SPONGE-PAINTED BANDANA

Another easy, but messy one! 

YOU NEED:

Bandanas~ 1 for each child.  Due to cost, I made my own*

Compressed sponge sheets~ the amount will depend on how many kids you expect, how many different shapes you want & how big you want them to be.

Shape templates made from card board or card stock~ 1 of each shape

Pencil

Scissors   

Acrylic paint~ colors will depend on how you want to do your designs.

Paper plates

Disposable table covers~ I used plastic table covers left over from a party. You could also cut up trash bags or use other plastic sheeting.  Thicker paper table covers may work, as well. 

Paint smocks, if you have them. Otherwise, warn parents that you will be painting! 

Markers

Wipes or wet paper towels

 

PREPARATION:

Decide what shapes you would like to use. I chose shapes that matched the theme for each night of VBS. Draw them on card board or card stock & cut them out.

Trace your shapes onto the compressed sponge sheet & cut them out.

Wet the cut out sponge shapes & they will expand.

JUST BEFORE CRAFT TIME: 

Cover tables! The paint WILL bleed through the fabric. I had two groups of kids, one after the other, so I put down two layers of cover. When the first group was done, I moved the bandanas to other covered tables to dry, & peeled off the used cover, leaving a clean cover for the next group. 

Put paint onto paper plates~ 1 color per plate.  I did one set of paints for every table. Put 1 or 2 sponges in each color.

PROCEDURE:

Cover kids' clothing, especially the younger ones, if you can!

Have kids write their names on a corner of the bandana with a marker.

Instruct the kids in sponge stamping: put the sponge in the paint, then wipe it on the edge of the plate. DO NOT put a sponge from one color into another color, & put the sponge gently back into the paint plate when you're done! (I had kids tossing them!) Also tell them not to move their bandana~ the paint that bleeds through underneath will mess them up.

Let the kids stamp away!

Some kids will be seriously bothered by the paint on their hands; keep the wipes or wet paper towels close.

Leave the bandanas where they are to dry, if you can.  If not, move them to another covered table to dry overnight.

 

*Making your own bandanas (labor intensive & time consuming, but if you're on a tight budget...):

Figure out how much fabric you'll need~ it will depend the on the fabric width; i.e. 22" of 44" wide fabric will make 4 bandanas, two squares divided into triangles.

Purchase fabric, a bottle of water-proof craft glue & a couple of sponge~type paint brushes.

You'll also need a yard stick or quilting ruler, a pencil & a good pair of scissors (not your good cloth scissors~ you'll be cutting through glue!) 

Spread fabric out on the largest surface you have (mine is my dining room table), with something disposable under it to protect the surface.

Make sure one end of your fabric is cut straight.

Halve the width of your fabric, measure that amount from the end of your fabric &, using your straight edge, draw a line across the width of the fabric. Use your pencil & straight edge to divide that segment into two squares, then divide the squares into triangles. Repeat this process as many times as you can allowing for the amount of surface area you can expose.

Trace all of your pencil lines with a line of glue. Let it dry (about 15 minutes) & cut your bandanas apart, cutting on the glued pencil line. Repeat as many times as you need to to get the number of bandanas you need.  

The glue will keep the bandanas from raveling.

If you do this, & come up with a faster way, let me know! It does take a long time.

 

 

 

GLUE WINDOW CLINGS

These are easy & pretty quick but can be messy & need to be kept overnight (or longer) to dry!  I had three year olds making these & they did well with a little guidance & help.

YOU NEED:

Several small bottles of liquid white glue (i.e. Elmers)~ the amount you need depends on the number of colors you want & the number of kids you expect to have in attendance.  The glue will keep~ I used the same glue this year that I used three summers ago! 

Food Coloring~ as many colors as you want.  I didn't make any new colors this year in order to save money, but I would love to try the new neon colors I found at my grocery store!

Bamboo skewers or craft sticks~ as many as you have colors. These are stir sticks. anything long & thin will do! 

Transparent plastic sheets, clear report covers or reclosable freezer bags~ again, the number depends on the size of your design & the number of clings the kids get to do. 

Design templates~ choose simple, easily recognizable outline designs with few details. Lines need to be at least 1/8 of an inch thick.  My design this year was a half-page sized Bible.  I've done whole pages with smaller designs in the past (fish, crosses, flowers...)

