at MIT-16 UIN Walisongo Semarang is in the form of an
introduction and training on ecoprint techniques for students at SD Negeri Nongkosawit 02
regarding the use of natural materials. This activity aims to increase students' skills related to
simple batik techniques that are environmentally friendly and easily practiced by students, namely
the ecoprint technique.
In the preparation stage between the service team and the two schools, the results were
obtained that there were 30 participants taking part in this training activity. The training started
from 08.00 to 10.00 WIB accompanied by all members of the MIT-16 KKN Post 05. Under these
conditions the service team made a video on making ecoprint products so that they could become
a learning medium for teachers.

Apart from that, we are also making preparations for the consolidation stage. This team
consolidation aims to strengthen the implementation of training, to train the entire team to better
master ecoprint techniques, as well as to foster togetherness and perception of the teams. Team
consolidation was carried out because mastery in making ecoprints was still not expert.

Mastery in making ecoprint needs to be honed. We started by experimenting with a small

tote bag measuring 15cm x 20cm using canvas material that we had previously purchased, with
leaves and flowers around the Nongkosawit sub-district. We use soft leaves and flowers as well as
quite hard leaves. The technique used is pounding technique. Leaves and flowers are arranged
evenly according to taste on the totebag, then put a plastic mat on top, then the leaves are beaten
or pounded using a stone or wooden hammer until the ink leaves come out. The first try, we used
an uneven bottom and a tote bag without a pad inside, the results were unsatisfactory because the
colors were uneven and translucent on the other side. Then replace it with a flat base and add a
mat inside the tote bag using cardboard or thick paper the result is better, the color is not translucent
on the other side.

The second stage was training for students of Nongkosawit 02 Public Elementary School.
This training was attended by 30 grade 5 students. Ecoprint making training is carried out through
outreach and training. The socialization was carried out on Wednesday, 09 August 2023

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 The socialization aims to increase students' insight regarding the use of advantages from
the surrounding environment, namely in the form of plants into products that have economic value
in the form of ecoprint tote bags. Apart from that, it also introduces environmentally friendly
products to students because the coloring does not use textile dyes or chemicals. This is done with
the aim of fostering an attitude of love for the environment in students in an effort to preserve the
natural environment.

In this training, students did not bring anything because the tools and materials had been
prepared by members of KKN MIT-16 Posko 05. Premium tote bags were provided by the team.
We use tote bags made from canvas which is easy to absorb, measuring 15cm x 20cm. In this
training, students are guided to learn to make ecoprint motifs which will be produced by adding a
base in the form of paper or cardboard which is put into a tote bag so that the motif results evenly.
After that, arrange the leaves and flowers that will be used on the tote bag.

Training on making ecoprint products from natural materials using the pounding method
and continued with practice by the participants. The training explained the types of fabrics, natural
materials and how to make the colors and motifs adhere well to the fabrics. Apart from that, it also
explains the arrangement of leaves on cloth and the final stage, namely fixation. The fixation stage
can use alum, quicklime and tunjung (Pudjianti, 2019). The binding of colors and motifs attached
to the fabric is intended to prevent it from fading easily (Anzani et al., 2016). The difference in the
type of binder will determine the direction of the color produced from natural materials. Fixation
with alum will produce a color that matches the original color. Fixation with quicklime will
produce a color that is darker than the original color. Meanwhile, fixation with tunjung will give a
dark color from the printed colors and motifs derived from natural materials (Pujilestari, 2014).

The natural materials used are teak leaves, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, butterfly pea
flowers, paper flowers and all kinds of leaves that can be printed. Fabrics containing natural fibers
are chosen so that colors and motifs from natural materials easily stick to fabrics such as cotton
fabrics. The work obtained from this training is an ecoprint product in the form of a scarf. In this
activity, students accompanied by the teacher are given the freedom to be creative in producing
patterns and motifs on fabric using leaves and flowers.

The natural materials used are teak leaves, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, butterfly pea
flowers, paper flowers and all kinds of leaves that can be printed. Fabrics containing natural fibers
are chosen so that colors and motifs from natural materials easily stick to fabrics such as cotton
fabrics. The work obtained from this training is an ecoprint product in the form of a scarf. In this
activity, students accompanied by the teacher are given the freedom to be creative in producing
patterns and motifs on fabric using leaves and flowers.

Several ecoprint training activities can be described in the form of documentation as follows :

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 Figure 2.
Ecoprint Socialization Activities for Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School Students

Figure 2. is a socialization activity carried out before conducting training. The team
provided a brief and concise explanation of ecoprinting that was easy for elementary school
students to understand. There we explained about ecoprint which is a form of love for the
environment because it can reduce environmental pollution because it uses natural tools and
materials, namely leaves and flowers from nearby plants. The team also explained briefly about
making ecoprints so that the students had an idea of what they would do in the next ecoprint
training.

Figures 2 and 3
Ecoprint Making Process by Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School Students

Figures 2 and 3 are ecoprint training activities that were directly supervised by the team
for the students of Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School. They created leaf and flower shapes
according to their own imagination and creativity. After finishing pounding the leaves and flowers.

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 Figure 4.
Group photo of the work of Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School students

Figure 4. is a group photo between the team and the students of SDN Nongkosawit 02
while showing their ecoprint tote bag work. The motifs produced are very diverse with very
beautiful natural colors of leaves and flowers. They were very happy with this ecoprint training.
Here they can express their creativity and imagination in an environmentally friendly work which
can later be developed and used to reduce environmental pollution. The results of the ecoprint tote
bags can later be used by students as a substitute for plastic bags as an effort to reduce plastic
waste.

CONCLUSION

It is important to develop children's creativity from an early age. There needs to be a profit
effort develop it, one of which is by training in making ecoprints. Eco print training can provide
benefits and new insights for students, especially elementary school students Negeri Nongkosawit
2. Students from Nongkosawit 02 Elementary School were very enthusiastic about the training
activities This. In this ecoprint training, students can express their creativity and imaginationan
environmentally friendly work that can later be developed and utilized for reduce environmental
pollution.

Community service activities have been successfully carried out and running smoothly.
The success of the activity can be seen from the enthusiasm of the participants and the evaluation
results of the activities which are considered good or even very good for several aspects. Students
have additional skills in relation to the use of natural materials to obtain environmentally friendly
products, namely ecoprint. Henceforth further exploration is needed regarding ecoprint and
product development.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author expresses many thanks to the head of the Nongkosawit sub-district and village
officials and all members of the community who have supported the dedication process. The author
also thanks Mr. Asep Firmansyah, M.Pd. as a field supervisor for his guidance and support. The
author does not forget to thank all of his comrades in arms who have provided encouragement so
that the dedication process runs smoothly.

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