Top 10 Ways to Learn with Paint

This week I am joining in 25+ other KBN bloggers to share our Top 10 Learning Lists with you. I couldn’t be more excited! We will be sharing all week long, so make sure to check back! You can click here to view all the summer learning topics.

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My kids are counting down the days until Summer Vacation begins and so am I! There is nothing better than having a full summer packed full of quality time together. We love being alarm clock free and take full advantage of our flexible scheduled. However, I still want to be intentional about giving the kids opportunities to learn and grow over the summer. That is why I am so excited to be a part of this Top 10 learning series.

As most of you know I am passionate about encouraging kids to explore through art. Lots of the ideas that I will be sharing are easy to do, and so much fun that your kids will forget that they are learning. Totally a win in my book:)

Top 10 Ways to learn with Paint!

1. Study Great Artists ~ There are so much kids can learn from simply studying a great painting and then trying to mimic the techniques they see. Take the opportunity to either go to a museum, grab some art books from the library or simple do a little research on line. There are so many great artists out there that are perfect for getting your kids excited about art and learning a little bit about culture as well. Here are a few examples of ways to inspire your kids though art and painting

Pour Painting ~ Holton Rower
Giant Flowers ~ Georgia O’Keeffe Flowers
Concentric Circles ~ Kandinsky
Circle Painting ~ Olympic Poster

2. Weather and Paint ~ Kids love learning about weather and how it effects us each day. Take your kids outside and try painting in all different types of weather to see how it effects their finished piece.

5 fun ways to Paint in the Rain ~ grab your rain gear and head outside to paint in the rain.
Ice Paint ~ perfect way to stay cool on a sunny day. Watch the sun melt your ice and create a beautiful master piece.
Painting the Sky ~ great way to teach about clouds

3. The Listening Game ~ this game is great for reinforcing listening skills and the importance of following directions.

Each child will need a sheet of paper, paint brush and a pallet of paints. Give simple instructions/directions on what to paint. I love drawing right along with the kids (although I often cover my paper so they can’t see what I am drawing). It is important to remember to only give one set of instructions at a time.

For example, you could describe to the kids how to draw a Robot. You could say “paint a large grey square in the center of your paper. Now paint a smaller grey rectangle on top of the large square. Paint 2 blue curly lines moving away from the large square. At the end of each curly line paint a red circle…” Continue describing how to paint your robot until the master piece is finished. The kids will get a kick out of how silly each one looks. This game works especially well with a group of 2 or more kids following the same instructions. Continue playing, only this time have one of the kids describe what to paint.

4. Science and Paint ~ Kids are amazed by science, so we combined a little paint and a little science to create fun art! Check out these great ideas on how to bring a little science into your painting this summer.

Exploding Art ~ This is by far my kids favorite painting activity that we have done. I love that our whole family got involved. Learn how to make a film canister fly into the air, and see the effects of the explosion in paint.
Fluffy Bathtub Paint ~ Your kids will love this simple recipe. The best part (according to my kids) is the simple science experiment that you do to create this amazing bathtub paint.
Microwave Puffy Paint ~ A simple squeeze paint recipe that your kids will love. Then amaze them by placing their creation in the microwave for a few seconds. My kids could not believe what happened to their painting when it came out of the microwave!
Raised Salt Painting ~ You kids will love watching the paint travel along the salt. Simple recipe that is a little art and a little science!

5. Sensory paint ~ Paint is a great way to explore your senses. Touch, feel, smell, sound and taste can all be explored through paint.

Dancing Oobleck ~ This is a great way to show kids how sound waves work.
Why not turn on the music and paint what you hear. You might be surprised by the results. Switch up what you are listening to so see the difference.
There are lots of edible finger paint recipes out there. This is perfect for litter kiddos that still want to put everything in their mouth.
Cleaning with shaving cream ~ shaving cream is the perfect medium to squish through you fingers and toes. the best part about it is the kids will be cleaning as they are playing. Great way to clean all those messy art trays!
Painting with Spices ~ this is a great way to use up old spices and create a wonderful sensory experience for your kids. They will love how the paint smells.

6. Color Mixing ~ Place a pallet of primary colors in front of your child along with a black piece of paper. No need for anything fancy:) Challenge your kids to see how many colors they can create or challenge them to make a specific color.

