Spaghetti Painting

We have been reading The Storm Whale by Benji Davies this week and the illustrations have transported us to the sea.  The sea and the beach create lots of opportunities to be creative and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do some sensory painting with spaghetti to create a seascape.  Painting with spaghetti is a tactile and satisfying activity for any age and keeps little fingers busy, helping to build strength. It is also a great time to develop vocabulary, talking about how the spaghetti feels and the patterns that are made on the paper.

 For this Spaghetti Painting Activity you will need:

1. some cooked spaghetti, drained and cooled
2. 3 bowls
3. poster paint (we used blue, green and silver)
4. watercolour paper
5. a tray (we use cat litter trays from Wilkos but obviously they are never used for cats!!)

I cooked the spaghetti in advance so that it was fully drained and cool. I set up a painting station with three separate bowls (one for each colour of paint) and the tray. I then cut the watercolour paper to size so that it fitted into the bottom of the tray.

Then it was time to let Burt get painting. He absolutely loved this activity. He started with the blue spaghetti, swirling the paint and the spaghetti together to mix the paint thoroughly. Then he grabbed the squishy blue pasta in his hands and dropped them into the tray.

When he had all the spaghetti in the tray he squeezed, squashed, tickled and swished the spaghetti to cover the paper in a layer of textured blue paint. Once he was happy he started to pick the slippery spaghetti out of the tray and he put it back in the bowl.

 We didn’t let the blue layer dry, instead we went straight onto the next colour, so it was the turn of the green spaghetti.

Then, Burt tried the silver spaghetti. Again we didn’t let the paint dry before adding the next colour and it didn’t seem to matter. You could do the painting in stages but once Burt had his fingers covered in paint I thought we might as well keep going.

 The finished result is an absolutely beautiful piece, made entirely by Burt. The spaghetti gives the paint a swirling texture and the three colours make it a dynamic with lots of depth.  This finished artwork is being framed for Daddy for Father’s Day and will take pride of place on our walls.

 To make the seascape a particularly special gift I have written a couplet that I will put on the back of the frame that Burt can then sign.

When Burt had finished painting he was enjoying the activity so much that he asked to pour all the different colours of spaghetti into the tray so that he could carry on mixing them and squishing them.  It was a really relaxing and enjoyable way to paint and the finished seascape is stunning.

You can read more about the story that inspired us The Storm Whale by Benji Davies 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?