Color Dripping: Spring Flowers

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Recently I purchased some Pipettes because my 4 year old likes to play in water.  I figured, amongst many other things, she could use them for water transfer and creating "potions" outside.  I also know they are great for various art projects and color blending.  While browsing Facebook I came across a beautiful spring art experiment from Fun-a-Day that inspired me to decorate for spring.  So I set to work, which included creating some liquid watercolors.  

While I prefer how vibrant purchased Liquid Watercolors  can be, I didn't have any on hand.  But I did have a bag full of dried markers I'd been collecting.  You can repurpose these old markers by placing their tips in water and allowing them to soak for several hours, or overnight.  Then you can store the created watercolors in small plastic containers.

After creating the watercolors, I cut some coffee filters into flower shapes.  The nice thing about coffee filters is they are thin, so you can cut a number of them at once.  When all was ready, I set out the flowers, watercolors, and pipettes (one for each color) for my preschooler to play with.  I used a plastic box lid to contain the mess as best as possible.  A tray or cookie sheet could also work.  Some kids like to really soak their art work, so keeping it from running all over the place is important for your own sanity.

Pipettes are a great tool for developing fine motor skills.  Toddlers may find squeezing and transferring the liquid difficult.  If this is the case, give them a paint brush.  It'll still create a lovely work of art.

There are several ways you can take this activity.  If you want to teach simple color blending, try using only two colors at a time:

• yellow+red= orange
• blue+yellow=green
• red+blue= purple

If you want to move beyond the basics, try multiple colors.  Some truly beautiful flowers can be created this way.  I explained to my daughter that it's best to mix the colors on the paper, rather then in the containers because otherwise you'll end up with all brown.  Of course, if your child is like mine, they will still test this theory.  I found if you use an ice tray for your colors, rather then giving them the storage containers, you'll waste less, and it can be easily dumped and replenished.  

As much as possible, stand back and allow your child to explore the activity.  It's OK to ask them questions about the colors they are blending but otherwise let them create.  Some may chose to not blend the colors.  That's OK too.  Sometimes the process is more important then the product.  

With Easter around the corner, we also painted some coffee filter Easter eggs.  Once all the flowers and eggs were dry, we hung them in the windows to catch the light and enjoy. 

Here's a list of what you'll need:

• pipettes or droppers (paint brush for toddlers)
• coffee filters
• liquid water colors
• Scissors (for cutting flower/egg shapes)

Have you used pipettes for color blending before?  Let me know how you did and what you think of this activity.  

Process Art for Groundhog Day

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Most kids like the idea of Groundhog idea; the idea that an animal can predict the coming of spring.  It's fun to think about and fun to "celebrate" at home or at school.  But when you search Pintrest for "Groundhog Day Activities" or "Groundhog Day Crafts" you find a lot of printables and fairly difficult craft projects that simply aren't appropriate for toddlers and young preschoolers.  I do love this Negative Art project from Tippy Toe Crafts, which is shadow-like, but still not process art.

Volunteering at The Duck Pond has many advantages.  One is being the large amount of arts and craft supplies the founder has collected over the years.  Being the artsy one in the group, I get to design the "make & take" projects used each week.  Working on February's projects, Groundhog Day stumped me.  We don't use printables at The Duck Pond and I'm trying to move our art towards more process and less craft, which is far more stimulating to the average 2 year old.  So I ventured into our supply room and pondered colors and materials that could represent Groundhog Day.  A simple yarn collage was the result.

I gave my daughter some supplies: various earthy shades of yarn, a piece of paper, and some glue.  My daughter, being a typical toddler, loves glue, and was immediately excited at the prospect of using more (she'd already done the weekly project earlier, which took a lot of glue).  She squeezed glue all over the paper and set out to piling the yarn on top of the glue.  I showed her that unless there is more glue, the piles of yarn won't stick.  She understood and spread things out a bit.

The beauty of this project is in it's simplicity.  Even young toddlers can explore the yarn and glue to create whatever they want.  If you are nervous about the amount of glue your child might use, then squirt some on the paper and allow your little one to add the yarn.  But I encourage you to let them do as much as possible, because that's the point of process art; it's not about the finished product, it's about exploring the materials and creating what the child desires.  Try to step back and give them the freedom to use their imaginations.

