Summer Science Camp: Sharpie T-Shrits

This is both a Summer Science Camp idea and a previous-post update.

The pinwheel Sharpie t-shirts are a great summer science camp project.  Take the shirts, markers and rubbing alcohol outside and get creative.  Bonus: when you're outside there's less worry about alcohol fumes bothering anyone!

The update: when I was getting ready to do this project with a group of 24 students, I was trying to find some enough of the same type of container to stretch the shirts around, without making a huge investment. 

I decided to with with 4" PVC pipe (available from hardware stores), cut into 5 or 6" lengths.  You do need a hacksaw to cut the pieces, and the cutting can be a bit messy, so you'll have to determine if this option makes sense for you. 

It worked quite well for several reasons:

• The tie-dye designs don't usually go beyond 4", so it was plenty large.
• The smaller size (as compared to a shoe box or dish pan) made it easier for young hands to manipulate and stretch the rubber band around.
• The smaller size was nice for students sitting almost shoulder-to-shoulder at tables. 

The pictures included in this post are of shirts created by students in grades 3 through 5.

Website: Middle School Science Yahoo Group UPDATE

A month or so ago, I told you about the Middle School Science Yahoo Group and since that time I've discovered another fabulous aspect of the group, which I had completely missed previously. 

If you've take some time to look at the group, you've realized that you can read the messages people post without being a member. 

But, you'll also notice there are some things reserved for Members Only.  One of those things is access to the Files. 

When you join the group, you'll magically gain access to those Files, and some other things as well. 

And once you're in, you'll find folders and folders willed with lessons, activities, templates and more that others have created and uploaded to share with anyone in the group. 

If you've been on the fence about whether to join or not, I highly recommend you do, both to access such a knowledgeable, supportive online community and the materials they're willing to share.  And maybe you've even got something you're willing to share with the group in return!