Pipette Salt Painting - Everyday Math Activity

This was a project that didn't work as well as I was hoping. It may be one we revisit in the future though!

I wanted to do a project with number shapes and pipettes (because pipettes are Tripp's favorite way to make a mess - I mean art! Ha!). I'd seen blog posts like this one that seemed fun, easy, and not overly messy, so I got our supplies and we headed to the playroom craft table.

Supplies:

• Cardstock
• Pipettes
• Glue
• Table salt
• Watercolor, or water with food coloring
• A pencil

This project was great for everyday math learning, numbers literacy, color mixing, and fine motor exercise.

I drew the numbers 1, 2, and 3 on paper and had Tripp help me trace them with glue. Then we added salt and tried our hand at the pipettes. However, Tripp's love of spraying the colored water all over the place was our downfall. You have to be a little more mindful and slow with this project, so that you can see the salt absorbing the color. This is one we'll come back to when he's a little older!

It's still fun to see him learning and reacting to new things, though!

Shark Footprint Art

In honor of this past Shark Week I turned Tripp's foot into a shark!

He found sea animal-themed foam stickers at the Dollar Tree and we had fun turning them into an art project. We used blue construction paper, a black marker, the stickers, and grey paint on his foot to complete our ocean scene.

So many stories could be made up about this big shark and his undersea friends. There's an octopus family, a tiny boat, leaping dolphins and plenty of plants. Although he has a lot of teeth, this big shark looks friendly enough, so who knows what mischief he could get up to?

Sunflower Handprint Art

Sunflowers are so bright and cheery, and this handprint art reflects that, bringing a little sunshine into the house no matter the time of year.

It was easy to put this together, with construction paper (blue, pink, and green), yellow paint and a black marker. Tripp got some practice with scissors and cutting while I cut out the shapes. We added the dots together and I went over "left" and "right" while we chose which hand to use for each flower petal. A cute little thumbprint bee completed the picture.

Waterfall Pipette Art

I found this idea on the website Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. Tripp's not quite 2 yet, but he will be at the end of the month, and I thought he'd get a kick out of the pipettes and the streams of paint. So off I went to Amazon, ordered a pack of 100 pipettes, and found a Sunday with some free time.

I set up paper on Tripp's easel. I put it on top of an old sheet we use for any painting activities - he recognizes it now and knows when it's time for paint, and it's a lifesaver for cleaning up. I let him pick out the colors for the paint. He chose red, yellow, and blue, which I watered down in old Tupperware containers. Then I showed him how the pipettes worked and it was off to the races. He really enjoyed this activity!

Supplies:

• pipettes
• paint
• containers for paint
• water
• paper
• something to prop the paper up vertically on, such as an easel

This activity benefits:

• fine motor control (getting paint into and out of the pipettes)color recognition
• color mixing (as the yellow and blue mixed, for example, you could see streaks of green)
• knowledge of gravity and the difference between vertical and horizontal
• social skills (communicating which color to use, asking for help)

 Our finished product...

Of course no little artist's day is complete without kitty snuggles.

Water Color Mixing Activity

I have to say I think this is Tripp's favorite activity we have done so far and definitely one we need to repeat soon.

Super simple... you just need:

• Containers (mixing bowls, Tupperware containers, old takeout containers, whatever!)
• Spoons, cups and measuring cups of all sizes
• Water
• Food coloring
• A towel, if indoors

Fill each bowl with a small amount of water and food coloring. Set out the bowls and the spoons and let your child practice scooping, pouring and mixing. The food coloring adds a fun element as the water changes color as it combines! When done, just dump out the bowls and put the towel (and probably your child's clothes) through the wash. Easy peasy.

I recommend starting off with a small amount of water in each bowl, and only a few bowls to start off with. You can always add more but starting with less lets you expand as needed and isn't overwhelming right from the start.

There's so much you can talk about with this activity... colors, measurements, volume, liquid vs. solid, wet vs. dry, etc. They get some motor development in there too. Heck, even test out Piaget's Theory of Conservation with them!