Make a Blow Painting

There is no denying that preschoolers love to paint. Let your little one have fun painting by blowing the paint around on the paper rather than using a paintbrush. The result will be a fabulously abstract piece of art!

What You Need:

• paper
• non-breakable container with sides  (dishpan, cake pan, disposable casserole dish, etc.)
• thin paint (see homemade recipe below)
• spoon
• straws (bendable straws work best)

1. Trim paper as needed to cover the bottom of the container. Place the paper into the container with sides. This helps control the extra paint that blows around.
2. If using store-bought paint, you may wish to water it down a bit for easier mobility across the paper.
3. Have your child choose the color of paint she wants to use first and dribble a spoonful onto her paper.
4. Give her a straw and let her experiment with blowing the paint around on the paper. Caution her against sucking in through the straw, though if you are using the homemade paint recipe below, it is perfectly safe.
5. Continue adding colors until your child completes her masterpiece. Talk about what you see and what the painting make you think of. You may even want to help your child give the painting a name, like many famous painters before her.
6. Allow the painting to dry and then encourage your preschooler to sign her name in the bottom corner of her painting.

As an extension, share some of the artwork of Jackson Pollock with your budding artist. Have her guess the technique he used in his paintings. Here's the recipe for making your own paint: