For a lot of kids, summertime beckons with temptations — to sleep in late, watch too much TV, swim, roam.
But that’s just the first day. Boredom sets in soon after.
To entertain restless kids, have a few craft ideas up your sleeve.
Reliable sources for ideas are “Martha Stewart Living” and “Family Fun” magazines, which post kids’ crafts online. Creativebug offers online craft classes for kids throughout the summer, including a no-sew tepee. There’s a cost for most projects there. Or roam Pinterest.com. Media and crafting sites that originate projects often post their ideas to Pinterest.
One crafting idea that may amaze kids of all ages for its novelty and simplicity is gelatin printing. This low-tech craft uses a pan of gelatin such as the Knox brand, ink, paper, maybe an ink brayer and a collection of leaves. That’s it.
Kristen Sutcliffe of Oberlin, Ohio, writes about gelatin printing at her blog, New House Project.
“I love that kind of project, where it’s easy, you can do it with your kids, but it’s beautiful,” Sutcliffe said.
Author of the new book “Fabric, Paper, Thread,” Sutcliffe, 30, says the gelatin provides a flexible medium for inking, and both positive and negative prints can be made.
“The surface is just the right amount of sticky to hold the leaves and things in place and keep the paper in place while you are pressing/rubbing it,” Sutcliffe says on her blog.
It works best with smaller leaves and those that are textured. Ferns and geraniums work well.
Use any paper or try a fabric. Sutcliffe has used canvas but recommends a smoother fabric such as muslin or cotton for a cleaner print.
She recommends using a screen-printing ink, such as Speedball, which works on paper or fabric.
And she also suggests investing in a brayer, which will spread the ink uniformly without nicking the delicate gelatin surface.
If you’re careful, you can make a dozen or more prints with a single batch of gelatin, Sutcliffe says.
Gelatin printing
- 8 ¼-ounce packets gelatin, such as Knox brand
- 5 cups water
- 1 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with edges
- Printmaking brayer
- Printing ink, such as Speedball Screen Printing Ink (available at craft stores and online)
- Assorted leaves
- Paper or fabric
- Paper plate
The gelatin needs a few hours to set. It can be made the night before you want to print. In a large pot, bring 5 cups of water to boil, then whisk in gelatin, one packet at a time, avoiding clumps. Pour mixture onto baking sheet and allow to cool and set.
To print, pour small amount of ink onto the plate; use the brayer to fully cover the gelatin with ink (a thin layer for working with paper; a heavy amount for printing on fabric). Place leaves on the ink-covered gelatin. Place your paper or fabric on top; rub.
Remove the paper or fabric: This is your first print (the negative).
Carefully remove leaves from the baking sheet (save them for reuse, if desired) and place a new piece of paper or fabric over the ink and rub; remove. This provides the positive print (the leaves’ imprints remain in the gelatin until it’s re-inked).
Re-ink the gelatin to make additional positive and negative prints.
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