Earlier today my friend Kathren reminded me of a fun ice painting activity that we did over the summer. We decided to try it out again using our shamrock molds... since St. Patrick's Day is next week.
Materials Needed: shamrock molds ($1 aisle at Target or Party City are great places to find these), blue and yellow washable paint, water, cup, plastic spoon, paper, 13X9 baking pan, and a freezer!
Directions:
1. Talk about what colors make green... then pour some blue and yellow paint in a paper cup.
2. Mix with some water (we used a good amount of water because I wanted our paint to be more like watercolor)... if you want it to be more vibrant, use more paint.
3. Stir, stir, stir!
4. Pour into the shamrock molds. Stick them in the freezer for a few hours until they are solid.
5. Pop out the molds.
6. Stick paper into the bottom of the 13X9 pan, drop the shamrocks into the pan and start painting!
If you want to keep things neater, just have your child hold the outside of the pan and move the shamrocks around... kind of like marble painting. My son likes the sensual experience of playing with the ice pieces, so he loved moving them around with his hands.
Make sure if you use the molds for shamrock popsicles, cakes, or jello that you remind your child that these molds have paint in them and aren't for eating!! My son had to be reminded several times and he is 3 and knows better... but the ice reminded him so much of popsicles that he was tempted. For littler kids you will have to be vigilant and keep towels on hand so that hands get washed and fingers don't lick the paint. Also make sure you use non-toxic washable paint. This is a project that requires parent supervision!
I also have loved these other St. Patrick's Day art projects this week:
Marshmallow Shamrocks- No Time for Flashcards
Paper Plate Leprechaun- Moments of Mommyhood
Handprint Leprechauns- Meet the Dubiens
Do you have any favorite St. Patrick's Day stories you read with your children? I never found any that I absolutely love. Please share if you have any good ones.
This is an awesome idea for St. Patrick's Day. Love the frozen shamrocks. I've linked up to your post on my weekly favorites here: play2grow.blogspot.com/2011/03/weekly-favorites-for-march-13-2011.html
Elaine- I can't remember what type we used… but nontoxic washable tempura would work great.
What kind of paint did you use… is it tempera paint? This is an awesome activity my son would love!