When we talk about
preschoolers painting many folks immediately think finger-painting or
easel painting with the big easel and the cute little chubby brushes.
And while both of these iconic methods are staples of the preschool
curriculum, and rightly so, there are so many more things we can do with
paint in our classroom or home.
Painting with Texturing Brushes & Tools.You can buy some wonderful texture brushes at Lakeshore
or Discount School Supply. But why limit yourself!
Other great painting tools for preschoolers include: bath scrub
poufs, potato mashers, egg beaters (the swirled coil type), and
natural sponges all make great painting tools. Rotate or
mix and match to spice things up.
Shaving cream, glue, & liquid water color.
This is a Bev Bos creation that amazes both kids and parents!
Mix equal portions of shaving cream and craft glue (like
Elmer's) together to create a fluffy paint. The amazing
part is that it retains the fluffy texture when it dries.
Use it white for "snow" painting, or add liquid water color or
food dye to give it some tint. Put out an assortment of
textured brushes and tools and let the fun begin.
Painting with small cars.
What do you do with small cars that get too faded and scratched
-- you know, the ones that make your facility look second rate
when parents come by for a tour? Well don't throw them
out! Toss then in a box to save for painting activities.
Put a few dollops of paint in some old pie plates and let the
kids "drive" the cars through the paint and onto the paper.
Makes great textured tracks. Extend the learning with
color mixing: red and blue dollops give many shades of
violet on the paper, and so on.
Painting with shaving cream and acrylic paint. Mixing these two together makes for lovely color and
sensory exploration. And when you are done, and the
project dried, you can brush the dry shaving cream away to
reveal a beautiful marbling effect.
Painting with produce.
Small apples cut in half lengthwise or crosswise can be dipped
in a tray of paint and pressed on paper to make fun prints.
Just be sure to use small apples so little hands can grasp them.
What other produce prints could you think to make? Older
preschoolers might like to experiment with sliced vegetables and
fruits to see what happens. Ask them if they think some
would be to mushy or wet to use. Plant leaves can yield
nice prints or stencils. Just be sure to explain that we
use them in moderation, so as to avoid wasting food.
Painting Rocks. Even if you don't remember
the "pet rock" craze of the '70s, you'll quickly come to
appreciate that a rock makes a quirky fun "canvas" to paint on.
Little oddities of shape, size, and texture can suggest many
creatures or items. Younger painters may just enjoy
experimenting with color and design to create abstract master
pieces while older children can make small frogs, flowers, bugs,
etc. Note that acrylic paints stick best. Next time
try painting wood scraps or sticks.
Painting with marbles or golf
balls. This is a great use for
shallow box trays that will fit a large sheet of construction
paper. (The flats that canned goods come in are good.)
Put some paint in your old pie tins and let kids dip or roll a
golf ball or marble in the paint first, then have them
drop it onto the paper. When they tip the box holding the
paper this way and that, the ball rolls around making paint
tracks. Some kids will play at this for a long time,
experimenting with the relationship between tilt and roll.
Finger Painting extended. We all know
about making hand prints and longs doodling swirls, but what
about use the shapes and textures of your hands to create more
advanced images? Dip your finger tips in red paint and
carefully press down to create red lady bugs. Let them dry
while you add green grass and leaves, then come back to add
their black spots. Works well outside on a warm sunny day.
Just secure that paper.
Liquid Watercolor.Available from Discount School Supply this
wonderful product can be used in so many ways. Put it in a
trigger-pump spray bottle and let kids squirt on paint.
Use it with an eye dropper. Or let them paint it on with a
regular paint brush.
Faux Painting.Perfect for those
moments when little ones still want to "paint" but you don't
have time for cleaning up paint. Just hand out some of
those cheap wooden paint brushes from the hardware store and
some containers with water. An old coffee can or butter
tub works well. Let kids "paint" the sidewalk, trikes and
cars, playground equipment, the side of the school -- then have
them watch as it magically disappears as the sun evaporates the
water.
Take It Outside
Painting indoors is all
well and good. But painting outdoors gives children even more
sources of inspiration: the play yard, flowers, birds and insects,
and the surrounding neighborhood. Plus, many children who are
afraid to "make a mess" indoors feel less inhibited outdoors.
So set up an
easel and a drying rack (or string
up an
elastic clothes line), pull out
your
tempra paints, brushes, and paper
and let them get busy. Just be sure that the surface they're
working on can be hosed down later. If you're worried about a
deck getting stained put down a drop cloth.
Dry
those masterpieces up and out of the way!
Finger painting and
other goopy sensory art is great fun! But what do you do with
all those wet drippy papers? Do like the pros and hang or rack
those art papers until they dry. String an
elastic clothes line outside to
hand wet papers and clip with
clothes pins. (Just be sure
to collect the papers at the end of the day or they may dampen in the
nighttime dew.)
If paintings or
collage are too runny to hang without dripping, lay them in a
stack a rack. We love this
one because you get 25 shelves for less than some brands with 15.
Plush it has wheels that allow you to easily to load near the project
table and then push somewhere out of the way to dry.
