Spring in the Pacific Northwest is pretty much insane. We go from 80 degrees and sunny on Monday to 50 degrees and gray on Tuesday. The kids around this area are pretty good about being outside in the rain all winter, but once they have that taste of spring sunshine they aren’t so willing to head out and get damp. I keep a few crafts in my back pocket for those days when we get home from school, everyone is feeling a big punchy, but no one wants to go out in the rain to run off the grumpiness. They are the same projects I save for the end of summer vacation when everyone pretty much wants to spit in each other’s Cheerios.
Sharpie plates are one of our sanity saving projects. We always have oil based Sharpies on hand, the dollar store always has plain white plates, and the kids love it. I think there is something about letting them draw on the dishes that makes the whole thing feel a bit naughty and more fun.
Materials
- Oil based Sharpie pens – These are the kind you have to shake and press the tip in to get going.
- Dollar store while plates – These need to be the cheapest plates you can find. The glaze has to be thin and low quality to allow the oven to soften it enough to absorb the paint from the pens.
- Rubbing alcohol
- Oven
How To
- Wipe your plates clean with rubbing alcohol.
- Let the kids color on the plate to their hearts desire. Sometimes they just want to draw. Sometimes they want me to draw a picture in black for them to color in. This is a great way to help smaller kids out if they are trying to keep up with their older siblings.
- Let the painted images dry for 24 hours.
- Once dry, put the plates in a cold oven.
- Set the oven for 350 and bake it for 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes should start from the time you set the temperature, not when the oven is actually 350.
- When 30 minutes have passed, turn the oven off.
- Leave the plates in the oven until they are totally cooled off.
Enjoy! Your plates should be dishwasher safe and ready to go!
