Being Creative With Paint

[Susan]

The colour mixing works really well! We printed the hands before rubbing together and then printed agin. Instant demonstration!

 

As for designer clothing in Nurseries, I wish schools didnt have school uniforms and all children wore old clothes. However hard I try the children always seem to get paint all over themselves and the aprons and school uniforms are soon messed up too.

A tip I picked up somewhere was to mix some washing up liquid into the paint, it then washes out more easily. Doesnt work as well with ready mixed paint though but I add it anyway!

[Guest]

We do the magic colour mixing hands too, as part of out colour topic!!!!

The children are amazed at what they can achieve with their friends!!!

 

I have also mixed paint into ice lolly moulds, they use them to mark the paper and as the ice melts the paint gets a runnier consistency!!!

 

(You really need to experiment for the best powder/paint and water ratios)

I regularly tape a bin bag to the tables and add runny paint, glitter, combs, shaving foam,wood shavings, herbs and spices etc to make prints from the childrens mark making. The children feel no pressure to make a "perfect" picture as they can rub it out and start again before they make a final print. Mounted on our staircase, the breze can enhance the smells of the herbs and things we use.

 

Try praying plain paper with water and "sticking" coloured tisue paper shapes onto it. Once the paper dries, peel off the paper and you have a perfect print of your original design.

 

I make smellly paint, using jelly crystals, essential oils, herbs, spices etc and textured paints using salt, porridge or woodshavings!!!!

 

The children all love these experiences, the language is phenomenal and they all rave to their parents about what they have used to paint with "today"

 

 

Janet

[Rea]

I love the idea of putting scents into the paint. I've done it loads of times with the dough and the water tray but never gave paint a thought...silly me.

[Guest]

The smelly paint one is good if you use fruity smelling oils. We usually use this activity when we are doing our senses and the children do observational paintings of strawberries, apples, raspberries, lemons etc. using the appropriately scented and colour paint.

Linda

[Inge]

A simple addition - use feathers instead of brushes, what about shaving brushes our children love both of these, or cotton wool soaked in paint and dropped from a great height onto paper- we use a climbing frame for this. Put dried peas into a bag that previously contained oranges or lemons tie them in and use them to print with. ( we do all the messy painting mentioned already)

 

A quick note- if using icing sugar mixture ensure that it is not the wasp season, enough said.

[Guest]

When on a course in 1989, How old am I!!!!

 

I played around at the art table and discovered this technique for butterfly pictures the result is outstanding, even though I say so myself.

 

A piece of A3ish sized paper - fold in half.

 

open - then along the crease, squirt from small bottles 4 lines of different colours, next to each other. ( or with a brush put a lot of paint in a line)

 

fold paper over and on the outside using a wide toothed comb, comb outwards from crease. open up and all the colours merge to make a beautiful butterfly.

 

ps if you use a dark colour 1st next to the crease this is like the body of the butterfly.

 

Have fun.

Peggy

[Susan]

Welcome in Inge!

[Gezabel]

Peggy and dont the children love it! A long time favourite with me and the children! The "surprise" of opening up the paper to discover the buttefly never fails.

 

More recently we have done it with heavy duty clear plastic and they love this just as much, they can see the pattern unfolding, when open, place paper on top and print - have fun!!!

[Magenta]

'Cromar' paint is excellent for butterflies as the colours don't mix, difficult to explain, but the effect is amazing. Its available in metallic colours too!

[hali]

we used sand and vanilla or peppermint essence when we were ofsted inspected...went down very well

[Rea]

Paint 3-4 pieces of string in different colours, put them all onto a piece of paper leavng about an inch hangng over the edge, fold the paper, rub over the string and then while the papers still folded, pull each piece of string out. It makes lovely patterns.

[Guest]

I have adapted many ideas from ones found on the internet.

One really succesful one is to print off a penguin (standing, I think i might have one) fold his feet over and attatch a variety of textured materials to his flippers.

Give each child a large piece of paper, ask whether they want to stick snowballs, icebergs etc onto it using cotton wool.

Can they choose a penguina and make it skate around the berg, does each penguin leave a different mark? Can they make the penguin move by jumping?

Previously the children have come back to me and said penguins slide on their tummies, we attached materials to there instead!!!!!

I adapted it to fit in around a red arrows display, the children used red arrows to fly around their paper, and then stuck a pre-cut red arrow to a pipe cleaner which they curled to fly out of the paper (we stuck the pipecleaner-corkscrew, zigzag whatever) on with sellotape

 

When i did it as penguins the children came back to me next day with facts from home, obviously fun and exciting activities have the most impact. I now know penguins eat krill and they don't live with Father Christmas, they live at the other end of the world!!!!

 

Jan

[Guest]

'Cromar' does make a brilliant effect. It works well on heavy duty plastic and when dry if you rub over the unpainted side with a damp cloth you can stick the butterflies to the windows. They are really effective.

[Guest]

I do the finger painting prints with my little ones that I childmind (from 6months+ - as soon as they can move their hands really!) and at preschool.

I'm interested that Ofsted were impressed - must keep that in mind!

 

Ideas for keeping mess down a bit.... plastic sheeting (not too expensive from DIY shop) taped to table, can be wiped between children or just replaced.

