Fourth of July Tie-Dye
You can make a tablecloth, matching napkins or T-shirts to wear on the Fourth of July. Whatever you decide, it will be a hit.
You will need :
- white tablecloth (a twin flat sheet does nicely)
- T-shirts or whatever you want to tie-dye
- red and blue fabric dye
- large and small rubber bands
- rubber gloves to keep from dyeing yourself
- large sink or tub
Put newspapers down on the area you are going to work on. Mix up the dye according to the package directions. You will want red in one sink or tub and blue in the other. Next get the T-shirts or cloths wet and ring them out well.
Now you are going to gather up sections of the fabric in your hand and wrap rubber bands around them. Wrap them tight using different size bands and making sure all the fabric is bunched. You are then going to dip the bunched up sections into the dyes. Don’t forget to put on your rubber gloves! Dip part of them into the blue and part into the red. They need to sit in the dye for about 10 – 15 minutes. Check the dye box for how long they need to be in the dye. The longer you leave them in the darker they will be.
When you have your shirt the way you want it, rinse it in cold water until the water runs clear when you wring the shirt out. Remove the rubber and hang up to dry over night. Note – wash alone – the dye may run when washed.
Washington’s Fireworks Bombs
This is a great activity for little people but be warned, you will find your teens hovering to do this one too.
You will need :
- a bowl of milk
- red and blue food coloring
- medicine dropper
Fill a medicine dropper with food coloring and hold the dropper several inches above the milk. Drop your colored “bomb” into the milk and watch the fireworks explode into color. This is a favorite at our house.
Patriotic Play dough
You will need :
· 1 ½ cups water
· ¾ cup salt
· 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
· 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
· 1 ½ cups regular flour
· red & blue food coloring
Bring the water to a boil in a pan big enough to hold the ingredients. Add the salt and turn down to simmer. Slowly stir in the cream of tartar, then the oil and finally the flour. You can add the food coloring at this point and make two more batches or you can wait and divide the dough up and knead the food coloring in at the end. Keep stirring until it all starts to blend together and hold its shape. It will not exactly look like play dough at this point but will stick in one big blob as you stir. Turn the heat off and let the dough cool for 5 minutes. As you knead the dough it will become more elastic and look like play dough.
There are many ways you can celebrate the birth of our nation, these are just a few of them. No matter which ones you choose your kids are sure to be delighted to have a hands-on break from the books.
Get creative with these crafts and be sure and make enough to share with grandma, grandpa and all the aunts and uncles. Why not set up a craft table at your Fourth of July picnic and get everyone involved?
