The totally fun zero mess art activity

Yesterday morning we tried out some great new kid's markers. They're a large size, perfect for little hands to grip, and are designed with a sturdy tip that can't be pushed inwards if they're pressed too hard on the paper.

 

Drawing with markers gave LB the chance to practice putting lids on and off. Something he dearly loves doing. With every lid he finds. All the time.

 I thought Little Bean would love this activity but it was met with limited success. He loved the drawing part but kept crying "Ewwww" every time he got ink on his hands. Out came the wet wipes and problem solved. Hmmm, maybe not. His cries became quite upset because there were still faint ink marks. 

 

After washing his hands for the third time, I'd had enough of trying to get him over his ink phobia for one day. I decided a cleaner art activity was in order. Enter one jug of water and a large paintbrush.  The neighbours had held a wedding reception - street party in our little laneway cul-de-sac the previous day and the gazebo was still up. Perfect for an outdoor activity. We set up under it and  "painted" the concrete laneway with water. As time went on, curious kids came out and had a look. Within 15 minutes, we had half a dozen kids "painting" with us. One of the kids even "painted" flower pots and her front gate. Loads of fun was had by all and there was zero mess to clean up. Just a few paintbrushes needing a quick rinse. This will be a regular activity I think.

One of my clearest and fondest memories from kindergarten is "painting" with water on the side wall of the school. I remember being so excited to go to play lunch because it meant that I could go and "paint". This activity would work well on many surfaces. Your kids could "paint" the house, the garden path, the driveway or you could even get them to "paint" (and wash) your car.