Kids’ Crafts: Hello Summer!

Ah, parents and all those who work with children, you’ve made it to summer!

At this point in the year, you’re probably a kids’ craft extraordinaire, or very, very tired and out of ideas (or hey, maybe both). In either case, the start of summer is a great time to explore nature-inspired crafts and get kids away from the screen. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Veggie Tie Dye

Hang on to your veggie scraps, because believe it or not, they make excellent fabric dye! To tie dye, you will need:

• White fabric of your choosing. This can be an old tee shirt, a dress, a onesie, anything you’d like! You can even dye white doll clothes.
• Rubber bands
• A fairly large pot
• A large salad-sized bowl
• Water
• Vinegar
• Strainer
• Vegetable scraps, see below for color recommendations:

Red: Beetroots and stems

Pink: Avocado skins and pits. Be sure to scoop out the green avocado meat first.

Purple: Red cabbage

Yellow: Turmeric powder/root, or yellow onion skins

Green: Spinach or whole artichokes

1. First, begin by boiling water and your selected vegetables. The veggie to water ratio you choose depends on the richness of color you want. If you want softer hues, start with a smaller amount of veggies. If you’re looking for bold and bright, pack lots of veggies into your water.
2. After you bring your water and veggies to a boil, switch to a simmer. This should take anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
3. Place a strainer over your bowl. Pour the vegetable and water mix over and dispose of the vegetable scraps. *These are good for a composter if you have one!
4. Add some vinegar. You are looking for about a 1:4 vinegar to water ratio. This step depends on the amount of water used.
5. As the water/vinegar is cooling, start prepping your fabric. Get your fabric and rubber bands ready!
6. Begin by twisting the fabric in either fashion:
   • Put your hand in the center of the shirt and twist until it bunches into a circular spiral.
   • Twist your fabric until it looks like a tail.
   • Experiment with any type of fabric-twisting you would like!
7. Attach rubber bands to either method.
8. Drop your twisted fabric into your bowl of cooled down, but still slightly warm, water/vinegar dye. Let it sit until the white fabric resembles the color of your choosing.
9. Remove the rubber bands to see your tie dye pattern.
10. Wash gently before wearing. Do not wash with other light colors until it has been washed at least once!