The
sun is shining and the days are long. It’s time for you and your little one to
venture into your backyard to try some juicy, messy and fun art projects that
you might not care to have in the house.
Messy
art gives children a sense of freedom, control, and possibility that they don’t
get from more tightly controlled crafts. Children explore gravity when plops of
paint land on their toes, experience sensory stimulation by painting with their
hands and feet, and discover color theory by sheer trial and error. This kind
of joyful, messy, and limitless play allows children to grow and develop by
integrating the whole child; mind, body, and spirit.
Play-based,
messy art explorations can be daunting for parents, but with these tips you can
set up, manage, and clean up play based art explorations for your child with
ease.
Set-Up
- Choose your spot. The
driveway, backyard, and the picnic table are great choices. Shady areas are
most comfortable for your child to work. Tape or pin up paper on the backyard
fence or tree for an impromptu easel.
- Protect your picnic table
with a machine washable, naturally coated splash mat like the one from Mimi-the-Sardine. (They also make gorgeous aprons from organic cotton fabric imported from Sweden.) If you need a quick solution, slice a garbage bag lengthwise. Sponge
the table with clean water before you spread out the bag so that it will stick.
- Paint on an old cookie
sheet. It contains any spills and you can send it through the dishwasher.
Rimmed cookie sheets also work well as trays to store art materials and carry
them outdoors when ready to make art.
- Old baby food jars make
excellent paint containers. Lids keep paint fresh between uses.
- Keep daddy's old t-shirts
handy for rags and cover-ups. Button-up shirts are great to put on backwards, so that when they get messy they don't have to pulled over your little painter's head. Better yet, slip your child into her old
bathing suit and water shoes.
- Put up an outdoor
clothesline for drying art in the sunshine. Dripping dry over the grass is good
too.
Basic Project Supplies
- Large roll of easel paper or
newsprint. Painting on old newspapers makes an interesting background for a
change of pace.
- At least three to six colors of
washable children’s craft paint. Primary colors (blue, yellow and red) are fun
to mix into more vibrant choices for your child. Adding white makes pastels.
- Three to six large, round brushes.
House painting brushes are fun too, but you’ll use more paint. Dish and bath sponges, old
toothbrushes, and dog toys make great, unique paint brushes.
- You can order bright,
washable materials: paint, markers, watercolors, and lots more from Discount School Supply.
- If you purchase
just one specialty art item for summer use, make It Colorations Liquid
Watercolor paint from Discount School Supply.
This highly concentrated, extra vibrant watercolor paint can be used straight
from the bottle as paint for paper or wood, a dye for rice for the sensory bin,
a coloring for play dough, and much more. Try the Tropical Colors set, eight 8-ounce bottles, $24.
- Spray bottles. Fill with
water and several tablespoons of liquid watercolor paint. Spray on paper
mounted to a tree or your back fence.
- Save your old cardboard
boxes and hot glue or tape them together with your child to make rockets,
castles and trains. Cut windows and doors with an exacto knife (parents only),
then paint and decorate. This one keeps children playing for hours.
Clean-Up and Storage:
- Add a drop of dish soap to
tempera paint to make clean-up easier.
- Use one brush per color of
paint. The paint won’t get watered down or muddy. It also creates a matching
game for young children.
- Cups or old mugs with warm
water keep brushes pliable until wash time.
- Old shoeboxes make great
storage for markers, pencils, brushes, and paper. Just take a digital photo of
what’s inside and stick it on the end; Your kids can find everything easily
and independently.
- Untangle the hose. The best
part of outdoor art is that you can just wash it all away.
Try It Now: Paintsicle
Painting
2–6-year-olds
Supplies: Liquid watercolor paint, ice cube tray, popsicle sticks (optional), white paper or white paper towel
Project: Pour different colors of liquid watercolor paint into an ice cube tray. Freeze overnight (with popsicle sticks if you like). Set up your area with a plastic bag or
splash mat and spread paper towel and white paper. Pop paints out onto a plate.
Children paint using frozen ‘paintsicles.’
Diana Mercer, a regular contributor for Mindful Mama, has been a teacher of young children and art for more than 20 years and lives in Boulder, Colorado. She founded a children’s art enrichment program called Clementine Studio, and has a natural children’s art supply company called Clementine Art, dedicated to making better, safer, and more developmental art products for children.