Transparent tape

Markers, crayons or pencils

A table to lay the clings out to dry

Reclosable plastic bags

An instruction sheet

PREPARATION:

 Color your glue~ put several drops of food coloring into the glue and stir it until it's well mixed. When the glue clings are dry, the colors will be much brighter & darker than it appears in the bottle.  If you have time, play with it a little.  Drying time is usually 18 hours or so, depending on how thick the glue is applied.  If it's really thick, it may take longer than 24 hours! It helps if you have experienced how thick to make the glue so you know both how your design works & how to instruct the kids. 

Make copies of your design template. 

 

Tape the plastic to the design template. (Something I discovered this year~ if you use transparency film, make sure the glue will be applied to the smooth side! The rough side won't allow the cling to be peeled off.)

OR~ I also discovered that freezer bags work well. You can put the template into the bag (make sure it's a snug fit & the template is showing through the unprinted side of the bag) & zip it up.  After the glue dries, the kids can use the bag to carry the clings home! 

Make an instruction sheet to send home: "Wet the back of the window cling & stick to any window.  If it comes off, just wet it again!"

PROCEDURE:

First, have the kids turn their templates over & write their names on the paper or in the white area of the freezer bag.

Have the kids "color" the design with glue.  Many of them will want to get creative & intricate; the glue will bleed together as it dries & details will be lost, so discourage intricacy.  My Bible design was meant to be an outline design, but many of the kids filled it in. 

This is my six year-old son's window cling.  If you do an outline design, check to make sure the kids are making their lines thick enough that the cling won't break when it's peeled off the plastic.

Set the clings aside to dry over night. When they're dry, peel them off & place them in a plastic bag with an instruction sheet (with their name on it) inside so they can take it home. 

The abstract designs in the top photo were a time-waster for the kids who finished quickly. I just gave them bags, put their names on them & let them play with the glue.

The transparency sheets or report covers can be cleaned & reused several times.

If you want my Bible template, PM me & I'll send you a PDF! 

A Simple Woman's Daybook~ Monday, Feb.15



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Outside my window...
the sun is melting away the snow that was falling as we left for church yesterday morning.

I am thinking...
that it was a good weekend.

I am thankful for...
my family's health.

From the learning rooms...
quietness. A day off for the holiday!

From the kitchen...
not much until I clean up the weekend mess! Between Son#2 cooking a Valentine meal for his gf, a Sunday dinner & cheesecake baking, & my general refusal to clean the kitchen on Sunday, the microkitchen is pretty much a disaster area.

I am wearing...
an American flag t-shirt & dark blue sweats.

I am creating...
home arranging & organizing ideas. Still. It'll be an ongoing process until we get it all rearranged!

I am going...
nowhere today... I hope! I'm sooooo tired of running errands! Would you believe I've been to Walmart once a day for the last four days? UGH!

I am reading...
Still bouncing all over the Old Testament in my chronological reading, the Gospels for the life of Jesus in Sunday School, & the story of Jesus & the children for Cubbies & "The Fires of Azeroth", & "Wormwood".


I am hoping...
that Hubby finishes painting the bedroom he's working on today, & that we can get Son#2 moved into that room. Also, I'm hoping that this is the last week of 10-hour shifts for Hubby, & that he's back to two 8's & two 12's next week. 10-hour shifts are just too hard to fit a good home schedule into.

I am hearing...
just the hum of the computer. I guess that means the washer & dryer are done!

Around the house...
the weekly cleaning needs to be done today. Also, I want to bring in our tall bookcase, clean it up & put it on the landing between the 1st & 2nd floors. Then, I'll load it up with DVD's, VHS tapes (yes, we still have many!), CD's, cassette tapes & records (yes, we still have many of those, too!). The bookcase is actually storage from the back room of a shoestore. Hubby & I bought two of them many years ago when the store was getting new shelving for their back room.

One of my favorite things...
denim. I love denim! And not just for clothing. Hubby & I were shopping for curtain rods at Bed, Bath & Beyond a couple of weeks ago, & found denim curtain panels ON SALE! I was going to make some for our room, when we get moved up there, whenever that will be. The sale price was a little more than it would have cost me to get raw supplies. I consider it a bargain, if you add in the time it would have taken me to reacquaint myself with a sewing machine I haven't touched in ten years.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
depend on what actually gets done today. Outside of the normal, everyday stuff, we'll be moving ourselves a little closer to finding OUR home in this place.

Visit "The Simple Woman's Daybook" home here!

Outside my window...
The sun is slowly melting away the Christmas snow.

I am thinking...
about how to get on track & stay there with hubby's new weird schedule.

I am thankful for...
the changes in Son#1's attitudes & maturity level. Watching him the last six months has lifted my heart so much.

