What you need:
- old or inexpensive napkins or handkerchiefs
- string
- various colors of food dye
- bowls
What to do:
- Invite your child to make colorful wall hangings for a friend or relative by tie-dying cloth. First, choose a technique: tying napkins in knots or tying string around the material in a few different places (or do a combination of both techniques).
- Cover your work area with an old cloth or newspaper. Pour various colors of dye into separate bowls. Have your child dip each cloth in a few colors.
- When the cloths have dried, untie and/or unknot the cloths and see colors! Talk about how the hues mixed and made interesting designs.
- REMEMBER: Food dye can be difficult to wash off skin. You might also want to cover your child's hands with gloves.
Learning Benefits:
- color recognition
- science skills
- cause and effect