Posted in Crafts, Sewing, Cooking, Etc...

Just in case anyone was beginning to think that all we do at our house is play with felt, I thought I would talk about paint for a change!  LOL

My kids love arts and crafts.  I am a outside the box kind of Mom.  I like to have my kids look at things in ways that will challenge them.  That said, we rarely use paint brushes!  One of my favorite ways to paint is with marbles.  No, I haven't lost my marbles!  Here is what you do.  Get a box lid and place your piece of paper in the lid.  Add a couple tablespoons of paint in a couple different colors.  Now, drop a handful of marbles in the box lid and let your child tilt the box too and fro.  The paint will get mixed by the marbles.  They come out quite nice. 



We have also painted with flowers.  (Great for springtime.)  Send the kids out in the yard to collect an assortment of flowers.  Then let them dip them in paint and experiement on paper.  They can use them like stamps or brushes.  Leaves also work nice.  You will be amazed what your kids can come up with when they are just left to use their own imaginations.

How about  fruits and vegtables.  This is really fun.  Cut potatoes, carrots, celery and use as stamps.  Brocolli makes a great paint brush!  Apples, pears & oranges can also work.  Let you kids have at it!

Have you ever seen those expensive little black scratch-off craft kits?  We made our own by taking a heavy sheet of white paper.  Use crayons of many colors and completely color the paper.  Then take black poster paint and paint over the whole paper.  Let it dry.  One dry use a toothpick or craft stick to scrap you design.  Viola!

This idea I remember doing when I was a kid.  Take a peice of paper and fold in half.  Paint on only one half.  When the paint is still wet fold over so the wet side prints on the dry side.  Unfold and your done! The come out really pretty.  Try it with you kids names by putting paint in a squeeze bottle. 

Paint and Fold art on left,  Scratch Art on the right


We have also painted with dead fish, live worms and the rain!  Yep, now that's thinking out of the box!