If you are working with younger kids, simply invite them to discover what colors they can create. You can also use ice cube trays or muffin tins filled with colored water and use an eye dropper to transfer the colors around.

7. Painting without Brushes ~ Paint with new tools and discover what type of marks they leave behind. Leave the brushes in the cupboard, and try some of these fun and new ways to discover your child’s inner artist!

DIY Spin Art Machine ~ Create your own spin art machine with a few simple items from around the house.
Q-tip Painting ~ Simply replace the brushes with q-tips and see what the kids create.
Mess Free Finger painting ~ perfect for those days when little ones want to paint, but you have no time to clean up a huge mess.
Credit Card Art ~ Lots of scraping and painting can happen with all those used up gift cards, hotel room keys etc.
Marble Painting ~ My kids love rolling a marble in paint and seeing the cool tracks it leaves behind. Use an oatmeal container to contain the mess.
Painting without Brushes Pinterest Board ~ love for you to follow along with our collaborative board that is all about getting creative with how we paint. Lots of fun and unique ideas are being shared!

8. Read a book and then paint what you heard ~ This is a fun way for kids to make connections with the book that they are reading. It is a great way to encourage your kids to be imaginative and pay attention to details. Could work great with a favorite book, or one that you have only read once. Not only is it encouraging your kiddos to read, but also to listen, and use their imagination.

9. Paint with Air ~ We can’t see air, but we can observe it effects on things around us. Here are some fun ways to explore air with your kids and see how wind works.

Bubble Painting ~ This is a favorite in our house. There is nothing better than making amazing bubble prints on a paper. All created by you blowing air into a solution of paint, soap and water.
Painting with Balloons ~ Simple techniques that use the air from inside the balloon to paint with. My kids love this.
Painting with Straws ~ Use a straw and blow paint around on your paper. Great technique for creating beautiful blossoming tree, or a silly monster.

10. DIY Paint Recipes ~ Store bought paints are convenient, however it is fun to teach your kids that they can actually make their own paints right at home.

Art Recipe Pinterest Board ~ this board is packed full of fun DIY recipes that are prefect for creating with your kids. You might be surprised at how many mediums can be created at home. Why purchase it if you can make it at home?

I would love to hear how you keep your kids engaged over the summer and if you have any tricks and tips for using paint to teach your kids.

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Here is the list of the other KBN blogs that are participating! You will want to hop on over and check out their Top 10 Ways to keep kids learning while school is out! There are lots of great ideas that I can’t wait to use with my own kids this summer!

Homemade Spin Art Machine

How to make your own Spin Art Machine

Have you ever tried creating Spin Art? We love our store bought spin art machine, however I often get emails wondering if we have an alternative to purchasing a Spin Art Machine. So we came up with 2 simple ways that you can make a Homemade Spin Art Machine from things around your house.

#1 ~ Lazy Susan Spin Art

We picked up a Lazy Susan years ago at a thrift store, and it has been sitting in the basement collecting dust. So we dusted it off and turned it into a simple Spin Art Machine.

Materials:

Lazy Susan that spin easily
Container ~ we used a disposable clear container so the kids could see their artwork. No need for a lid.
Squeeze bottles of watered down paint ~ we used tempera paint
Masking Tape
Paper ~ cut to fit inside your container

Simply tape the container to the center of the Lazy Susan. Squeeze some watered down paint into the center of the container and spin the Lazy Susan.

Tips:

You need to be able to spin the Lazy Susan fast in order to get the paint to splatter to the edges. My kids are 7,8 and 10 and it worked well for them, but younger kids would need help spinning it.
We also found that it worked best with 2 people. One person did the spinning and another person added the paint while it was spinning. So easy and the kids loved the results.
When we were all done, we simply removed the container and the tape and sent it back to the basement to collect some more dust:) I love that we didn’t have to permanently alter the Lazy Susan to make our art.

#2 ~ Electric Drill Spin Art

Now this one was AMAZING! When we were testing out the Lazy Susan idea, my son asked if he could try using an electric drill. Love it, although I was not sure exactly what he was thinking. Off to the garage Kaleb and Chuck went and came back with this amazing contraption. This is my sons version of a spin art machine, with a little tweaking from my hubby:) My 10 year old boy is in love with power tools, so this was right up his alley!

