Since the very beginning of SheJumps, FUN (and costumes) have been at the forefront of our programs and events. Why? We believe in play! Celebrate your inner Girafficorn with some colorful flair that reminds you to be bold, bright, and brave to take on new challenges.
We’ve compiled a list of fun activities to add that extra ‘Girafficorn’ element to your DIY Summer Camp. You didn’t think we would just give you a plain t-shirt?! It’s time to get tie-dying!
SheJumps Summer Camp resources
We've created a series of content to help prepare your at-home SheJumps Summer Camp.
SheJumps DIY Summer Camp: Customize Tie-Dye Shirts and Crafts (below)
Summer Camp name
The first creative project we tackle at Wild Skills Summer Camps is choosing a camper name. This is the name you’ll go by for all of camp (and long after when you run into fellow campers at other events!). Some of my favorite camper names of all time are: Ranger, Tornado, Snazzy, Phoenix, Alpha, Maui, Tang, Squirrel, Honeybear, Hufflepuff and Tuna! Go ahead, come up with your own to proudly display on your camper gear.
Customizing your camp gear
The second, and arguably MOST IMPORTANT creative project is customizing your camp gear! This is an important ritual at camp that allows campers and counselors to showcase their new camp name, express their personality and creativity for all to see. Each camper and counselor receives a SheJumps trucker hat and t-shirt, then uses a variety of paints and fabric markers to decorate them. For some campers this activity can take 30 minutes to complete for others it’s a multi-day undertaking.
Tie-dye your camp shirt
There are so many ways to tie-dye a shirt. You can JUMP right in and make your own pattern with rubber bands. Or go online and do a bit of research to see what others have come up with. Start here for some great techniques.
Ask yourself some questions before you start:
How many colors do I want to use?
What technique do I want to try? Rubber bands, dipping, swirls?
Do I want to create a design?
Supplies
Once you decide on the look you’re going for, gather your supplies and get ready for some colorful fun!
A piece of white (or light) clothing (100% cotton works best!)
Rubber bands
Tie-dye or water paint color
Gloves (preferably gloves that you can throw away)
A source of water to rinse off tie-dye
Tie-dye steps
Now, let’s get creative and start tie-dying!
Pick your fabric.
Wash your fabric, leave wet for best results.
Twist and bind your fabric with rubber bands.
Mix dye with warm water.
Put on gloves.
Apply dye to your wet fabric.
Put your fabric in a plastic bag or wrap, let sit for a minimum 6 hours. The longer it sits, the brighter the colors will be!
Rinse until the water runs clear.
Wash alone with cold water.
There are so many ways you can personalize your gear that we haven’t highlighted in this blog post. Some of my personal favorites Puff Paint or the infamous Bedazzler! Use what you’ve got, get super creative and have fun with this!
Share your creations with us @shejumps #shejumps