What’s this? Spring weather you say? Why yes! Let’s get outside and play.
A friend of mine in the UK has an amazing children's magazine called Anorak. It's bright, imaginative, and oh so fun. Currently, they're putting together their spring issue and I submitted a contribution for their "Make and Play" section. So I thought I’d share this great play idea with you today.
The kids and I had so much fun with this project over the weekend. They spent a good hour decorating and making the flags, and then marched around the neighborhood waving them around.
You can find the fabric markers, crayons and glue at Jo-Ann Fabrics. The muslin we used is very inexpensive and you can find it at any fabric store. A half yard will make two or three flags. Muslin is super easy to cut. Make a small snip in the fabric, then just pull the fabric apart. It rips in a straight line. You can’t really mess it up.
Okay, let’s get to it, shall we?
To make your own flag, you'll need:
-a long stick or pole
-a piece of cloth (we used muslin but you could use an old tee shirt, pillowcase or -anything you have laying around)
-markers and crayons
-glue (fabric glue works best)
Step 1
Decorate. Lay out your piece of cloth and get to drawing. It's best to use crayons and markers made specifically for cloth, but anything will do.
Step 2
Make the casing. Flip the cloth over. On the back side apply a long thin stripe of glue near the edge. You'll also want to make a short glue line across the top of the flag where you'll place your stick. Lay the stick along the glue line and fold the fabric over the stick. Let it dry.
Now that you have your very own flag there’s tons you can do with it. Have your very own version of the Catonsville parade right there in your neighborhood, hang it from your clubhouse or tree house. Or use your imagination and pretend you’re an explorer and claim a territory all your own. If you make two flags, you can send secret signals to your friends.
There are flag games too like flag freeze and capture the flag. Both are great to play during warm weather snaps like this one.
Now get out there and get those flags waving.