Please remember to be careful when using power tools with kids! My kids are old enough to know how to use a drill, but they are dangerous and need to be handled with care! PARENTAL supervision is required for this activity! After some reminders of safety precautions we set to work.

Materials needed:

Electric Drill
Clear container with a lid
Cardboard circle cut to fit the container ~ just to stabilize the paper
Paper ~ cut to fit the container
Masking Tape ~ to hold the paper to the cardboard when spinning
Long threaded bolt, 2 washers and a nut

When my hubby and Kaleb came back from the garage, this is what they brought me. Amazing! Kaleb was so proud of his invention.

To set up your own Drill Spin Art Machine, simply drill a hole in the bottom of your container large enough to fit the bolt through. Slide one of the washers onto the bolt and then fit the bolt through the container so that the treated end comes out the bottom of the container. Add another washer and then tighten with a nut. Once you have all that together simply fit the end of the bolt into the drill and tighten like you would a regular drill bit.

I used our homemade spin art machine with a group of younger kids as well and it worked great. Just remember to remind them of the safety rules when working with tools.

Tips:

Inside the container I used a piece of cardboard cut to the size of the paper just to stabilize the bottom. You probably can skip this step, it might just depend on the type of bolt that you use.
Put on the lid after we added the paint. It tends to splatter a bit, but that is part of the fun.

I love how pretty the colors look when they spin together. It looks just like the spin art that we have created with our store bought machine.

I love how the colors spill up the sides of the container. Each piece of art turns out different. This was a blast and something that we will be doing again soon!

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Welcome Back to Paint and Play! The Fun new series that I am doing with Crystal from Growing A Jeweled Rose. The focus for this series is all about the process, having fun and getting kids excited to create art! This week we challenged each other to put our own “spin” on creating Spin Art. Growing A Jeweled Rose got moving with her girls to make their art, and we headed to the tool shed to create a simple machine.

Make sure to stop by Growing A Jeweled Rose and check out all the amazing fun they had creating spin art through movement.

Don’t miss out on any of our Paint and Play series:

Super Creative Balloon Painting

Balloon Painting 5 Ways

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If you love process art like us, then check out my Painting Without Brushes Pinterest board. It is packed full of fun ideas. I would love to hear how you have used balloons to create or play with your kids.

Wet Chalk Drawings

Chalk is a fun and inexpensive medium to draw with. My kids love decorating our sidewalks with beautiful drawings and colorful games. They can spend hours outside creating, and love when it rains and cleans their “canvas” so that they can start all over creating new ideas and drawings. Since we always have an abundance of chalk, we decided to create simple Wet Chalk Drawings. Nothing to fancy, but so easy to do.

Since the set up of this activity is minimal, it is perfect for those days when you just need something extra to do! No prep work, and I always have chalk and paper on hand:)

Materials:

Chalk ~ we like to use are chunky sidewalk chalk
Black paper
Glass 1/2 full of water

Simple place the chalk into the glass of water for a few moments and you are ready to begin creating.

I love the GIANT roll of black paper that a friend blessed us with. You can do this with any size of paper. Small sheets of construction paper work great. However, there is something magical about creating on a huge piece of paper.

You can also have the kids experiment with both wet chalk and dry chalk to see which they like coloring and drawing with.

They will probably find that by adding water, the texture of the chalk changes. It becomes more smooth and easier to glide across the paper. The texture becomes almost paint like. I love how vibrant the colors become, especially on the black paper.

If you want to make the colors even brighter, experiment with dissolving a little sugar into the water.

Be careful (especially if you are using the skinny chalk) since when the chalk is wet, it is more fragile and will snap if you add too much pressure.

When you are done creating just leave the chalk out to dry. It will go back to normal once it is dry.

If you are worried about the drawing smudging you can give it a quick spray with hair spray to set it. Hairspray works great on dry chalk drawing too:)

You can also try this fun technique outside on the side walk. Bring a glass of water with you, or play with chalk in the rain. You might be surprised at how your drawings turn out:)

My kids also love using chalk to temporarily color their hair. Here is a simple tutorial on how to Chalk Hair. It is a simple technique that is inexpensive and washes out easily!

What is your favorite way to play with chalk?

Alphabet Gems

I am so excited to have Sam from Thrive 360 Living guest posting on Housing A Forest today! I met Sam not that long ago, and immediately feel in love with her blog. I love finding new blogs, and this is one that you will want to go check out. It is packed full of engaging activities for kids. I especially love all the literacy activities that Sam does with her little guy. They are beautiful!

