Decorate a 100th Day of School T-Shirt

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A child who decorates her own 100th Day of School t-shirt will be sure to wear that shirt with pride on the actual 100th day of school!

What You Need:

Plain white child-size T-shirt.
Dye-based quick drying ink pads, available in various colors at craft shops.
Rubber stamps of various designs (animals, flowers, etc.).
Fabric paints or markers.
Optional: plastic gloves and smock.

What You Do:

Have the child choose a plain white t-shirt that fits her.
Explain to the child that she will decorate her shirt with fabric paints or markers, as well as with rubber stamps dipped in fabric ink. Her total number of designs on the shirt should equal 100.
The child can ink a rubber stamp on the ink pad, then press the stamp firmly on the shirt. Repeat several times with the same stamp, or with different stamps in different ink colors. Dye-based, quick-drying ink can stain hands (the ink does dry quickly!). A child could wear a smock and plastic gloves during this project, or wash hands thoroughly after the project.
With fabric paint or marker, the child may want to write “100” somewhere on the shirt, or “100th Day of School.” Spell out the words on paper for her to copy if needed.
Have the child take some breaks to count her total number of designs, especially as she gets closer to 100 pictures (to avoid going over).
Let stamped designs and painted images dry for several hours before moving the shirt, usually around 4 hours. (Note: washing machine does not remove fabric paints, but the stamped ink patterns do come off in the wash. If you use stamped ink, hand-wash the T-shirt to avoid getting the stamp ink parts wet.)

By Beth Levin

Beth Levin has an M.A. in Curriculum and Education from Columbia University Teachers College. She has written educational activities for Macmillan/McGraw-Hill and Renaissance Learning publishers. She has a substitute teaching credential for grades K-12 in Oregon, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

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