Tie-Dye Watercolour Bookmarks

With a month left of summer, reading develops curiosity and stimulates the imagination.  Make some personalized bookmarks to encourage this process!  

Materials

• Watercolour paper
• Paper cutter
• Hole punch
• Cord/ twine etc.
• Beads
• Watercolour paint
• Water
• Large brush (we used a foam one)
• Squirt bottles/pipettes/ eyedroppers
• Funnel (if needed)

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Don your smock.  Paint your paper with a water wash.

• Put your paint into your bottles (or you could use an eye dropper- just something that allows you to make droplets and to easily manipulate where they might fall on the paper).  Depending on your bottles, a funnel may be helpful.  We used concentrated watercolour paint.  Drip your paint onto your wet paper and observe what happens (be prepared to be amazed- the paint and water will create a tie-dye effect!)  Allow your paper to dry overnight.

• Cut out your bookmarks, punching a hole on one end.

• Cut a piece of cord or twine and make a loop over your hole as shown.  Folding it in the middle will help make the two ends equal in length.  Lace the ends through the back of the bookmark coming through the hole and the loop.  Gently pull it taut.  Lace beads through both the ends together.  You may need to trim your ends to assure they are not frayed to make them easier to pull through.  We also sometimes put a BBQ skewer (with the sharp point cut off by an adult) through the beads to make the channel in the centre of the bead clear.  Once your beads are on, knot the ends twice (or more if needed) and trim the excess twine.

• Pop your bookmark into your book and enjoy reading!

Purpose

• Encouraging reading.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills (cutting, lacing, knotting etc.)

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors or a paper cutter with care and direct adult supervision.
• Cord, twine etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.