My child's 8 year old class wish to use a batik technique to create a class quilt.  Are there any resists that don't use hot wax we can use?

Sure there are. There are quite a few brands, such as Presist, Jacquard Clear Waterbased Resist, or Silkpaint water-soluble resist, or you can use Elmer's blue glue gel. The biggest drawback is not being able to immerse the resist-treated fabric in a dyebath, so you pretty much have to paint the dye on. This is a small drawback compared to the horrible risk of a child's getting burned with hot wax, or damaging the children's lungs with paraffin fumes.

There is a page in the gallery section of my site devoted to an example of using Elmer's Washable Blue Glue Gel instead of wax. Note that you must use the BLUE gel, not white glue! The glue gel must be dry before you apply the dye, but don't leave it too many days before applying the dye, or it might not all wash out.

You cannot use a hot-water dye such as all-purpose dye in batiking, whether you use real wax or a water-soluble resist; the hot water dyebath required to dye with all-purpose dye will not only melt wax, but also dissolve water-soluble resists. It is essential to obtain cool water fiber reactive dyes, instead, such as Procion MX dye, or Dylon Cold Water dye (but not Dylon Multi-Purpose dye!). You can mail-order Procion MX dye from most of the different companies that are listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page.

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