Liquid Watercolor Activity: Contact Paper Resist

This time, I'll admit it. I was focused on product rather than process. I wanted the children to be really impressed with their creations and I knew ahead of time that if they turned out well I was going to display them. So, I did all the preparation ahead of time.

I used my cricut machine to cut the contact paper (if you do it that way, remember to R-L reverse the letters otherwise they'll be backwards when you go to stick them on). You could cut out letters and simple shapes by hand too.

I taped the watercolor paper down in some art trays to minimize mess and to try to prevent the buckling of the watercolor paper when the children got it soaking wet. Then I applied the contact paper designs and pressed them down well.

We used a wet-on-wet technique to paint (that just means get your watercolor paper wet before painting it with your liquid watercolors). So I started out by spraying the watercolor paper with a squirt bottle of water. I let them choose three related colors. I made one too so all three of us were painting at the same time.

They turned out beautifully and the children can't wait to hang their new nameplates in their rooms.

(This activity was inspired by this post.)

Liquid Watercolor Activity: Painting a Wooden Mosaic

One of the first projects we did with our new liquid watercolors was to paint a wooden mosaic. I prepared the mosaic ahead of time. I wanted the focus to be on the painting and so I streamlined a bit by having the mosaics ready. I made one for Michael and another for Ava.

I let each child choose three colors. Ava chose red, purple, and blue. Michael chose red, yellow, and orange. I opened those containers on their paint trays, gave them a paintbrush and water to clean it between colors, and let them paint.

Ava preferred a free-spirited approach to the project. She would saturate one piece and put dots on another. Then she did one long stripe across the entire page. She went back and added a second color to some of the wooden pieces she had already painted. And suddenly, she was done. It didn't bother her in the slightest that only half of her mosaic was painted.

Michael took a much more organized approach. He painted one column at a time and was never tempted to vary from that set pattern. He painted each wooden piece once and moved on. When the last piece was painted he was finished. He could not be persuaded to go back and try combining colors or adding dots.

I think I'll pull the mosaics out another day and see if they are interested in working on them again. My goal was for them to realize that the liquid watercolors are good for more than simply painting paper, and that goal was certainly achieved.

Ping Pong Balls = Speech Articulation Manipulative

Buy some ping pong balls from the dollar store. Print some speech articulation images and cut out. Cut small slits around the edges of each image. These will help the speech pictures lay flat when you glue them to the balls. Mod Podge them to the balls. Now you have a fun manipulative for therapy. Toss them in buckets. Play hot potato. Have children toss them back and forth saying the word until someone drops it. Play Find-It with them. Hide them like Easter eggs. Make two sets and match them. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!