Grocery Bag Vest

Design a fashionable vest from recycled materials!

Skill Level: Moderate

Time Needed: 1 hour

Age(s): 6 to 9

Appropriate For: Kwanzaa

Supplies Needed:

Project Rating:

Cut a brown grocery bag down the middle from the top to the bottom of the bag.
Cut out a hole for the neck in the bottom of the bag. Measure around your neck to make sure the hole is big enough.
Cut out arm holes in the sides of the bag. Measure around your arms to make sure the holes are big enough.
Paint the grocery bag vest using Elmer's Paintastics® paint colors. Let the paint dry completely. Decorate the vest with buttons, ribbons, and pieces of construction paper.

Teaching Tips:

Have students measure to make sure that their grocery bag vests will fit. First, have students use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of their necks in inches. Make sure you supervise this. Then, have students measure the circumference of their arms in inches. Have students make the same measurements in centimeters. Discuss the difference between inches and centimeters.
Encourage students to decorate their vests to reflect an occupation that interests them, such as a nurse, construction worker, or police officer. Have students write a list of the responsibilities of this occupation.
Ask students to decorate their vests to reflect a certain period in time. Research fashion trends from history to assist with this. Examples include a sheriff's vest from the Wild West or a tie-dyed vest from the 1960's.
Have students put on a play for a holiday or special event. Or have students act out a simple story, such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood. Have students design their own costumes for the play by decorating paper grocery bags.