Materials:

1. Yarn (earthy tones if you want the Groundhog Day theme). Cut yarn into various lengths. 
2. Half sheet of Construction Paper
3. School Glue

Enjoy watching your child and feel free to share their finished projects on my Facebook Page.

Easy Snowball Sensory Table

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A little over a year ago I moved from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay area.  It's been a big adjustment for me and the kids.  My son had to change schools (then change again when he entered a special education class at the beginning of the school year), we can no longer have a "beach day" in January because the water up here is freezing, and of course we all had to make new friends.  Boy, did I win the jackpot with that!  I've met some terrific moms since I moved which has kept me and my children active around town.  

Once of the places we visit regularly is The Duck Pond, a non-profit indoor play space in south San Jose.  Because it's non-profit, they relay on volunteers to help out during the 2 hour session they are open each day.  One of my friends was a regular volunteer and she talked me into it as well, along with another good friend.  Now we are all there at least once a week helping in various forms to keep the place running.  Over the year I've been there, it's been noticed that my talents lie with the craft projects and the occasional sensory activity.  I am extremely limited in these areas; no paint or super messy sensory items (rice, flour, sand, etc) of any kind, simply because the parents are required to be involved and many aren't.  Too much for us volunteers to have to clean up.  So, it's become a challenge for me, in a good way (keeps those gray cells working hard).   

Digging through supplies last week I came across cotton balls and styrofoam balls and the snowball sensory table was born!

Most of us, even The Duck Pond, have inexpensive water tables laying around for warmer weather.  Well, dig it out because it's not just for water!  Water tables have many uses, that I hope to explore over the coming months.  

For this table I kept it simple: cotton balls, styrofoam balls, cups, and some pretend ice cream scoops we had in our "snack shop" pretend play area.  That's it!  

When I put the table out, I had the cotton and styrofoam balls mixed together. The children quickly separated the two (sorting=math).   

Then we had all kinds of scooping going on.  Kids were scooping styrofoam balls, kids were scooping cotton balls.  Some were pretending it was snow, some pretended it was ice cream.  The smallest children enjoyed throwing the cotton balls into the air.  It was a frenzy of exploration and the parents were loving it!  

This is a perfect indoor activity for winter and rainy days.  The clean up is easy and I'm sure you have at least cotton balls and kids cups around your house to get this table going today.  Don't have a water table?  Try using a large plastic storage bin or if you want a smaller scale, use a plastic 6-Quart Storage Box (shoe box sized).

Materials:

• Water table or some sort of storage bin or large bowl.  
• Cotton balls
• Styrofoam balls (size is up to you)
• Cups and/or scoops

I hope this activity will keep your kids sane during indoor weather.  Let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment or share your photos over on my Facebook page.  

Easy Toddler Activity Inspired by The Cat in the Hat

This activity is incredibly simple, which for an active toddler, is perfect.  All you need is:

• White paper
• Red paper cut into strips
• Glue (glue sticks are the easiest but white glue works fine too)
• Q-tips (if using white glue)

You can easily use this activity as an invitation to create.  Place paper, strips, and glue on a table.  Invite your little one over and let them explore the materials.  I did show my daughter how to use the Q-tip to spread the glue on the strips because she's never experienced that direction before, but feel free to see what your child will do on their own.

That's it!  Simple and toddler friendly.  Plus it's an invitation to read The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (or at least part of it because it's a long story).

Happy Birthday Theodore Geisel!

Toddler Friendly Tattooed Pumpkins

It's the night before Halloween and maybe, just maybe you are looking for one more way to decorate your pumpkins.  Something that doesn't require paint, knives, glitter, or glue.  Something you can do with your little one, as well as an older child.  If you are, then I have the pumpkin decorating idea for you!

What you need:

1. A pumpkin (smoother ones work best but minis work too, as you can see from my picture)
2. Temporary tattoos of choice
3. Paper towels or a wash cloth
4. Water

If you've ever placed a temporary tattoo on your child, you know what to do, except place them on the pumpkin.  It's that easy.  If you've never used temporary tattoos, here's what to do

 
Pick out the tattoo you'd like to place on the pumpkin.  Depending on what you have, like a sheet of designs, you may have to cut around the one you want.  Others come as individuals or with perforations that allow for easy tearing.  Make sure you remove the plastic before placing it on the pumpkin. Place the picture side on the pumpkin with the paper backing facing towards you (see Picture below).

