Cling wrap painting

Bubble loves painting but hates the feel of anything on her fingers and hands, so we gave cling wrap painting a go. I laid alfoil down first so that the surface would be slick and the paint would slide around easily, then Bubble added the paint colours that she wanted in her picture. I laid cling wrap over the top and folded it around the alfoil on all sides, securing with tape so it wouldn't move. Bubble was hesitant at first, but once she realised she could touch the paint without it getting on her hands she really enjoyed squishing it around with her fingers and creating a big globby creation.

WE USED:
* alfoil
* cling wrap
* paints
* tape
* a face washer or wipe on hand, just in case!

Other ideas: You could mould and cut the alfoil to any shape you liked and just wrap the cling wrap around it and secure with tape. Once your painting is finished you could also remove the cling wrap and press paper over the top to take a print of the picture.

Bamboo marble run

Sorry for the usual dreadful photos (yes, yes, I was using my mobile camera again!) but how cute is this marble run. It's made by Hape from bamboo, I just love it. The girls and I spent ages today trying different configurations and watching the balls rocket down the runways. The pieces balance together so after a few knock down rebuilds we had to keep a close eye on Squeak (well, namely her hands :-D) but it was a great way to spend an hour. Im thinking of building one of our own that is a little bit more Squeak friendly, maybe using cardboard tubing or even poly pipe if I get even more adventurous. Will have to add it to the list and hope we get around to it before the kids lose interest in marbles :-)

Ink pad stamping

We bought giant ink pads and hand stampers from the local craft store this week and Bubble has been giving them a real workout. We tell stories while she stamps, making it up as we go along and changing it depending on what she stamps next.

Spreading and cutting

We try to encourage the girls to learn life skills whenever we have a chance, and now that she is three we have bought a few children's knives for Bubble to use. Obviously it depends on each individual child as to when they are ready for activities like these, but Bubble really loves spreading her own sandwiches and crackers and cutting her own fruits and cheeses now.

Counting plates

We played this simple counting game today using paper plates and stones. To begin with I wrote the number and also the right amount of crosses onto the plate to make counting easier, but once Bubble had the hang of this we just had the number in the centre and she counted the stones herself.

WE USED:
* paper plates
*stones (you could use any small objects, even coins, marbles, pompoms etc...)
*markers

Tissue paper paintings

We usually do this activity on paper towel, but after seeing this post on Childhood 101 we had a go at using tissue paper this time around. It wasn't quite as absorbent but showed Bubble's paintings much clearer that way. She had a great time!

WE USED:

* cotton wool pads
* food colouring
* cotton buds
* tissue paper

Adding food colouring to the cotton wool pads

Using the cotton buds to paint with.

Paint and glue collage

We combined painting and collage today and the results were lovely and vibrant. We mixed Bubble's choice of paint (yellow like flowers aparently :-D) with some white craft glue, then stuck on some foam shapes and other bits and peices after Bubble had painted her picture. It dried with a really nice texture and all the collage bits stayed on, unlike when we use paint alone and some of the bigger things end up falling off.

WE USED:
* paper
* white craft glue
* paint
* tray or bowl to mix
* paddlepop stick, old spoon or similar to mix
* collage items - anything from small scraps of paper and fabric to sequins and foam shapes.
* paintbrush

** As with any use of glue and paint, even craft and children's versions, make sure you do this activity somewhere well ventilated!

Other ideas: No idea if this would work, but I was thinking of trying this with more white glue to paint and then using it on a glass window or sliding door. I wonder if when it dried it could then be peeled off? Something to try in the future, if anyone has a go at it let me know how it turns out :-)