Elementary and Preteen Earth Day Craft: Leafy T-Shirts

These leafy t-shirts are a fun and creative way for elementary kids and preteens in your ministry to celebrate Earth Day!

You’ll need:

• newspaper
• fresh, green leaves
• fabric paints
• paintbrushes
• a container of water
• prewashed solid T-shirt for each child
• small craft sponges

Ahead of time, press the green leaves between layers of newspaper for one week.

Elementary and Preteen Earth Day Craft: Leafy T-Shirts

Cover your work area with newspaper. Fold newspaper inside the body and sleeves of your T-shirt. Lay your shirt on the table and smooth out any wrinkles.

Wet a paintbrush and squeeze most of the water out of it. Use the brush to coat a sponge with one color of paint. Put the brush back in the water.

Dab the sponge on the veined side of the leaf, including the stem. Press, don’t rub.

Turn your leaf over and gently press onto your T-shirt, using your fingers. Pick the leaf up by the stem and check your print. Add more or less paint next time as needed.

Leave the newspaper inside the shirt until it’s dry.

Talk Teasers

Read aloud Revelation 4:11. Ask:

• Why did God create everything?
• How does creation give God pleasure?
• Do you think God is ever sad about creation? Why or why not?
• What does this verse teach us about how we should respond to God when we look at creation?

Close in prayer by having children praise God for specific elements of creation that they enjoy.

DID YOU KNOW?

*Americans throw away more than 870,000 pounds of food each day.
*The energy you save by recycling one aluminum can will operate a television for three hours.
*Each day, Americans recycle about 13 million glass containers.
Source: The Earth Works Group, Berkeley, California

Looking for more ideas for spring? Check out these posts!