Playsilks!

I have been on Josh's case for a long time to make these as a family project, and now I think we might become addicted! We got the silks for about $2 apiece from dharma trading company and dyed them with packets of kool-aid. We made 12 of them total, but now we keep thinking there *must* be a good reason why we need to make more of them.  So many color combinations left to experiment with! The colors are actually much more vibrant than the picture shows, and I can tell you I am never drinking Kool Aid again. I really do not want to think about what color my "insides" are after a tall drink of ice-cold Berry Blue.  But honestly it won't be much of a sacrifice, I can't even remember the last time I had some Kool-Aid.  I am really more of a lemonade person to tell you the truth. 

So in case anyone is confused as to what we are trying to achieve here, these scarves are called "playsilks" and are considered to be an essential toy for youngsters of all ages, according to certain circles. We are not planning on a Waldorf education for Ivo, but I do seem to find a lot of inspiration in many of their philosophies.  (youngsters . . . teeheehee . . . I don't know that I've ever used that word before!)

Anyway, the playsilks really are fun, almost as good as they say on the websites that sell them for $12 a pop and up.  We have used them for dress-up, dancing, fort building, as a backdrop for play. Oh the fun never ends.  But I really think making them was the most satisfying part.  My favorite color was created by soaking the silk in coffee and a packet of orange kool-aid.  It turned out a really pretty, harvest-golden kind of color.  Mixing red and orange Kool-Aid in a "marblizing" effect ended up nice, too. Purplesaurus Rex was a particularly appealing shade of eggplant, and Berry Blue was a stunning sapphire color.  But I wouldn't want to drink it!

We used some of the silks to make a sky and grass for his little nature play area.  It really pulls all of the various pieces into a "scene".  (Ivo built this tower by the way. Quite an accomplishment!)

Comments

[Great Grandpa Bub]

DEAR MANDY,
REALLY ENJOY YOUR BLOG. YOU ARE GETTING MORE LIKE YOUR MOTHER EVERY DAY AND TO ME THAT IS A REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. THE ONE WITH GERTRUDE AND IVO AT BORTZ BROUGHT A FEW TEARS, BUT IT IS AMAZING ALSO HOW WELL THE MUSIC MACTHED THE PICTURES.
LOVE,
GRAMPA.

[Mom]

Hi Bean! The Rowdy Pea sure is fun to visit! I really enjoy all the features--but the silks are just the greatest! The students at BCES used to love using those items in Music and Gym--there are so many creative ways to use them.

I think you might be on to a great Holiday gift for young families. You could send them a couple with some instructions or suggestions for creative play OR you could send one already colored and then a couple of plain ones with a bit of Kool-Aid for some family fun! Either way, they would be easy to mail and lots of fun. You could even write a little "book" to go with them!

Well, tell Ivo that Nana has some surprises hidden in her suitcase. We can play hide and seek around the house and have lots of fun looking for "treasures" from Nana's collection. Love and Hugs to all--especially my Little Guy! See you soon!
Love, Mom

[Mama K]

I know this is an old post, but I found it on MDC. I put up a tutorial on my blog and am linking back to you. :)

[Erin]

I also ran across your blog on MDC. I have a question, what type of silk did you buy? There are so many choices!