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Northern Lights Squish Painting

July 22, 2020 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

Northern lights inspired squish and string painting. Facts about northern lights included. An all-ages art activity to celebrate nature's dazzling light show.

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Northern lights, or auroras, are nature’s majestic light shows sent from the heavens to earth. They are spectacular to view and stunning in photographs or art.  A northern lights squish painting project celebrates the vibrancy and uniqueness of this natural light display.

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Ten Facts About Northern Lights

  • Northern lights are dazzling neon light shows visible in night skies.
  • Electrically charged particles from the sun interact with gases in the earth’s atmosphere to produce the auroras.
  • Charged particle collisions with oxygen in the upper atmosphere cause green dominant auroras; collisions with nitrogen in the slightly lower atmosphere cause blue or purple-red auroras.
  • Northern lights can also showcase pink, blue, orange, or yellow colors.
  • The dancing lights are seen over 200 nights a year in northern skies.
  • There are different kinds of northern lights. They can display as arcs, shooting rays, coronas, or patchy and pulsating lights.
  • Remote northern places with clear, dark nights are optimum aurora viewing locations.
  • Yellowknife, NWT, and Fairbanks, Alaska are two prime locations for observing northern lights.
  • The best time to see auroras is from October to May.
  • Northern lights can occasionally be seen from airplanes, especially on polar flights.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Northern Lights Squish Painting Art Activity

This art activity is inspired by the colors and shapes of northern lights.

Materials To Collect:

  • 12 x 12 pieces of black fade-resistant construction paper
  • bright green and magenta tempera paints
  • paint containers
  • disposable plate
  • spoons
  • long pieces of string or yarn

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Fold 12-inch by 12-inch pieces of black construction paper in half. Set out bright green and magenta tempera paints.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Invite your child to spoon both paint colors onto the paper.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Ask your early learner to fold over the paper and rub a hand over it.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish painting technique.

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Encourage your child to open the paper and admire the art. It is always exciting to see the designs created.

A finished squish painting art project ready to let dry. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Offer string to add interest to the art activity.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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Ask your little learner to drop magenta paint onto the paper, and lay a string in green paint. Pressing over the string with a spoon is helpful to make sure the string is paint-soaked.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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Next, ask your child to lay the string on the paper in a serpentine shape.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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With one hand lightly on the folded paper, have your child pull out the string slowly and carefully.

Invitation to paint northern lights with a squish and string painting technique.

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The art will be stunning.

Northern lights inspired squish painting with bright paints and a string. An all-ages art activity,

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View a Northern Lights Squish Painting video tutorial.

Northern lights inspired squish painting art project with bright green and magenta tempera paints. An all-ages activity to celebrate nature's light show,

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Northern Lights Paint Project Variations

The paint colors can be adjusted. A bit of yellow can be added to green paint to add vibrancy, and a drop of white can be added to magenta paint to brighten it.

Paint colors can be varied by introducing turquoise, red, or pink.

A longer string can be used.

Paint can be dripped and paint-soaked string can be applied more than once on each art project.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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A squish and string painting art project. An all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Northern lights add ambiance to long, dark, cold northern winters. They add excitement to camping trips or backyard wiener roasts. They are a spectacular subject for art projects.

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Squish and string painting art projects. This is an all-ages art activity that is northern lights inspired.

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Don’t forget to share this post on Pinterest or your favorite Social Media channel. Sharing is caring!

Northern lights inspired squish and string painting. Facts about northern lights included. An all-ages art activity to celebrate nature's dazzling light show.

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© Annette Kaminsky July 22, 2020

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Filed Under: art, preschool, science Tagged With: Arctic, light, northern lights, painting

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Hi, I'm Annette Kaminsky. I am a preschool teacher who loves to share easy and fun early learning activities. Thanks for visiting my blog. Feel free to stay awhile!

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