eeK!! one day late with the posting of this blog…last week of the school holidays has had me faffing around with much needed unpacking from various summer time adventures, a mini spring (autumn) clean around the house, ordering last minute school uniform, writing numerous ‘things to do lists’, remembering to breath!!! celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary, naming all the kiddies clothes (with, I hasten to add, this awesome stamp with our surname printed on it, you must get yours now from stamptastic!!! comes complete with a little stamp pad, this little beauty has literally saved my bacon!!!) oh and with a little break in between, back to Wiltshire, taking the family to the one and only wondrous and quite spectacular Gifford’s Circus over the weekend which, once again, made me believe that magic CAN happen and dreams CAN come true because anything IS possible…and because of that, my mind has been a whirlpool of ideas and imaginations that have all been noted down in notepads with drawings and verse, to hopefully someday become true!!! But for now, to keep my mind from the impending realisation that all 3 of my little ones will be venturing into pastures new this term with nursery and school, this little totally awesome gem of an art activity is what me and my younger two settled down and did on this rainy Monday morning. (Hopefully by the time you read this the sun will be shining again, I hear a heatwave is in the pipeline!!! whoop whoop….)

what you need…

  • toy cars, preferably with a variety of different tracks on the wheels
  • paint (I always use 3 colours, with one always being white so not to make a muddy gunky colour)
  • large paper (or smaller paper taped together)
  • smocks for the kiddies and you!!!
  • (music optional)

cars3

what to do…

  1. cover the table in paper
  2. collect a handful of different cars looking closely at the tracks on the wheels to see if you can find a variety of different patterns
  3. divide the cars up depending on their track pattern
  4. squeeze three different colours of paint onto three separate plates
  5. place the cars in the paint
  6. turn some music on if you wish
  7. sit back and watch the love and fascination in their little faces…

cars

into a little dream adventure…

  • this activity can be done inside or outside, at a table or on the floor, but what I love is the opportunity for children to drive there cars over a large piece of paper, really encouraging them to use their gross motor skills in a bold and beautiful way
  • this activity with out a doubt encourages concentration in a child – what other opportunities could we give them using a similar theme of activity?! what does your child love to play with? maybe with a set of trains, maybe large vehicles driven through a large tray of paint? or plastic farm animals or jungle animals, acknowledging the various tracks they leave in the paint, recognising the animals by the tracks they leave
  • extending imagination and thought through conversation -, asking your child where are the vehicles driving too? are they driving fast or slow? sideways, forwards or backwards? how many vehicles can you drive at the same time? who is driving your vehicle?
  • then of course, if you opt to have music on in the background, maybe try listening to different genres of music…what happens to the movement of the cars with which your child is painting with when the music played is fast or slow? what happens when the music is peaceful or hectic? what happens when the music is happy or sad? what happens when the music is their favourite song or one they dislike? lots of open ended opportunities to observe here…
  • recognising colour – colour of the various vehicles, colour of the paint used and what happens if the paint is mixed?

cars2

remember to send your pictures in of any activities ventured with your children…we love to see little dreamers on their adventures x