 

Thicker plastic sheeting on the floor in/outside that can be washed properly for next time.

 

I have used the plastic trays that large pizzas (from Tescos...) come on. They are black and quite sturdy but don't put in the dishwasher!!

I cut the paper to fit and it worked fine.

[Posy]

Not messy-messy but we use empty plastic roll on deodorant bottles. The children use them on wallpaper either taped to table or fence, paper not children (although I don't know....could work!) they can experiment freely or follow lines, make patterns, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Back to my reports, if I appear again today, please someone, pull the plug on me!

Barb

[Guest]

In my old job I introduced the paint and "things" on a table and make a print method.

 

Some of the children got the concept of mirror images and tried to write backwards, other, younger children just enjoyed the experience, without fear of failure, they rubbed out and began again.

 

However, my new, and not very permanent, setting hates mess and I was not able to do the activity on the tables.

I introduced those big brown trays instead, and worked back up to covering the tables with a black bin bag (very difficult in my new place. They have those octagonal style tables!!!!)

Parents love it, all mess and not in their house!!!!

 

I have just done paint, mint essence, salt, and glitter prints.

[Guest]

We made an abstract water picture with blues / greens/ whites using rubber gloves( do make sure its only a pin prick - we cut far to big a hole!), fir cones, rollers, brushes, old car wheels( the children loved these), balls, balls of wool and anythign else we could find - we add glitter and shiny strips of paper for a final effect - the local chapel displayed them through the harvest period.

 

What do you do with large pictures after they have come down or have been returned to you???

[Guest]

a favourite activity at our FS is to make a neutral (well flour coloured) finger paint with the children (ratio of flour/ water/ mix and pop in microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on quantity), we scent it and then put it into smaller pots so that children can then mix their own colours. Lovely thick textures and smelly pictures (used shampoo once and the smell lingered for weeks).

 

Have also explored what happens to wet paper when you add crayon, pencil, charcoal, fel tip, powder paint sprinkled on, little squirts of liquid paint etc then taking a paintbrush dfifferent sizes etc though the paints in trails. I thoroughly enjoyed the activty and children' s language explored.

 

Lisa

[Guest]

Just found this topic. One of our favourites is bungee tights painting!

 

Fill the toe of one leg of an old pair of tights with rice, pasta spirals, dried beans, shells, or anything really and tie a knot to hold it all in. Then you put the paper on the floor, the children hold the tights by the other end, dip in the paint and bounce it up and down (a bit like a yoyo) on the paper!

 

If you make 2 or 3 different ones they each give a different effect. The children waiting their turn can be given a dry one to feel and see what they think is in it. Lots of language describing the textures.

 

Warning - they will probably get paint on your leg, shoe, the wall, the floor, the other children......

Carolyn

[Guest]

Hope this helps in your qeust for creative ideas, I have used a salad spinner with a circle of paper blutacked to the base, you can then either put blobs of paint on the paper and then spin like mad or, if you are feeling brave, spin the basket and quickly remove the lid and using a pipette drip in paint quickly whilst the paper is moving. It can take a few trail efforts to get the consistency of paint right but can look really effective, especially when two or more colours are used.

 

Karen

[Guest]

Tea Bag splats are good.

Get some tea bags, we used round, square and pyramid, dip them in paint , hold them as high as you can and drop them "splat" fantastic effects, some children droppped them to destruction and we had added texture from the tea leaves.

[Guest]

Just found this topic.  One of our favourites is bungee tights painting!

 

Fill the toe of one leg of an old pair of tights with rice, pasta spirals,  dried beans, shells, or anything really and tie a knot to hold it all in. Then you put the paper on the floor, the children hold the tights by the other end, dip in the paint and bounce it up and down (a bit like a yoyo) on the paper!

 

If you make 2 or 3 different ones they each give a different effect. The children waiting their turn can be given a dry one to feel and see what they think is in it. Lots of language describing the textures.

 

Warning - they will probably get paint on your leg, shoe, the wall, the floor, the other children......  

Carolyn

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A variation on this is to collect different sorts of netting, e.g. tights, net curtain, net that fruit & veg comes packaged in etc, put some sort of padding in - like cotton wool - then print with it. It creates some nice effects, but the children need to be shown how to get rid of the excess paint or it just blobs.

 

There is also printing from paint on the table (this might have been what someone was referring to earlier in the post). The children squirt some fairly thick paint on to the table (might I suggest a plastic table covering?) then squadge it around using their fingers. When they're happy with it they take a print of it on paper - Fantastic!

 

We've also done powder paint straight on to wet paper: the children paint the paper with water then either sprinkle pinches of powder paint, or put it through a sieve or whatever else you can think of, and watch the colours bleed in to one another. I've also seen something similar done on to sticky backed paper, using a variety of media, including glitter, tea & sawdust. I picked up some large pieces of sticky backed paper at Scrap Store, but as yet have not done the activity - it's on the list!

 

Bubble printing;

Blowing paint through a straw;

Welly boot printing - wearing or not wearing the boots;

Textured paint - using rice, sawdust, tealeaves, polystyrene balls, sand... (needs pva glue mixed in to bind it for drying) - makes a good topic for discussion both during and once art work is dry, encouraging descriptive vocab.