Make a Barbecue Apron for Dad
Topics: First Grade, Arts and Crafts, Father's Day
As Father’s Day approaches, so do those long, fun days of summer. Is your dad a barbecue lover? Here’s a gift your family can give, to celebrate his prowess, show your appreciation, and help him cook in style!
What You Need:
- Plain Canvas bib apron, available at craft stores
- Rainbow colored fabric paint
- Black fabric paint and brushes
- Fabric Marker
- Pencil
- Several gung-ho friends and family members
What You Do:
- Start by laying out the apron on a well-protected surface, preferably outdoors. It’s also helpful to have rags and two buckets of water nearby, one for brushes and one for little hands. (Moms, beware! Paint is irresistibly fun event for most kids, but you’ll all want to wear clothes than can bear a little surprise “Jackson Pollack” free art decoration, and it’s prudent to stay away from fine linens and polished antiques at a time like this, too!)
- Use a pencil to trace a message onto the front of the bib: #1 Dad! Invite your children to paint over it neatly in black or in a strong primary color.
- Now it’s time for everyone to join in “hands on” fun: paint your child’s hand with a color of his choice, and invite him to press it firmly somewhere onto the apron. If your kids tend to be “enthusiastic” with paint, you might want to do a trial run, perhaps on a piece of newspaper, to help your child gauge just how much paint and pressure will be needed. For this apron project, the more hands the merrier, especially when you use plenty of bright colors. Hands can even overlap a bit, but do allow a few minutes for bottom layers of paint to dry, or you may end up with some unintended muddy colors!
- Once all paint is completely dry (at least 4-5 hours), you can invite each person to sign the apron next to his or her hand…or just leave the hands as is, for everyone to talk about and remember for years to come. Whatever you choose, you will have a unique and loving salute to Dad on Father’s Day this year: a barbecue apron that will send your love and appreciation for years of hot dogs, burgers, and roasted veggies to come!
Julie Williams, M.A. Education, taught middle and high school History and English for seventeen years. Since then, she has volunteered in elementary classrooms while raising her two sons and earning a master's in school administration. She has also been a leader in her local PTA.
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