Don’t you just love the wonder that young children can bring to pretty much anything? What can be a mundane part of life or a less than ideal situation for a grown-up can sometimes be moments of curiosity and joy for kids. Take my toddler for example. She’ll lay on the floor with our dog and just stare at him as he’s gobbling down a treat and is always so excited to pour water in the bowl when we’re making oatmeal for breakfast. She also loves jumping in piles of leaves, mounds of snow, and of course, puddles! We used the popular blow painting technique with straws to create the splashed puddle in this craft 🙂
Materials
- Paper (anything that’s made for paint)
- Colored paper
- Blue washable paint
- Water
- Cup
- Paper Straw
- Plastic Spoon
- Scissors
- Glue
- Marker
Directions
- Mix and thin out some blue paint with water in a cup. (As far as consistency goes, I’m no expert, but I figure, just make it thin enough so that it can be blown across the paper.
2. Drop some of the paint onto the paper using either a straw (what I used) or a spoon (what my toddler used).
3. Then, blow the paint across the paper using a paper straw. My young kiddo needed some coaching at first, but eventually got the hang of it. Older kids and grown-ups can explore different angles and distances while moving the paint around to get different types of “splatter” effects. And just a note: make sure to check in and keep an eye on your kids (and yourself!) as they’re doing this step of the craft to make sure they are not feeling lightheaded. If that happens, have them take a break and drink some water (and/or eat a cookie)!
4. Once you and your kids like the “paint puddles” you’ve created, let it dry!
5. Now, onto the boots! Draw and cut out a pair of rain boots from a piece of colored paper. My toddler decorated hers with some markers while I kept mine “classic” (haha).
6. Add an animal friend! We added frogs, but you could add anything that might like the rain, like a duck… or a worm… or a dinosaur.
7. Almost done! Cut out and glue some legs to the boots. Then, glue the boots n’ legs (that sounds like a store) and your animal friend on top of the piece of paper that has the paint puddle.
8. Enjoy your paint puddle (and boots and animal friend)!
Whether this is your first, second, or tenth time visiting this blog, I just want you to know I’m so grateful for you taking the time to check it out! 🙂
Happy crafting and music-making!
– Hannah