Tools: toy car
Yesterday the munchkin and I made a few paintings for my husband’s office using a box of canvases I found tucked away in the closet. I bought them almost two years ago with plans of creating a set of family handprints. But we never got around to it, so instead the munchkin and I painted on them with a toy dump truck. :)
It began innocently enough. I used an old sheet as a drop cloth, then squirted paint onto four different paper plates. We used red, white, blue and yellow non-toxic paint. The munchkin’s tools: a paintbrush, a dump truck and his fingers.
We worked on the blue canvas first, with the truck driving through a couple paints before motoring around the blue backdrop.
But by the time we got to the yellow canvas, all bets were off.
My son was painting the dump truck, then sticking his hands in the paint and rubbing them together before smearing them all over the canvas. He was having so much fun making a big, colorful goopy mess!
We saved the green canvas for last and by that time the munchkin had decided a car wasn’t necessary. This is also about the time I was thanking myself for having the foresight to put a huge drop cloth down before we started. Painting with a toddler is messy!
Tools: toy car and fingers
The entire activity lasted about 40 minutes and the water-based paint easily washed off the munchkin hands and his truck. While he ate his snack I set the paintings out to dry, then hung two of them up here at home while he was napping (see below). I know we made them for the hubs, but I just couldn’t let all of these head to his office. We’ll do a couple more office-bound paintings to make up for it. :)
Tools: toy car and fingers
My parents are coming to visit later this month so we’ll be making a couple more canvas paintings for them, this time using these 8×10 canvases from Amazon.com ($15 for 12 canvases) and Crayola kids paint. If you want to use colored canvases like we did here, ours are from Red Envelope, though The Land of Nod has a similar set for $24.95.
Tools: just the hands
This green one is my favorite – I love the little handprint in the upper left-hand corner of the painting!
Toddler art hanging in our hallway!
Ari these are really wonderful. I like the top one best.
You’re so very clever. The munchkin is lucky indeed !
What a sweet comment! You really made my day. Thank you. :)
They’re fantastic! I love that you can see evidence of the little fingers and hands that created them.
Thank you Kate! And also for the shout out on Facebook & Twitter! :)
Totally copying this idea! Love it. I only hope I can get coloured canvases here in Australia!
Valerie
You should! That’s why I posted it. :)
I hope you can get the colored canvases in your neck of the woods – I’d be surprised if Red Envelope or The Land of Nod don’t ship internationally.
I went into the kids’ art shop and they were like, duh! Just paint few white canvases first! So I did that with acrylic paint, let them dry, then we painted away! She loved it and makes mention of her paintings every day. Next up: your I spy jar! Great ideas!!!
Such a great idea! Kicking myself for not thinking of that too. :)
So happy to hear that your daughter liked the activity! Pictures?
Awesome! My 2-yr-old doesn’t paint for long, but I bet this would totally grab his interest. And thanks for the link to the canvases on amazon…I was reading this thinking that canvases would be pricey, but sounds like there are some great deals out there.
We don’t always use canvas, construction paper of any color works just as well and is easy to frame. :) But the canvases are great for gift giving!
The pics are beautiful! The post DailyBuzz Moms chose of mine has to do with my son’s normal aversion to art- but his love of Spin Art (because it reminds him of wheels). This makes me think, “Why didn’t I just let him dip his cars in paint?” haha! I’ll have to fix that soon. Thanks!
We are even then because I hadn’t thought about spin art. :)
Love this! Great idea for all those little trucks!
Glad you like it! I have to think of more little truck activities. The munchkin has quite a collection.