# Scented String Art > Soak white yarn in bowls of brightly colored Kool-Aid, then lay, press and pull the strings on thick paper to make sweet-smelling prints and coil designs. Kids also watch the yarn soak up color and the colors mix and swirl. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/art-projects-kids-scented-string-art/ - Ages: 5–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium - Time: prep 20 min, activity 30 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class - Skills: fine-motor, colors, color-mixing, sensory-exploration, creativity, observation - Cautions: food-dye, ingestion-risk ## Materials (one batch) - 1 packet Kool-Aid drink mix packets - 1 cup Water (household) - 1 piece Small clear bowls (household) - White yarn - Already-colored yarn bits (optional) - 2 sheet Thick paper - 1 piece Scissors (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of kool aid: Watery paint (Paint is the traditional string-art medium. The author chose Kool-Aid because it absorbs more quickly and dramatically and it smells great, so paint won't be scented.) - Instead of clear bowls: Clear cups (The author likes clear cups too, because the colors really stand out.) ## Safety - The colored water smells like a drink. Remind kids it is art water, not for drinking, and don't let them suck on the wet yarn. - Kool-Aid can stain hands, clothes and surfaces. Cover the table and wear old clothes or smocks. - Supervise closely with long pieces of yarn, and keep them away from necks. - Wash hands after play. ## Before you start - Cut white yarn into varying lengths. - Set out one small clear bowl per color and cover the table. ## Steps 1. Empty a whole packet of Kool-Aid into each small clear bowl, one color per bowl. 2. Add about 1 cup of water to each bowl, just enough to keep the color bright. 3. Drop the white yarn pieces into the bowls and watch the yarn soak up the color. 4. Drop an already-colored yarn bit into a different color and watch the colors mix and swirl. 5. Lift the colored yarn out and lay it on a thick sheet of paper, letting the ends stick out past the edge. 6. Lay another sheet of paper on top and press down. The imprint shows up right away. 7. Pull the strings out by their ends to make more marks on the paper. 8. Or skip the pulling: lay the strings in coils or patterns and wait a few seconds while the paper soaks up the color. 9. Remove the strings one by one and let the art dry. ## Tips - We like clear bowls because the colors really stand out. Bright, vibrant colors get the kids very excited to get started. - Use white yarn on purpose. It gives kids a chance to see the Kool-Aid color getting absorbed by the yarn. - Kool-Aid works faster than paint. The change, print and absorption are immediate and dramatic, which is perfect for grabbing and holding kids' attention. - Since the watery Kool-Aid 'paint' smelled GREAT, the pulling step wasn't really needed to create amazing art. - Let kids choose: some go for a specific design, some love the beauty in randomness, and some just want to watch the color spread to the paper. - The coil designs are probably the most eye-catching. - You'll be left with a pile of string dyed by all the Kool-Aid. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2020) Got to love yarn art project for kids. In the past we have used yarn for learning, fine motor and for craft too. We have done sticky [**yarn project**](https://www.funlittles.com/fine-motor-activities-sticky-yarn-learning/) for learning letters and numbers, used **[yarn with sandpaper](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-for-kids-sandpaper-and-fabric-art/)** for creating art and rolled yarn around a rolling pin to make **[rainbow prints.](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-rolling-pin-yarn-prints/)** Today we are making scented string art. Materials Needed: - Kool-Aid packets - Yarn - Clear Bowls - Thick paper Grab small clear bowls and empty a whole packet of Kool Aid in each of them. Add enough water to keep the vibrancy of the color. { About 1 cup} We like to use clear cups because the colors really stand out and bright, vibrant colors really attract the kids. They get very excited to get started. { We have used brights colors as a central focus in multiple [**colors experiments and art projects**}](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/colors/) We cut white yarn into varying lengths and dropped them in the bowls. The white yarn was a conscious choice since it will give the kids a chance to see the Kool-Aid color getting absorbed by the yarn. You can also see below that the yellow Kool-Aid has more than one color. An already colored yarn bit was dropped in the yellow Kool Aid and the kids watched the different colors mix and swirl. After observing the yarn and color interaction the kids were ready to move on to the art project. **** Once the yarn is colored the children can place them on a thick sheet of paper. Good chance for them to get creative. Some may go for a specific design and some would love the beauty in randomness and some just want to watch the color spread to the paper. **** The traditional way to do string yarn is to leave the string sticking out of the paper. We tried that method first. Let all the bits of string stick out of the paper and we lay another sheet of paper on top of the design. Immediately you will see the imprint on the top sheet. Since we used Kool-Aid as opposed to paint the change, print, absorption is immediate and dramatic - perfect to grab and sustain kid's attention. **** Then the fun part- the kids get to pull out the string to make more marks on the sheet. Another method we tried was to just lay the string in more detailed patterns and not bother with the string pulling. Since the "paint" so used was watery Kool-Aid which smelled GREAT by the way, the pulling step was not really needed to create amazing art. The kids created coil designs and laid them on the paper and waited a few seconds to watch the "paint" getting absorbed by the paper. We tried a rainbow design. **** Once you remove the strings one by one and lay the paper you are left with these. The coils designs are probably the most eye catching. Left over string which got dyed by all the Kool-Aid.