Make do with what you have

Sometimes I have time to plan a special project for my littles at home, but more often than not, I am in need of a quick, economical, and fun way to get their hands and minds busy making and creating.  Most of the projects we undertake in Art in Motion classes are simple and use materials that you probably already have on hand.  Not only does this make it possible for parents to easily set up an art project, it also shows kids that you don't have to purchase fancy materials to create wonderful pieces of art.  Here are some of my favorite materials to use.  My kids and my students at Art in Motion love to paint, so all the materials are used with paint, but you could also use them with tape, glue, yarn, etc.

--Q-Tips make such great mini paint brushes!  Something about their size is just perfect for little hands to work on detailed lines and brush strokes.  Kiddos can use them to make dots, dots, and more dots, or to make lovely, sweeping lines across the paper.  I keep the paper small as well, as the Q-Tips tend to be used to cover a small amount of space.

--Pencil erasers are another fun way to print circles, and, similar to the Q-Tips, really help kids work on those fine lines and little dots.

--Balloons are bouncy fun when used with paint!  Just blow up the balloons with a small amount of air so little hands can hold them easily without popping the balloon, dip in paint, and print on paper.  The results are lovely prints!

--Who doesn't have tons of paper towel tubes sitting around in the recycling bin?  These are the perfect go-to printing tool, and making circles all over a piece of paper is infinitely satisfying.

--Use a brush, but change the painting surface.  Try aluminum foil, wax paper, mirrors, or even egg cartons!

No paint in the art cupboard?  Make your own with this simple recipe!

Homemade Paint 

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup water

Food coloring or liquid watercolors

Stir the flour and salt together.  Add water and blend until very smooth.  Add food coloring of choice.  You can vary the amount of water to achieve a thick or thin paint.