Tie-Dye Rainbows with Food Coloring

An especially fine activity for kids who want beautiful products to take home but are often dissatisfied with their own works. Guaranteed no-fault beautiful results.

Children ages 4-5 years can name primary colors Lang. IB
Children participating will be able to make intricate designs with colors, squeeze to fill the eye droppers, and ages 1 ½-2 years can imitate folding the paper square in half forming a rectangle. FM IV

 

Materials

Plastic eye-droppers, paper towels; cups with several colors of diluted food coloring (muffin tins work well in place of cups).

1. Settle children around a table. Have cups of food coloring at each end and in middle of the table. Give each child an eye dropper and several paper towels.

2. Have children pick a color by naming it. Show them how to fold paper towel in half to form a rectangle. Fill the eye dropper with color (demonstrate filling the eye dropper and squeezing it) and squirt into towel. Choose another color and repeat.

3. Open paper towel and see the rainbow of colors.

4. Set-up materials on an “interest table” where children can work in their free time.

Extension: Kids often turn out tie-dyed towels in huge quantities. Some of these works of art may be saved and put to use later as wrapping paper, place mats, or to make paper flowers. Use them instead of newspaper strips in paper mache for a dramatic effect. Be sure to discuss having some towels for future activities while the kids are working. Each child chooses his favorite one (or two or three) to take home and leaves the rest for future projects.