Summer Flags (Revisited)

Well, it's not quite summer, but close enough for us to make our summer flags.  My daughters had so much fun last year making and having these flags to use that we had to make them again.  This time, instead of kool aid, we used Easter egg dyes that I purchased on sale after Easter.

I prepared the dyes with hot water and vinegar.  Each end was dipped into the dye for a few minutes.

                                      Lastly, the middle was dipped into the dye.

                                 I rinsed the flags out with cool water and we hung them to dry.

Using last year's dowel, we assembled the flag and it was ready to fly.

My daughter's love running around carrying the flag and standing still swinging it back and forth because it makes an impressive "flag rippling" noise.

Last year, we left them outside all summer long but discovered the sun faded them quickly that way.  This year we will put them in the garden shed along with the other outside toys, so the colors will last longer.  This brick makes a handy little stand to hold them when they're not in use.

Craft: Sail Boat Creating

Our nature table has been overdue for a change, so we made little seashell sail boats to put at the nature table for July.

To make the sails I cut a diamond shape from paper and my daughters decorated with crayons.

We then used glue and folded it in half onto the toothpick. A ball of beeswax was used to attach it to the shell.

My daughters wanted to see if they actually would float so we set up a dish with water. They floated and then sank. Maybe we used too much beeswax? Next, we then decided to make beeswax boats that would stay afloat.

Outside we got a large pan of water, added sand, branches (with a beeswax base and rocks to hold them upright) and floated the boats.

With a little wind they were sailing in no time. Flower petals and more sand and rocks were added creating the perfect setting for the boats.

Making a Summer Flag

My daughters love flags. With the fourth of July coming up and with summer in full swing, I thought "we should really make some flags this year!" After some searching on the internet I found Dharma Trading sells small nylon flags. I purchased two flags ($1.50 each) and we were ready to go. Nylon dyes the same as silk so we followed the same kool-aid process we used to dye our playsilks.

To dye the flags, I purchased different colored packets of kool-aid and each of my daughters chose a color. My oldest daughter wanted to tie dye her flag using rubber bands to create decorative circles. My youngest daughter chose a solid background and wanted to decorate her flag using permanent markers.

I heated up the water in the microwave until "very hot." I added a splash of vinegar and my daughter added the packet of kool-aid.

I have never tie dyed anything in my life, so we just knotted the fabric with rubber bands in different places.

The flags were added into the kool-aid, water, and vinegar solution and stirred around until it was the desired shade. I rinsed the flags in cold water until it ran clear (not very long).

The flags were then hung up to dry.

We purchased some 3/4 inch dowels from the hardware store that fit perfectly (if they hadn't fit I was planning to hot glue them on but it wasn't necessary).

The summer flags are posted in front of the sandbox. They pull them out of the ground when they want to play with them and I simply put them back into the ground, hammering it down with a rock, when they are done!

Craft: Another Fairy House

My daughters have really enjoyed the previous fairy house we made which sits outside in a flower bed. They often bring flowers to decorate it, add moss around the base of it and fill a small bottle cap with water "for the fairy" which they leave on the doorstep. We decided making one more would be a nice addition.

We used an unfinished birdhouse and then gathered fallen bark, sticks and pinecones while on a walk.

Scissors cut pieces of bark.

They attatched pieces like a puzzle while I used the glue gun.

Small rocks were dropped inside to weigh the house down. It's in the flower bed and ready for someone to move in!