Kids' Art Gift Wrap

One of my awesome parent volunteers recently shared a great idea with me that I wanted to pass along.... "Kids' Art Gift Wrap"! She was so enthusiastic about it, I couldn't wait to try it myself. Here's how you do it:

Roll out a long piece of butcher paper (down a hallway, sidewalk, or wherever you have room) and provide paints, brushes, glitter, etc. for your students to create with. Hand prints and stamps work great for this project -- you can even work in a lesson on printmaking and patterns if you want to. Kids enjoy the experience of "working large" and will soon have the paper covered with colorful designs. (You could also do this with large, single sheets of paper if space is a problem.) After allowing the artwork to dry, cover it with "Magic Cover", a roll of thin, clear, self-adhesive vinyl that seals and protects the artwork. (You can find this at most drug stores.) If your butcher paper happens to be a little wider than the 18" vinyl covering, keep in mind that most of the art ends up toward the middle of the paper anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem.

"Kids Art Gift Wrap" is the ideal way to wrap all the gifts your students make at school throughout the year. In addition to wrapping gifts, you can also use this one of a kind paper to cover books or even sell it by the roll or in sheets at school fund raising events. Of course, you can always make gift wrap without the added expense of the clear covering, but the Magic Cover adds a classy finish and makes your gift wrap durable enough to save and reuse.

If you happen to have kids of your own or you just enjoy playing with paint, why not try making gift wrap at home all year long? It may be such a hit with all who receive it that you won't even use the store bought kind anymore!