Painting with Jars

Today we tried a new medium to paint with.....Jars!  My kids loved it.  I like to challenge the kids by putting out unusual items to paint with.  We have used rocks, jelly beans, Lego's, and ice.  It allows the children to use their problem solving skills, imagination, fine motor and many other benefits. 

 

this jar had ridges on the bottom and the kids figured out that if

they dragged the jar it would make this print

 

I just love how these jar paintings came out. 

*As always, when children are using anything breakable, close supervision is required. 







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Ribbon Wands

These are always a hit when we make them.  All you need is straws, pipe cleaners and some ribbon.  It is a great fine motor skill and a simply, cheap imagination tool!

 

 

Gather your materials. Cut a few strands of ribbon (I let the kids choose and cut their own)

 

Wrap the pipe cleaner around the ribbon

 

 

let the kids push the pipe cleaner into the straw (even my 3's could do it with some perseverance)

 

and Abracadabra, Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo! 



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Stone Painting

Wanna a super cheap (free) painting experience for your kiddos?  Collect some rocks, make your own paint (HERE is a super, easy recipe using sugar, corn starch, water and food coloring), and there you go!

We read the story Stone Soup, made some stone soup using veggie broth, celery, carrots, potatoes and corn. Then we painted with stones to round out our theme.  The kids really "rocked" it! 



 



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Using Ice for Pre-Writing Skills

I am always amazed how the simplest things can keep children engaged for so long.  The kids in my care love, love, love to use the pipettes (or those little medicine droppers).  It is so great for strengthening those little muscles needed for writing, cutting and all those other fine motor skills they will use so much in Kindergarten.  All I did was put out some ice trays, colored water, and a tub of ice cubes.  They mixed colors, learned about volume, cause and effect, sharing, and loads of language!  So simple and so many skills being used!

 



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Yummy Play Dough

Have you seen these Duncan Hines frosting flavors?  You can add them to frosting to create your own flavor of icing.  Well, I had picked up a couple different flavors (they are .99 at our local grocery store).  While making play dough for class one morning, I remember them sitting unused in the pantry and I imagined the yummy scent they would add to it.   Simply mix into your favorite play dough recipe.  It was a huge hit.  Use any flavor you wish, I didn't even add coloring to this batch.  

 

 

Here is my absolute favorite recipe....

 

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 tsp cream of tartar

Duncan Hines Frosting Creations packet

2 tsp cooking oil

1 1/2 cups of boiling water

a few drops of glycerin

 

 

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the boiling water and oil

Mix it all until it forms a ball, you may need to add flour or more water as needed.

When it is all mixed, add a few drops of glycerin (you can find it in the medicine aisle at the grocery store, makes a huge difference in your play dough!  I highly recommend using it)

 

This play dough will last a long time.  Keep it in an airtight container, I use a zip lock bag!



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Painting With Pumpkins

Want a fun way to use up those pumpkins?  Use them for painting!  After we used ours for hammering golf tees, cut them open, examined the innards, roasted the seeds, I cut the pumpkin into small chunks.  Then I cut off a little of the inside to make them flat-ish, stuck a craft stick into the top, added some orange paint and voila....a new sensory/art/pre-writing experience!  

 

 

 

 

the top of the pumpkin has a nice built in handle, this was the favorite piece for the kids



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Golf Ball Paintings

This is a different version of the tried and true "marble painting".  We used golf balls.  The kids had a "ball"!  We used a deep tub, placed a piece of paper in, let the kids squirt in their colors, toss in the balls and roll away!  Great for cause and effect, problem solving, color mixing, creativity and large motor coordinations

 

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