Clean Paint

Shannon’s Note:  This is a guest post from my friend Lori, who worked as a preschool teacher for 3 years and now enjoys staying home with her daughter.

E.G. is 18 months old.

Materials:

• 2 Sheets Glad Press’n Seal or Contact Paper
• Tempera Washable Paints
• Scissors (for the grown-up)
• Q-Tips (optional)

Procedure:

• Line up the different colored paints for your child
• Allow your child to choose 1-3 different colors
• Put a sheet of Glad Press’n Seal sticky side up on table
• Help your child pour the colored paint into the middle of the Glad Press’n Seal
• Put another sheet on Press’n Seal on top, sticky side down
• Help you child press on the edges of the Press’n Seal to seal the perimeter of the rectangle (Make sure to press it well so that no paint oozes out!)
• Trim the edges so that there are no sticky ends
• Put the “Clean Paint” in front of your child and also him/her to spread the paint around with his/her fingers, making designs and mixing the colors.
• You can then give your child Q-Tips to use as a writing implement to draw on the “Clean Paint”

Observations:

This activity was fun to put together.  The making of the “Clean Paint” did require some help, but once it was together, E.G. has been able to play with them independently.  When we first made them, E.G. just wanted to make lots of different colored “Clean Paints”.  Later on, she has pulled out the “Clean Paint” to draw on several times.  We have used the Q-Tips to draw different shapes, erase them and start all over.  E.G. also, on her own, took her play spoons and used these to draw on the “Clean Paint”.  I think we might use her trucks to drive on them and see what type of tire marks they make next.

E.G. really liked it when the two different colors of paint would meet and begin to mix.

She also liked using the Q-Tip to draw on them more than she liked using her finger.

Notes from the Trenches: You really want to make sure that the edges have totally sealed.  You also want to give them a quick once over every time you pull them out to play with them.  They last quite awhile, but will eventually get little holes that paint can ooze out of.

Rating: 4 Stars for Easy, Frugal, Fun and Independent.  Even though this project requires supervision in the making, E.G. has played with them on her own several times after they were complete.