Kid’s Craft: How to Make Glue Batik

Last week was February vacation.  We spent three days with Charlie's parents in Connecticut and the rest of the week at home.  The kids were in nature camp three mornings and we had playdates every afternoon.  It was fun. Tiring, but fun.

We had warmer weather over the weekend and poor James Madison met his fate. (Roxanne named this snowman James Madison because I said it looked to be a bit taller than me and was therefore about 5'4", Madison's exact height. He was our shortest president.  The things you learn from a five-year-old historian.)

While we were in Connecticut I got a chance to play with Charlie's new iPhone. I didn't want to give it back. We stopped at the Apple store on the way home so I could get one.  It is a wonderful thing to own.

I booked Roxanne's 6th birthday party at the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal history.  They have a pretty comprehensive collection of Lincoln stamps on display.  She is thrilled.  I'm hoping the four other kids we invited will be into it to some degree.

I saw Jen's post about batik dyeing using blue glue and I decided to give it a try.  I bought the glue at the grocery store on Sunday.  

All the rest of the materials I already had.  You use watered down acrylic paints to dye the fabric. 

Here is the fabric with glue dots while the paint was drying.

Then I washed it with soapy water. I had some trouble getting the glue to dissolve completely.  I decided to put it in the washing machine on warm with some detergent and that did the trick.  The colors faded a little bit.

This would be fun to do with children, on a white t-shirt.

And Purim is coming.  Roxanne will be King Achashverosh and Stella Queen Esther.  I sewed them some felt crowns which they embellished with gems and pompoms.  Roxanne will reuse the beard from her Lincoln costume along with a "cape" made by tying a knot in a big rectangle of red sparkly fabric. And Stella is wearing the Esther tunic I made for Roxanne two years ago.

We're making hamentashen on Saturday.

Roxanne and I just finished reading the original The One Hundred and One Dalmations by Dodie Smith.  My kids have never seen a Disney movie. She had no preconceived notions of what it would be about.  We loved it. I'm thinking we'll read Harry Potter next.  So exciting!