painting

Balloon Painting Flower Art

July 28, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This balloon painting flower art is quick and easy to do and can make a room look cozier in no time. It is an unexpected, novel way to create art. Since children love activities with balloons, they’ll surely enjoy participating in this art invitation.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this large-scale art project:

round balloons
tempera paints in a variety of colors
paper plates
18-inch x 24-inch sturdy paper
paintbrushes and paint pots
sponge dish wands
thin metallic garland
white glue and glue paddle
scissors
waterproof table cover

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Balloon Painting Flower Art Set Up

To set up this art project, start by covering an art table with a waterproof table cover.

Next, blow up round balloons to about 1/3 their usual size. Small balloons work fine for this project.

Then pour tempera paint in a variety of colors onto paper plates.

Afterward, drop paint into small plates or paint pot lids and add a sponge dish wand into each one.

Set out the paint trays, balloons, dish wands, and large sheets of sturdy paper on the art table. Your painting invitation is now ready to go.

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The Balloon Painting Flower Art Project

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To create eye-catching balloon art flowers, press a balloon into one of the paint colors, lift it off, and carefully press it down onto a piece of sturdy paper.

Tip: The firmer a paint-dipped balloon is pressed on paper, the bigger the print. Pressing the balloon down gently creates a smaller print.

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Continue to make balloon prints. It’s fun to create flowers in hues of blue and green in addition to more commonly seen colors.

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Afterward, dip a sponge dish wand into a contrasting paint color and stamp a circle in the center of each flower-shaped print.

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When the roundish prints are dry, cut them out.

Then dip a paintbrush into a pot of green tempera and paint leaves and stems on a large sheet of cardstock paper.

For a shimmery look, add a line of white glue to each leaf and press on a strip of thin metallic garland.

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Next, glue the round, bold, balloon-painted flowers on top of the stems using white glue or a glue gun.

To embellish the flower centers, add a circle of glue to each one and affix a strip of thin metallic garland to each of them.

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You will have large-scale, stunning flower art ready for display.

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Tulip Art Painting Project

Dish Wand Print Flower Art

Flower Theme Activities

Mother’s Day Crafts and Gifts

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[Read more…]

Watercolor Rainbows With Markers

April 6, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Making watercolor rainbows with markers is one of the easiest and most fun art activities for early learners to do. Preparation time is minimal, and the art project is stunning every time.

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Supplies To Collect

Only the following few supplies are needed for this gorgeous watercolor art project:

eye droppers or pipettes
paper towel roll
set of 10 water-based markers
paint pot with water
ice cream pail lid
reusable tablecover

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Watercolor Rainbows With Markers Art Project

To offer this fun watercolor art project, set out a sample rainbow drawing, a paper towel roll sheet, and a set of water-based markers.

Discuss the colors of the rainbow, and the acronym ROYGBIV. Explain that this acronym stands for the order of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Invite participants to draw a rainbow, starting with a red curved line near the edges of their paper towel sheet.

Tip: To make it easier for young children, draw a large red half circle on each paper towel sheet using an ice cream pail lid as a guide. Then ask participants to draw in the rest of the curved lines of the rainbow.

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After each child has finished their rainbow drawing, direct them to a table with eye droppers or pipettes and paint pots filled with water. Ask participants to drop water on their rainbow with the droppers. They will absolutely love this part of the art activity.

Let the beautiful rainbow art dry overnight and display it.

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Note: Children may draw their rainbows in a unique color pattern. That is just fine…the rainbows will look beautiful in any color order.

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More Eye Dropper Art

Eye Dropper Leaf Art

Gorgeous Eye Dropper Art

Eye Dropper Pumpkin Art

Eye Dropper Heart Art

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More Watercolor Art

Watercolor Apples With Markers

Pump Bottle Watercolor Art

Unicorn Watercolor Art

Watercolor Planets With Markers

Crayon Resist Watercolor Shamrock

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[Read more…]

Squish Painting Shamrock Art

March 15, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This March I needed to get new art up quickly, and decided to have my little learners participate in a squish painting shamrock art project. Squish painting is a quick and satisfying art activity that little children love to do. Using folded hearts for the art project, the shamrock art is effortless to create.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this seasonal squish art activity:

magenta, green, and white tempera paint
magenta and green cardstock paper
manila tag paper
ruler, pencil, and scissors
paint pots and spoons

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The Squish Painting Art Project

To prepare this activity, start by tracing and cutting out hearts from sturdy paper. Manila tag paper works well for the project. It comes in 9 x 12-inch, 12 x 18-inch, or even 18 x 24-inch paper sizes. The larger-sized paper allows for cutting bigger hearts.

When finished with the cutting part, fold the hearts in half.

Next, mix a little yellow into the green tempera paint to create a lighter brighter color.

Then set out green and white paint pots, and add a spoon to each one.

