a really nifty craft idea...

... that is super affordable. Something clever plus easy: an unbeatable combination. I suspect it came off the internet, probably adapted for this particular use, but could be altered as needed and applied to any number of different occasions.The only expense in this is a colored T-shirt. And if you wanted to really be a cheapskate when doing it with a large number of kids, you could include the request for a shirt in the registration form, so mom would know up-front they needed to root around and find one to send.

It needs to be a bright, or dark color, because the design is made by spraying diluted bleach on that will resist, not absorb into parts of the cloth that are masked off. Sort of reminding me of doing those crayon things in elementary school where you have kids color on paper with wax crayons. Then they brush on a diluted wash to absorb into the parts of the paper that do not have any design. Basically the same type thing, but using fabric instead of a sheet of paper.

You have the kids make a design on a piece of freezer paper. One side is shiny, the other 'flat', with no shine. The shiny side goes down on the T-shirt, and is ironed in place. Surprisingly, the paper will stick onto the fabric. You cannot handle too much, or fold, but keep it flat, and insert a sheet of paper inside the body of the shirt, between front and back. Spray lightly with a misting bottle with diluted bleach, about 40/60 water. Cheap bleach, store brand needs a higher concentration than name brand like Clorox. Put it out in sun, lying flat, for the sunlight to speed up the process. When it is dry, peel the paper off. Presto!

Kids today had been given a design to go by, which was sort of a stencil, with head of horse, with a girl's profile in the mane. They added names and the year, or names of horses they were riding and caring for all week.  I noticed that light colored T-shirts did not produce the desired contrast. Darker ones, or bright colors will be more effective. Really simple, and pretty neat looking.