Get your wash cloth or paper towels wet.  Not dripping, but pretty wet, and place over the tattoo, holding it on for about 30 seconds.  Afterwards, carefully peel the paper away from the pumpkin's surface.  If you don't hold the wet cloth on long enough or are too quick to pull the tattoo paper away, some of the picture may tear away.  That's O.K,  you can always wipe the tattoo away and try again.  Or leave it as I did with my daughter.  She was proud to do it on her own so I let it be.  If the tattoo is bunched a bit, simply use your wet cloth to gently rub and flatten the tattoo.  And again, if your toddler is "helping" and proud of what they have done, it's O.K. to leave it as is.  It's about the experience, not the finished product.    

This project can take as long as you allow or as long as your toddler/preschooler is interested.  This was a great mommies group activity and while some of the kids chose to play (while their moms enjoyed pumpkin decorating) a few of the kids (my daughter included) couldn't put enough tattoos on their pumpkin.  Once the pumpkin had enough, my daughter moved to her arms.

Sometimes it's the simplest decorating ideas that inspire us the most.  I've been absent to the blogging world for about 2 years now but it's time for a return.  I hope I can continue to bring you fun and engaging activities for your children and family.  Thanks for joining me again!    

*This activity promotes fine motor skills and counting.  If you have different pumpkins in your house, you could also talk about differences/opposites: Large, small, smooth, bumpy, etc.

Playing with Nature on It's Playtime

Although the weather has been wacky EVERYWHERE, for most it's a great time of year to get outside and explore nature.  This week on It's Playtime I'm featuring two ways to include nature in your play and learning time.  

Kids pick flowers.  It is what it is, it'll never go away, deal with it.  Of course we don't want them rummaging around the neighbors flower beds but there are plenty of wild flowers to go around, especially those pesky dandelions.  What do you do with them after they've been shared with you?  Throw them? Stick them in your hair smearing dandelion goo all over (I've had to explain this to my son who insistis every flower he picks should go in my hair). Attempt to keep them in a vase?  There's never a vase small enough....until now.  The genius PlayDrMom shared how she created the perfect Upcycled Dandelion Vase to hold her child's treasured flowers.  It's easy and it's recycling!  DO IT!    

Do you have kids who love to cut EVERYTHING?  Do you have a lawn?  Check out how Raise a Boy uses Cutting Grass to develop fine motor skills.  Even if you don't have a lawn, it's easy to plant grass seeds; bring some nature indoors.  Your child will love this activity whether they are toddlers just learning to use scissors or 5 year olds practicing for Kindergarten.  

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 
It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest.   If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

Painting with Easter Eggs

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Plastic eggs have many uses.  I've shared a post on It's Playtime that included 10 ways for repurposing these little treasures.  One of my favorite activities involves a bit of paint and a little messiness but a lot of fun for little hands.  Here are two ways to paint with plastic eggs:

Box Rolling

Materials:

• Small box or box lid
• Paint
• Construction Paper
• Glitter (optional)
• 2 Eggs (you can weigh them down by putting marbles inside and you may need to tape the eggs shut)

Place your paper in the box lid and squirt in some paint.  Add the eggs.  While holding the box, roll the eggs around.  You don't have to weight the eggs down (I didn't in the above photos), but if you don't, they tend to stick a bit.  Don't be afraid to allow little hands to roll the eggs instead.  For added mess, I mean glitz, sprinkle some glitter over the wet paint and leave picture to dry.    

Paint Stamping

Materials:

• Paper
• Paint
• Paper plate
• Plastic eggs of different sizes and shapes
• Glitter (optional)

Set out a paper plate with different colors of paint and the halves of plastic eggs.  Your little one(s) can dip the eggs (or hands and fingers) in the paint, then stamp them on the paper.  You can use this chance to talk about shapes; the difference between circles and ovals.  Sprinkle the wet paint with glitter and lay out to dry.    

For more Easter ideas, as well as other activities involving plastic eggs, check out my Easter Pinterest Board.  

Art doesn't have to be complicated.  It's about the process rather then the product.  You simply need to be brave enough to accept the mess as part of the experience.