We are always looking for and thinking of new, fun ways to paint, so when we decided to give painting with foil a try, I thought it might be interesting to test a few other similar(ish) materials to see what the difference might be.

This allowed us to experience and discuss different patterns and textures, try out different techniques, make observations and conclusions about the experiment  as well as the general fine motor development, sensory experience and creativity that comes with any painting activity.

You will need: Paint, Paper, Foil and Cellophane.

Let the Paint Off begin!

This activity was completed by a 3 year old but can be modified to suit a variety of age levels. See the "Handy Tips" at the bottom.

The invitation to start experimenting

 Ummm, but how to paint with them?

Discuss the different ways that you could use the materials to paint with and experiment or decide the best or easiest way

 We decided upon "scrunched"

 The cellophane was really fun as it made different patterns because it wouldn't stay in a ball

 The foil made a more consistent pattern and she found the silver glinting through the paint to be quite fasinating

 I started imagining all the different shapes you could make by moulding the foil. Maddie was content with this same print.

 She really loved painting with the paper. It was "much softer than the others" and "made cool shapes"

We observed that the shapes made were similar but could definitely see the difference and found the sensory aspect of the materials to be very different indeed

After the initial experimenting and testing of the materials, it was time for a collaborative art piece

 This time all the materials had their own paint colour so we could clearly see the distinctions on the paper

 The cellophane was dubbed as the worst to paint with due to it flapping around everywhere and not leaving a great pattern

 The foil ended up coming 2nd in favourites. Probably because it was easy to hold and manipulate and because she liked how shiny it was

 The Paper? You guessed it. It was the favourite.

 I found that it started to rip and come apart after time as it got soggier, but this didn't phase Madeline.

Original Art Masterpiece. Created with scrunched paper, foil and cellophane.

Handy tips:

-Simplify this activity by providing the scrunched balls of paper, foil and cellophane and just letting your child create some art using the different materials


-Extend this activity by having your child form some hypothesis about the experiment. For example, ask your child what they think the differences will be before you start the painting. Help them write or decide upon a statement about the results, ie. "The foil will be the best to paint with because of...." etc. "It will work better than the .... because...." etc. Then test the theory and see if you agree at the end.

- Use new language and descriptive words like, "patterns" and "experimenting." This will help with their language development.

-Ask questions to help connect their understanding and use vocabulary to give them words to describe what they're creating, eg. "What is it like to paint with that one?", "How are you going to hold that to get the best patterns?", "Why do you think the paper is ripping?" etc

- Listen to your child talk as they go through their experiences. This will help you determine where they are at with their learning, knowledge and understanding and help you to develop the activity (or future activities) to their level and interests.


Debs :)

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This activity used PVA glue as the base with some paint for added colour.

Painting is such a regular activity at our house that we are always needing to find new ways to paint to keep interested and learn new things!

You can use this activity to focus on a variety of things from patterns to textures to colour mixing and more.

To avoid big messes, I always have things set up well to make it easier.

Pouring in the PVA glue. Listen to the observations your child makes as they do this. Lead them by asking them what they see? What is the glue doing? Why do you think it's doing that? etc

 Adding some paint for colour. How much paint should we add? Let them play around with this and explore for themselves.

 Mixing the glue and paint together. Watch as it makes swirls and eventually all blends into one. Talk about the shade of the colour if your child is at that level.

 Pouring and squeezing takes a lot of concentration. What happens when you hold the bottle higher or lower?

Swirling the coloured glue together. "I'm making purple!"  

Once the novelty of painting with paddle pop sticks wore off, it was time to tip and swirl the glue out.

 Watching how the glue fell and observing the patterns she could make

 Time to swish it all together

Couldn't resist painting her hand. "It feels so sticky! Not like real paint" 

After hand printing for a while she wanted to stick paper down and peel it off. She was delighted about this.

Some tips:

- To simplify this activity for younger children, pre pour and mix the glue and paint and just let them paint and experiment with it

- To extend the activity, see what happens if you paint on plastic instead of paper and let it dry!

- The key to ensuring your child is making connections about what they are experiencing is by talking with them about their observations

- Ask your child questions about what they are experiencing to help lead them in their understanding

- Keep a damp cloth beside them so that they are able to wipe down their hands easily and quickly

Debs :)

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Cooking with kids may seem like a daunting task for many but the more they practice the better they become at all the skills necessary. Start them young with little basic tasks as often as you can and gradually build up new skills as their confidence increases.

 Start with a clear bench and have your ingredients out so your child can clearly see them. Talk about the processes before beginning.

 Making a well in the cake mixture and pouring the water

Adding the oil

 Cracking the eggs! (this is a skill that takes time to perfect. Practice, practice, practice!)

 Beating the ingredients together. (Stay very, very close if using an electric beater)

Pouring the cake mixture into the tin. Here Madeline commented on how the cake mixture was "making steps!"

Some tips:
- This was a "quick" cake using a packet mixture.
- Extend this activity by making the cake from scratch and adding in the extra skills of measuring, sifting etc
- Simplify this activity by measuring all the ingredients yourself and allowing your child to pour them in and practice their hand eye coordination
- Always talk with your child about what they are doing and seeing etc. This helps to build their language development and will lead you to all sorts of areas of conversation and thus further learning..
- I could write all day about all the reasons that cooking with kids is SO beneficial for their learning and development but for a great and easy list of 10 reasons why, check out: http://childhood101.com/2011/09/10-reasons-to-cook-with-kids/

Debs :)

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