July 5 // Redemptive Tie-Dying, Funny Poses, and Ice Medallions!

Enjoy these fun ideas for summer!

Hello! We take this month’s emphasis on fun seriously. Here are some ideas (with different difficulty/messiness levels 😉

Redemptive Tie-Dyeing

Do you have any stained clothes or rags around the house? Bring ‘em outside and let’s give them some new life! It might be one of your favorite new annual traditions. It’s very practical, reduces waste, and it’s loads of fun…or at least one very colorful laundry load 😜

If you’ve never tie-dyed before, it’s easier than you think! First, go through your closets and find anything that could use some splashes of color. Tie-dyeing can be addicting, so gather any boring underwear or socks, too. You can thrift for pale-colored clothes, too, or get a cheap 5-pack of white shirts!

Next buy a tie-dye kit. We tie-dyed multiple projects each for seven kids, so we used this $16 kit, but a cheaper kit will probably work for your family…you can even get a single-color kit for $1.67! If you would be throwing these “ruined” clothes away, it might be worth a small investment to un-ruin them!

Here’s an example of a badly stained onesie that looked great after folding it inside out, snipping the tag, and dyeing it!

When it’s time to tie-dye, bring all your supplies outside to minimize mess. Just make sure you’re not wearing your favorite clothes.

We brought a bowl of water for moistening the clothes before dyeing them, which helps the colors spread more easily.

Follow the instructions in your kit to make the designs of your choice. Most are a combination of folding and placing rubber bands. You can find instructions on Youtube, too. Spirals starting from the shoulder are my favorite technique.

Gloves are recommended but optional. It’s easier to work with the products without gloves and your kids might think it’s cool if you all have purple hands for a couple days 🤷‍♀️

The kit might recommend marinating the tied-up clothes in a plastic bag for 6-8 hours, but sometimes that can spread color unintentionally within the bag, so it’s up to you. Either way, you will make mistakes, but the great thing about tie-dye is it’s impossible to do it perfectly! Mistakes are part of the fun.

After letting the colors sit all day, rinse with a garden hose or sink and wash in the laundry like normal. Your kids will be in such suspense until the great reveal!

Here’s a shirt and skirt that got a second chance at being a cute outfit!

Please let us know if you try out redemptive tie-dyeing for yourselves! You can have lots of good conversations with your kids such as how restored things are sometimes better than new things. It’s a wonderful thing to get to participate in un-ruining 😉

Summer Ice Medallions

Remember in January when we made ice wreaths? Who says you can’t have fun doing the same in the summer? …The ice just won’t last as long ☀️

This time, in addition to making a big wreath with a pan, we used muffin tins and ripped fabric to make tiny little medallions! Simply place gathered flowers into a mold, fill with water—and maybe add a ribbon for hanging—and place in the freezer.

They’re something lovely to behold, aren’t they?

Funny Poses

A free way to have great times with your kids at home or wherever you go is to take some creative pictures of them! Even a toddler might be able to make a grumpy face, silly face, etc. on demand. However, you might be surprised by the funny situations your kids can create visually with only a little inspiration from you.

Here are some pose prompts:

• “Pretend there’s a T-rex over there!”

• “Look as bored as possible.” (This one is super fun to do on playgrounds or amusement park rides!)

• “Act like you found a box full of puppies.”

• “Smolder! Look as cool as you can!”

• “Sneeze!”

• “Let’s make an air-band! You play the piano.” (If you can get a photo of a whole group playing invisible instruments together, that’s gold.)

These things are fun to pretend even if you’re not taking pictures, but, of course, it’s a bonus that you’ll have the memories forever!

Do you know what your kids will want in thirty years even more than pictures of themselves as kids? Pictures of their parents having fun with them. Join your kids for as many of these photos as you can!

We try to avoid sharing pictures of kids’ faces around here for the sake of their privacy, but here’s one of our bored slide pics that brought giggles to our family 🤪

Here’s a visual to save to your phone, if you want to keep these pose ideas handy! I’d love to hear some of your favorites! Our kids invented most of these.

Hopefully at least one of these ideas works for your family! If not, you can always check the Activities section for lots more ideas!

Warmly,

Hope from Family Scripts