Tie-Dying Fun

I forgot how much fun Tie-dying clothes can be. The above picture is of Matt winning his ribbon at the county fair for his tie-dyed underwear. You can tie-dye anything as long as it is 100% cotton! We have done pillow cases, socks, underwear, onesies, and t-shirts before. When I did daycare, we would have a tie-dye day every summer. All the daycare kids and the kids in the neighborhood would bring something to my driveway, and we would work on them all morning long.


I was remembering how fun it was when I was helping out my youngest at his preschool park day field trip. The three year olds were tie-dying t-shirts to remember their year at preschool. This is a picture of my son and our neighbor showing off their t-shirts at track & field day while we were watching their older siblings. The preschool had a different approach to tie-dying then I have done in the past.

I have always soaked the t-shirts in a soda ash bath to get the colors to pop. I used tie-dye kit that included everything and detailed instructions. I would normally purchase one kit with my 40% off coupon at Michael's every spring.

The preschool used an Easter egg dye with vinegar. Very smelly, and the colors were not as bright. I have to admit I have not washed the shirt yet, so I am not sure how the colors are going to stay. If they wash out, we will just redye it this summer. The kids need more underwear anyway!

Girl Scout SWAPS

My daughter was going away for a full weekend of "roughing it" camping with her Girl Scout troop. I was in the middle of a low attendance garage sale, and remembered we forgot to make any SWAPS. She was at school, and was leaving for camp 15 minutes after she was to get home from school. My friends agreed to watch the garage sale while I ran into the basement to figure something out.

I found an old page I had ripped out of the Family Fun Magazine, here is the link to their web site activity that I used. I liked the caterpillar because I thought I had a better shot at having those beads already in the house. I changed it up a little to use what I did have on hand. But you can use their directions too!

SUPPLIES:

wood beads, 6 per worm

pipe cleaners

small wiggle eyes, 2 per worm

hot glue gun

wire cutters

HOW I DID IT:

1. I started out by hot gluing each wiggle eye to a bead. I did not pick a particular colored bead, just the first one I grabbed.

2. Glue the "head" bead to the next bead so the eyes are on the sides of the head.

3. Put a small dab of glue into the second bead, and place the pipe cleaner into the glue.

4. Add 4 body beads total, make into a pattern or just randomly.

5. Snip the pipe cleaner with 1/4 an inch remaining. Put hot glue onto the pipe cleaner, and add the last bead.

6. Set aside to dry and cool completely. Start on the next worm.

7. When cool, add a slight bend to their bodies to make more realistic.

YOUR PROJECT:

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. You can use ANY color beads, or make them as long or as short as you want. Use colored google eyes, or change the shape and make them huge.

This is a very easy project, but the hot glue gun should be used by an adult to prevent burning!

Wind Socks & Wind Chimes

This picture is from a few years ago of my oldest son and his two 1st place crafts at the local county fair. Both the CD wind chime and fabric wind sock were made by him.

Here is how to make them:

CD WIND CHIME

multiple "junk" CDs

contact paper

fishing line

small round mirrors

stick or dowel

2 eye hooks

chain

We found a stick in the yard to use for the base. Drilled two VERY SMALL pilot holes in the ends of the stick for the eye hooks to go into. This should be a parents job! Screw in the eye hooks and attach the chain. You can also use ribbon or yarn instead of chain.

Hang the stick so you can add the chimes. We added different lengths of fishing line to the stick. Then "smooshed" the fishing line in between the CD and contact paper. We used contact paper to cover the writing on the front side of the CD, any color will work. Trim the contact paper without cutting the fishing line.

After all the CDs are hanging and the chime is balanced it is time to start adding the mirrors. You can pick these up very inexpensively at the craft store if you don't already have some. We hot glued one back of one mirror then placed it on the fishing line, and covered it with another mirror. May be a parents job too! Make sure it is still balanced while adding the mirrors.

YOUR PROJECT:

Use anything you have around the house, not just CDs. We were going for the reflective look. Use old silverware with holes drilled into the handles, use old small toys, use doll accessories. anything you have lying around would work, just think creatively, and think about your child's interests.

WIND SOCK

We had to purchase 2 metal circle wires, but you could probably make your own too.

You need:

2 circles of some sort

fabric

yarn or ribbon

needle & thread

First figure out how long you want your wind sock. Cut your fabric to fit around the hoops by how long you need it. Make sure to leave a inch to the width for sewing. Sew a quick hem on one side of the fabric. Attach the fabric around the hoop using clothes pins to secure it. Make sure the hemmed side is on the outside. Start hand sewing the fabric to the hoop. (My son did it himself, it isn't pretty, but he did it himself) When done do the same for the bottom hoop. When both sides are done, make a running stitch up the hemmed side to close the fabric. Now all that is left is to add yarn or ribbons for a hanger on one side and leave some hanging on the bottom for the wind to catch. This is where you can get real creative and use up what you already have.

YOUR PROJECT:

I am sure you can see thousands of possibilities with this one. Different fabrics, from cottons to novelty furs, and different ribbons to the bottom. Let your kids tel you what they want, and you will see their creativity come alive.