This week we’ve been reading Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg, a book that encourages children to see the beauty and opportunity in something that you might otherwise think of as a mistake. We decided to spend sometime getting creative without an end in mind - just to see where the paint took us.
This is a fantastic activity for opening children’s imaginations up to the endless possibilities that a page (even torn or bent) and some paint offers. To make things interesting I got out some pippets or droppers and collected together little medicine syringes, so that we could paint a little differently.
For this Creative Play Activity you will need:
- white paper (we used watercolour paper but any thick cartridge paper will work)
- poster paint (we used red green and blue)
- water
- pippets/droppers or empty plastic syringes
- goggly eyes and feathers or sequins
- glue
Painting with pippets or droppers is a brilliant preschool activity as all the squeezing builds up fine motor strength so that your child is ready for writing later on. The hand-eye co-ordination and concentration needed develops key skills. For this activity we used a Jumbo Pipette
as well as syringes we have accumulated over the years (please note you only need plastic syringes you definitely DO NOT need any needles).
I squeezed some paint into yoghurt pots and added some water to dilute the paint. Then we got painting.
Burt found squeezing the watery paint with the pippets or droppers easier than using the syringes and found the process fascinating.
This activity is about letting creativity take over so all Burt needed to do was select his colour and then squeeze the paint onto the paper. He even managed to make a few bubbles, which he was delighted with! This activity was so popular that we painted for nearly an hour, so we will definitely be doing this again!
Once we had finished painting Burt wanted to continue playing with the pippets or droppers and he had great fun mixing the paints in the pots.
We left the completed paintings to dry out overnight and when the paint was dry we looked closely at the shapes, patterns and colours. It felt a little bit like looking for shapes in the clouds. Burt soon got the hang of it and with some goggly eyes and feathers we started to create characters out of the paint splodges and splurges.
First we found a parrot.
Then, we found a dinosaur looking after some dinosaur eggs.
There was a duck swimming on a pond.
A really cute elephant who is squirting water.
And even a crocodile!
This activity really allowed Burt to use his imagination and we even started to tell stories about the characters that had appeared in the painting.
You can read more about the story that inspired us Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg or discover some more crafts and activities linked to the book.
Have you been inspired by a book to craft, go on an outing or do an activity this week?
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
They look Fantastic
Becky recently posted…101 things for kids to do outside
ooooh i love the fact that you used pippets and syringes - the artwork looks fab.. i am pinning this x
I love this idea, a great activity and a lovely way to get children to look differently at things
Boo Roo and Tigger Too recently posted…Learning to ride a bike
They turned out brilliantly, I would frame them they looks so good!
Amanda recently posted…Center Parcs : What to do and see when you go to Center Parcs (Our Top 5)
oh my gosh, that elephant is too cute!! What a fabulous idea to get creative with paint!
Michelle recently posted…Polynesian Resort Waterfall | #100DaysOfDisney - Day 17 | Wednesday Around The World
What an awesome idea!! Will definitely be giving this a go - I love pipettes!!!
x
Sim recently posted…A 50 Shades And More Week
Fabulous activity. I love the little elephant, so cute x
You Baby Me Mummy recently posted…TMI (The Meme)
Love the sound of this book and absolutely love this activity…so much fun and so creative - perfect for getting imaginations going!
What a lovely idea, Syd is sat on my lap admiring your artwork. Apparently he can see a snail and a snake!
Sonya Cisco recently posted…Leeds Festival and Other Cool Places In Leeds
loks so fun i remember doing this as a child myself and have done it since with y lot, so many things to do with it x
I love this post, what wonderful pictures you’ve all created and such a simple idea. We’ll definitely be having a go at this
Zena’s Suitcase recently posted…40 Weeks and Overdue!
They look really effective, and so simple and imaginative!
Rachel recently posted…Bara Brith
Love it. I used to drive my dad nuts when I was a kid as I was constantly painting stuff. Mostly the table or my clothes but loved creating stuff with paint.
Jackie Allum recently posted…Yes Dear, We Love The Burgers
Have read it several times - did I miss where you got the pippets from please? This looks ideal for my youngest’s fine motor.
PinkOddy recently posted…Party Planning and Sensory Processing Disorder #KidsCo-op
There is a link in the post Joy under the list of things you will need x
It looks great! It’s time to get some pippets!
Love playing with pipettes! You get some great effects.
Liz Burton recently posted…Magpie Monday - sea salvage with Ecover
That’s amazing fun - your elephant is so cute and probably looks better than one I could have made if I’d been trying to pain one x x
Cass recently posted…The one where Mr Frugal cooks me tea….
I LOVE these!! Really need to get some googly eyes, they really turn a picture into something amazing.
This sounds like a super fun activity.
Nayna Kanabar ( recently posted…New Potato Salad with a Yoghurt and Coriander dressing.
Have pinned this, great photos!
Oh what a fab idea to use pippettes! Must try this with my toddler
Foz recently posted…How to stop your cat from straying
love this!!! such a fun activity x
Polly recently posted…A birthday hike up Dinas Bran
What a fantastic idea. The science kit will be raided for pipettes next time we do some painting!
Genius idea, I love your craft Kirsty and you know it
Ahh, thanks so much Mari, what a lovely compliment x
What a fantastic idea! Reminds me of when we put oil based paint over water and dipped in paper. The results were always mesmerising
Vicky ( recently posted…Relax and unwind with Champneys: Personal Pamper Day - Beauty from the Inside Out Skin and Hair
Kirsty I love this, I’ve pinned it to may farm crafts, I’m looking to do an hour a week on the farm with the children, this would be a great indoor activity on a wet day
It is so easy and really inspiring. What a lovely idea Fiona, you really do make Coombe Mill such a wonderful and special place to visit x
This is so utterly creative. And so much fun to do by the looks of things. Thanks for sharing.
VaiChin recently posted…Some Bloggers Have All The Luck
What some lovely craft ideas - they are such very cute creatures
x
Sarah Bailey recently posted…Summer Butterflies from M&Co
I would love to do this with Aaron and you have sold me on the pre school motor skills etc but where would I get pippets?
Liska x
Liska recently posted…A Poem about A Day in The Life of a 3 Year Old Boy and his Stressed Mum
I bought our pippets through Amazon and there is a link in the post x
Well now I know exactly what I’m going to do with all the nurophen syringes lying around the house! Thank you
This is a great idea for an art project over the school holidays. Have bookmarked it.
Donna recently posted…Competition: Win a canvas print from PhotoBox
these are great, thank you for sharing x
wendy recently posted…Coping After A Stroke - My Story
I’ve never done painting with pippets, that’s a great idea
Angela Spicer recently posted…Sports Day
Wow these look fab! What a great activity x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins recently posted…Refreshing Lemon Cheesecake
What a fabulous idea - I thought you had used straws at first but this looks a bit less messy lol
Kara recently posted…Saturday is Caption Day - 24th May 2014
Brilliant. I remember visiting once a gallery exhibition which was showing all pieces made in a very similar way
agatapokutycka recently posted…Comment on Watching WatchBot Watch by Natalie Gillham
oh my gosh I love these! brilliant for imaginative play! x
Fritha Strickland recently posted…For the Home
What a great idea! I love the elephant
My two children would love to have a go at this.
Painting with pipettes is ace