Upper grade art teacher Karen Moore likes to do one project year after year - tie dye! She said this hands on projects gives students a way to learn about colors, the color wheel and color combinations. 

Moore provides students with the opportunity to tie dye a t-shirt. Students can pay a few dollars to tie dye another item. The process includes finding a tie dye design. Some students have made flowers, hearts, smiley faces and more. The art of folding the shirt into different patterns and shapes adds these designs. Students then choose colors of their projects. Moore teaches them about the color wheel, how to determine good color combinations and how to avoid a mostly brown and drab shirt. Some of the students us a monochromatic look while others go to bright and bold choices. Some even create projects by using every color in the rainbow. It's a science to determine where the dye needs to go to keep it from being mixed with a non-complimenting color. 

Once the students complete their shirts, they are put into zipper bags for a day or two before being washed out and hung to dry. The kids and Moore say their favorite part is the reveal of the final products. Thanks to Moore's advice, the students are always pleasantly surprised. 

Tie Dye Day 2024