Saturday, August 20, 2011

(Foot!) Paintings

The neighbor kids were over... again... in and out... all day.

This mama needed to find something for them to do...

FOOT PAINTING!

If you don't have some already, go get yourself some Reynolds Freezer Paper... I love this stuff. (And no, I'm not getting paid to say that.)  It comes on a roll so you can cut any size you want, from small paintings to long murals.   One side is rough, for regular painting, and the smooth side is perfect for finger painting.  Today we held the corners down with rocks, but when we use it indoors, we simply tape the corners down with masking tape to keep the ends from rolling up.

In the past we've put the paint into rimmed cookie sheet pans but today I used my (much coveted) old Baker's Square pie tins.



Each child got to choose two or three colors of washable paint to step into and "paint" with.  Use complementary colors to teach color mixing for younger children.  My daughter chose red, blue and white to get some swirls of purple in her foot. After their paint was used up we refilled with a few more colors.



Our well-stocked paint box is also filled with plastic forks, old potato mashers, toothbrushes, straws, Q-Tips, Matchbox cars and sponges cut into different shapes.  All these things make great items to "paint" with as well.



My daughter chose a fork to add some texture to her foot painting.



Here is her end result...







Clean up was a breeze- just wash everybody's feet off with the hose.

***During the fall I've been brave enough to do this indoors. We've used black paper and white paint to make foot prints with.  When they dry, turn them upside down, add black eyes and you've got some cute little ghost feet.

Linked to: Summer Fun Party

5 comments:

  1. Awesome. Elizabeth and another boy are planning "art" lessons once or twice a month now. I might send this to her for an idea. In another month or two, we could do this outside without getting 1st degree burns and having the paint dry within minutes in the pan. Is the Reynolds freezer paper cheaper than the rolls of butcher paper you can buy at craft stores? Or is it better because it is thicker than the butcher paper?

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  2. Yes, I find the shiny side underneath keeps the paint from leaking through.

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  3. What a good way to pass the time. Looks as though they totally enjoyed themselves.

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    www.blissfulanddomestic.com

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