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Invite participants to spoon each paint color onto their hearts, then fold one side over the other.

Have children rub their hands over their heart halves to smooth out the paint.

Finally, ask them to open their hearts to see the new design created.

Shamrock Art Display

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To make a shamrock using the squish-painted hearts, group the hearts into three leaflets. Glue them to a large cardstock background or tape them to a wall. Then cut a long, thin petiole from green cardstock paper. Affix the petiole to the shamrock design.

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Variation of the Squish Painting Shamrock Art Project

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Introduce a new tempera paint color for an interesting way to vary this squish painting shamrock art project. Since shamrock plants also come in a purple variety called purple oxalis, using magenta paint instead of green is a natural fit for changing up the activity.

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Shamrock Leaf Print Art

St. Patrick’s Day Sheep Craft

Shamrock Paper Plate Lion

Leprechaun Gnome Craft

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[Read more…]

Polar Scene Snow Painting

February 6, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This polar scene snow painting activity was a last minute set up after a group discussion about igloos and the possibility of making one. We just happened to have a lot of snow in our city that week, so it was a good fit. Save this idea for the next time you have snow…the art and sensory activity is sure to be a hit.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

Supplies to Collect

Just the following few supplies are needed for this polar scene snow painting activity:

sensory tray
bus tub
large bowl
polar animal figurines
ice cubes or acrylic ice cubes
snow
paint pots and paintbrushes
neon food coloring or liquid food colors
stage light (optional)

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Polar Scene Snow Painting

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To set up this snowy sensory set up, the first thing to do is to select a sensory tray. For this activity, I picked a large active world tray. It is gernously-sized, and has room for six to eight children to paint at a time. For three to four children, a smaller tray or bin would work just fine.

Next, fill a bus tub or similar-sized utility box with snow and pour it into the bin.

Afterward, pack a salad bowl-sized metal bowl full of snow and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then tip the bowl over in the center of the snow-filled tray to create an igloo. Pack more snow around the dome if necessary to ensure a rounded shape.

Dig a little hole in one part of the igloo to become an entrance.

Then add ice cubes or acrylic ice cubes around the snow house.

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Next, generously squirt neon food colors such as green, pink, and purple into paint pots half-filled with water. Add a paintbrush to each pot.

Note: The food color choices are inspired by hues displayed in northern lights, which frequently flood the arctic skies and illuminate the land.

Finally, invite your little charges to paint the igloo and snow.

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To extend this transient art invitation and add ambiance, set up a stage light and position it to shine on the igloo and animal figurines while the children are participating in the polar scene snow painting activity.

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Children may wish to paint the animal figurines during the art and sensory experience. The paint washes off easily with a little soap and water.

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More Northern Lights-inspired Activities

Igloo “Glamping” Pretend Play

Polar Bear Small World

Northern Lights Squish Painting

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[Read more…]

Snowflake Reindeer Craft

December 21, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This snowflake reindeer craft is a fun Christmas one to include in your rotation of festive activities. It gives little learners a chance to use scissors and paint and help create an animal craft. Download the free printable to make this craft super easy to put together.

The original plan for this activity was to create a neutral snowflake reindeer paper craft. The neutral paper proved to be a little hard to cut into snowflakes, so my little charges moved on to cutting shapes from coffee filters instead. This led to painting them in pink, purple, and turquoise hues, not anywhere near actual reindeer colors. So we ended up making brown red-nosed reindeer, and others in turquoise, pink, and purple hues.

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Snowflake Reindeer Craft Supplies

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Gather the following supplies to make this cute snowflake reindeer craft:

round coffee filters
brown, pink, purple, and turquoise liquid watercolors or tempera paint blocks
paint pots
paintbrushes
brown, turquoise, purple, white, cream, and grey cardstock paper
red, pink, and teal pompoms
wiggly eyes
glue stick
white glue
scissors

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The Snowflake Reindeer Craft

To make the reindeer craft, start by having participants fold and cut coffee filters into snowflake designs. A lovely blog post by supermakeit.com shows how to create them.

Next, invite participants to paint a snowflake light brown, using liquid watercolor paint or tempera blocks made wet with water.

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While the painted coffee filter snowflakes are drying, cut reindeer heads and legs from brown cardstock, and antlers from cream-colored cardstock. Older children can do this themselves. Feel free to download this pattern to make craft preparation easier.

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Reindeer Craft PatternDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Afterward, have participants use a glue stick to adhere their decorated snowflake to the center of 8 ½ x 11-inch or 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper.

Then guide them in using their glue stick to tack on the reindeer’s head, antlers, and legs.

Finally, have them use white glue to adhere two wiggly eyes and a red pompom nose to their reindeer.

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In addition to having children paint snowflakes in a neutral hue, set out a few other paint colors. Purple, pink, and turquoise are good color choices for painting them. Offer complementary-colored cardstock for the reindeer heads, antlers, noses, and legs.