An Inexpensive Art Project for Kids: Puffy Paint and Glue Equals FUN!

Are you looking for a simple and inexpensive art project to do with the kids?
I am sharing one here that is very simple and costs very little.  We have experimented a great
deal with this project. You can alter the project and make other animals or items by adding just a bit of food coloring to make multiple colors.

This project might be a little messy but your children will have lots of fun! This is a great project to encourage your children to express their artistic talent and use their imagination.

Now before I get ahead of myself, perhaps it would be best to give a list of supplies. If you are like me, that is the first thing I look at determine if I might have the items around the house. For many of you, I think you will be in luck as these common items are in most every home.

List of supplies needed:
*Craft paper, paint paper, construction paper or any type heavy paper your kids can paint on
*A can of shaving cream. (You can pick one of these us for about $1)
*a smock for the kiddies, or perhaps and old adult t-shirt or just old clothes will work too.
*food coloring (you will only need a small bit IF you decide to make different colors. If you don't have food coloring, don't worry, your children can make all types of puffy pictures by using only white.
*paint brush (optional) to paint pictures OR just use your fingers
*a craft stick or something to mix the shaving cream and glue and to mix colors
*paper plates, or Styrofoam plates or anything to mix "paint" in
*scissors (optional) These can be used to cut small pieces of construction paper if you want to decorate your child's drawing
*school glue
*newspaper or a plastic table cloth or something to protect surface (optional if your children are painting on a surface you want to protect.


NOTE* Always supervise young children during this project as shaving cream and glue are not an edible products.

Directions:
Mix shaving cream and glue in equal parts. Use a craft stick to stir colors.
If you choose to have other colors, separate some of the mixture in other containers. Make colors by adding a drop or two of food food coloring.

Paint tips:

Unlike regular paint, shaving cream paint can be used in big globs to make three dimensional paintings. When your children are finished painting, set the art work aside and allow to dry over night.

Accents: You may cut small pieces of construction paper to accent your drawing while it is wet. An example might be:  if making a snowman, you could add a small orange construction paper nose or black pieces or paper for buttons.

You can also accent with scraps of material or other small craft items. Use whatever your have on hand. Let your children's imagination soar. You might be really surprised what they come up with.

What to do if you don't have shaving cream:
Try mixing a bit of child safe paint with some hand lotion for some nice finger paint. The little ones will love it. It won't dry puffy, but they will still have lots of fun. The clean up seems a bit better when a little hand lotion is mixed in with the paint. 

This is a wonderful project. Your children will love it and so will your budget.
I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
I hope you will visit again soon.

Build A Craft Stick Catapult With Your Kids. Summer Fun Tutorial

Are you looking for something both fun and frugal to do with your kids for a summer activity?
Something that would occupy hours of family fun and guarantee laughter, all while not draining the family bank account? If you are, you are not alone. Many families find themselves in this predicament over summer. This is the time when families are supposed to have fun together. Besides having fun with my children, I am always trying to come up with activities for children at our community center as well. Building this inexpensive catapult definitely was a big hit with all the children of varying ages who built one. This toy brought hours of fun to many. I am sharing this here so that you can build one too.

What you need:
Tongue depressor's or craft sticks (we used 8 for each catapult)
Rubber bands
Plastic soda or water bottle cap
Hot Glue or glue to attach plastic lid to catapult. (We used hot glue because it was faster )

Optional:
Something to use in the catapult as ammunition (we used a small plastic bird that resembles those other birds that are so angry)
Markers and/or items of choice to decorate your catapult

Directions:
Begin by putting 2 craft sticks together. Rubber band only one end together.

Next, stack 6 sticks one on top the other. Rubber band the stack together at each end.

Slide the stack of 6 inside the initial 2 sticks so that the 2 sticks are spit apart. Slide the stack in to the
banded side of the two sticks.
Next, use a rubber band to attach the set of two sticks together at the center point of where they connect or intersect.

Using hot glue (or craft glue if you prefer) attach the bottle cap to the top of the open end of the two sticks.

**Please do not allow children to use or operate a hot glue gun. This should be done by adults only!

Use markers or any other items you like to decorate your catapult. As you can see, we used markers and glued a feather to the end.
We placed our bird in the cap. You might choose to use another item for ammo such as an eraser,marshmallow or even crumpled paper.
To fire your catapult, place your ammo of choice in the bottle cap. Push down on the end and release. Remember to wear safety glasses and to shoot in only one direction.

If your catapult doesn't shoot in the direction you like or shoots too high, you can adjust the position of the craft stick bundle to change the direction of your fired ammo. 

*You will need some item to stack up so that your catapult can knock it down. We used stacked wooden blocks. You may stack all sorts of items, such as plastic action figures or small plastic cups, etc. Shoot to knock down stacks of something or aim to land in a small waste basket.

The children built lots of catapults and had hours of fun. This is a great summer project.

Have fun building your catapult.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.