From the learning rooms...
Son#4 is doing catch-up work today; it's a day off for the other two. We're struggling with the interruption of getting Dad out the door for work at 12:30. By the time we get used to it, he'll probably be back on the old weird schedule! I'll be planning the rest of the week tonight.

From the kitchen...
hamburger & ground turkey thawing for meatloaf & meatballs.

I am wearing...
One of my several Alaska t-shirts & denim-blue sweats. Again.

I am creating...
nothing at the moment. We're still waiting for my mil's furniture to be removed, but we're emptying our storage garage, so things are very unhandy at the moment!

I am going...
nowhere until Thursday, if all goes well!

I am reading...
Still bouncing all over the Old Testament in my chronological reading, the Gospels for the life of Jesus in Sunday School, 2 Chronicles 34 (King Josiah's reign) for Cubbies & I finally finshed "The Gate of Ivrel" (Book 1 of "The Morgaine Saga") by CJ Cherryh last night, & started the next book in the trilogy, The Well of Shuan.


I am hoping...
that my bil will be able to make the arrangements for the furniture now that his busy season is over, & that we will be able to settle in the way we want.

I am hearing...
noisy kids upstairs, & a lack of machine noise down here. That means I have laundry to attend to!

Around the house...
cleaning chores need to be done this evening, my desk needs to be cleaned off, & I have some old clothing to sort through & either pitch or donate

One of my favorite things...
being home. I am content to not be in the outside world pulling in a paycheck. I'd love to contribute to the family finances, as long as I can do it from here!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
organizing the basement as much as I can. It's getting pretty full of boxes brought from storage, & I'm losing track of things.

A picture thought to share: my three teens ready for the annual youth group "formal" dinner & lock-in.

A Simple Woman's Daybook~ October 5. 2009




The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ a weekly meme

Outside my window...
Raining. A nice, steady, gentle rain.


I am thinking...
that it will be nice when we are able to be settled.

I am thankful for...
being able to have a party yesterday! We had 10 mostly-teen-aged boys all piled into the living room playing video games yesterday on two tv's & linked systems. I'm so happy to be able to do that. I fed 18 people!

From the learning rooms...
a slow start. We've been schooling for two weeks, but the household & estate things are still taking precedence. Hopefully, by next week, we'll be working full steam. We are using "God Bless America", a unit study from Christian Cottage Schools, this year.

From the kitchen...
chocolate chip cookies & lemon poppy seed muffins, I hope. I need to find a recipe for the muffins.

I am wearing...
One of my several Alaska t-shirts & denim-blue sweats. I'm so much more comfy in sweats; I'm glad the weather is cool enough to wear them again!

I am creating...
ideas. My mil's furniture (the pieces we aren't keeping) will be gone soon, & we will need replacements for some of it, especially to create more storage in the dining room. I want a sideboard, but I want open shelves instead of drawers & doors. The dining room is going to have to double as office space, so shelves will be handier.

I am going...
nowhere today, except maybe many trips up & down the stairs!


I am reading...
Bouncing all over 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, some of the minor prophets & Isaiah in my chronological Bible, the life of David in 1 Samuel for my Sunday School class (we're up to Saul's death), & a lesson about David's psalms for Cubbies & "The Gate of Ivrel" (Book 1 of "The Morgaine Saga") by CJ Cherryh.


I am hoping...
that we finish with the estate soon. Still. Also, that we are able to close on the house on Wednesday!

I am hearing...
quiet, & a little rattling around in the kitchen as one of the kids gets his lunch.

Around the house...
many of my mil's "dust catchers", china, crystal & silver are gone. My bil came & took it to post on eBay. There's still some left, but it doesn't seem as "in the way" anymore. The living space in the living room is rearranged, & we love it. There's one end, though, that because of it's proximity to the front door, is awkward. My plan is to put two bookshelves flanking a tall-ish table on that wall, & make the table a game table. We can't put the table in place yet, because of the record player/radio cabinet that is still there, but I hope to put in the bookshelves starting today.

One of my favorite things...
a houseful of friends & family. I missed being able to host things over the last ten years. Yesterday was a blast!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
... closing on the house Wednesday looks pretty definite at this point.
... a little more rearranging. We can do some, but we can't rearrange sleeping quarters yet!
... hopefully, a quiet week, but I will gladly accept chaos if it means my mil's things will be out & we can start bringing in our furniture & things from storage.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

After dinner... most of the boys (three had left), my daughter & her friend who came over later in the day. They had two tv's & two game systems running.