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Hi everyone! My name is Sam, and I blog at Thrive 360 Living. I’m excited to be here to share my latest craft and learning game. As a stay-at-home mom to my 2-year-old boy Jake, I’m always trying to come up with projects that are a creative outlet for me and a learning experience for him.

Alphabet Gems ~ DIY game to encourage matching upper and lower case letters

I thought alphabet gems would be good playing pieces for an activity that matches uppercase and lowercase letters. This project is very easy to make, even for a crafting novice.

Here are the materials needed:

*26 large clear glass stones, rounded on one side and flat on the other – I bought mine at Michael’s

*Mod Podge

*Foam brush

*Scrapbook paper

*Black marker

*Playing board – I got my wood slice from Michael’s, but any board, cardboard or even paper would do.

Three easy steps for making the alphabet gems:

1. Cut the scrapbook paper to fit the back of each gem.

2. Draw uppercase letters on each piece of paper.

3. Using your foam brush, apply Mod Podge to the letter-side of the paper and then attach the paper to the flat side of the gem. Add another layer of Mod Podge over the back of the paper to make sure it is sealed.

For the game board, use a marker to write out the lowercase letters.

After nap time is when my creations are typically put to the test. It was such a nice day that I decided to set-up our gem letter-matching game outside. I explained to Jake that the object was to match the uppercase letter with the lowercase letter on the playing board. After showing him two examples, he caught on. However, he was frustrated that the letters didn’t look exactly the same. Since we often refer to smaller items as “baby” items, I told him that the letters on the board were baby letters and the bigger letters were mama letters, and the mamas needed to find their babies. He seemed to enjoy that concept. We still have a ways to go, but I can tell this will be an activity we’ll be using often.

Here are other ways to use your alphabet gems:

-Make them into magnets – perfect for hanging artwork.

-Use them for color sorting.

-Teach simple spelling.

-Put them in a bag or box and give them as a gift.

-Hide them for a treasure hunt.

-Put them in a dish and display them because they just look pretty.

It has been such a pleasure to share this activity with you today. If you’d like to follow along with me and see more projects, you can connect on my blog, Facebook page, and Pinterest.

Thrive 360 Living | Facebook | Pinterest

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Thanks so much for posting with us Sam! I love your little Alphabet Gems! I might just have to make a special set as a gift for my niece. For more great ideas like this one, visit Sam at Thrive 360 Living and let her know you saw her post on Housing A Forest. We all love comments and I know Sam would love to hear from you:)

Here are a few of my favorite post from Thrive 360 Living to get you started:

6 Fun Outdoor Play Activities

Welcome back to the Weekly Kids Co-op. My kids are counting down the days until school is out for the summer. Last week I featured Engaging Activities for Boys that my kids can’t wait to try while on break. This week I am featuring 6 Fun Outdoor Play Activities perfect for engaging my kids this summer. Yea for summer!

Flick and Fling Physical Art ~ We love creating large process art. This is on our summer bucket list for sure!
Mud Day ~ Kids love mud, Squishing, playing and creating. This simple activity that is perfect for your backyard.
12 Activities for Chalk ~ we love chalk, it is our go to medium for playing outside. Lots of great ideas for playing and learning.
Happy Birthday Adam Rex ~ I love how he makes the books come alive for his kids. Check out his amazing whale creation, complete with an active blowhole. My kids would love to try this!
Recycling Deodorant Bottles for Fun ~ Recycling and art “rolled” into one. I remember doing this with water on the sidewalk as a kid, even better with paint!
Creating with Flowers, Twigs and Leaves ~ We love creating with nature. I can’t wait to create these simple nature people with my kids.

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab a Housing A Forest button.

Come back every Thursday to see if your creative ideas were featured and link up any new ideas! (I will be using one image and a link back to your blog.)

Author Archives: Tammy

Top 10 Ways to Learn with Paint

Top 10 Ways to learn with Paint!

Homemade Spin Art Machine

How to make your own Spin Art Machine

#1 ~ Lazy Susan Spin Art

Tips:

#2 ~ Electric Drill Spin Art

Materials needed:

Tips:

Wet Chalk Drawings

Alphabet Gems

6 Fun Outdoor Play Activities

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