Summer isn't summer at Harmony's House without making new tie-dye t-shirts. :) We did this project inside this year with four children ages 20 months to 3 1/2 years. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, or at least a huge mess! But it wasn't. Ms. Harmony did a few things to prepare for the activity that made this potential mess into an easy-breezy-totally-fun project!
Tip 1: cover the entire table with trash bags or cheap dollar tree table clothes, including using packing tape to close the seams of overlapping edges.
Tip 2: show the children options for the t-shirt designs in advance and ask them to choose one that they like: swirl, stripes, bulls-eye, etc.
Tip 3: Prep the shirts according to the children's preference. Do a cold rinse and spin in the washing machine. Scrunch, roll, shape, etc. the shirt and apply the rubber bands. Place the damp shirt in a small ziplock bag with the child's name on it.
Tip 4: Choose three or four colors of dye and make them up before the activity. Estimate the amount of dye you will need, but have an extra bottle or two on hand just in case you run out mid-project.
Tip 5: When leading the activity, only work on one shirt at a time. Usually the other children enjoy watching the dyeing process, but they can go play elsewhere until it is their turn to dye their shirt.
Tip 6: Lay a small sheet of saran wrap under the shirt before allowing the child to squirt the dye on the segments of the shirt. After each section has been dyed, wrap the saran wrap around the shirt and put it back in the ziplock bag. Send the bag home with instructions for the parents on how to wash/care for the shirt.
Have so much fun seeing how everyone's shirts the following school day!
