Thursday, February 27, 2014

Marble Painting in a Cookie Tin

This week's storm was the perfect way to say goodbye to February and "Hello March!". I'm really hoping March will be significantly wetter than February was, California desperately needs the rain. Since we were indoors because of the rain, I wanted our art activity to get us to move a little, while keeping the mess to a minimum. Looking for supplies and inspiration, I found a leftover cookie tin that my youngest was using as a drum/Frisbee, and though I could put it to good use. I remember doing marble painting from my early school years and how fun it was. Since the cookie tin had a lid, it was perfect for crafting with my toddler, since he could shake it in all directions without paint getting everywhere. It rattled and rolled, we shook and wiggled and giggled, all while making art! I chose green and gold paint for this, as I plan on using this artwork in a St. Patrick's day-inspired craft.

  
My Supplies:
1 leftover cookie tin
Cream-colored paper
Marbles
Green tempera paint
Metallic gold acrylic paint
 
When working with small objects (like marbles) and toddlers, be mindful that these are choking hazards. Please supervise very closely!
 
 
 
I cut my paper to fit inside the cookie tin. The easiest way to do this is to simple trace the tin, and then cut inside your line a bit. That way, it sits nicely inside the tin without being bunched up.
I added 3-4 drops of each paint to the paper. I found that less is more in this activity. Too much paint and the effect was muddled. S watched and I counted aloud as the paint was being dripped.
I added the marbles (again, a good way to teach counting), put on the lid, and let S get to shaking!










All done! Let's open the lid...
Shake, Shake, Wiggle
 
The finished product! These are just few of the ones we did. Since it is such an easy art project, you can do a bunch in a short amount of time. I love how each one looks different, depending on how much or little we shook the tin, what direction the tin got shaken in, and how hard or soft the marbles rolled.

3 comments:

  1. This is such a fun and cleaner way to paint with small kids. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.

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    Replies
    1. Yes it is! It makes lots of noise and keeps the mess contained - a win for both the parent and the kid. We love this technique!

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  2. OMG, i love this!!! so fun!!!! definitely pinning. what a great rainy day activity!

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