Toddler Art Class: Absorb it!

Colorful tabletop puddles with coffee filter lily pads...

Art Project: Absorb it!  (project title from First Art by MaryAnn Kohl)

Supplies:
coffee filters
washable markers
water
eye droppers
small bowls
spray bottles
paintbrushes (optional)

Book:  
Rain / Kalan, Robert

  
Music to make art by:
  Pickin' in the garden [sound recording] / The Funky Mamas

What Kids Do: 
draw with washable markers onto coffee filters:

 (staying on the coffee filter is optional)

 practiced using eye droppers to transfer water onto their coffee filters

 practiced using spray bottles to wet their coffee filters

 just dumped water straight from the eye dropper bowl onto the coffee filters

 transferred water with a paintbrush

 played with the water (and didn't bother with the coffee filter)

 tried transferring water by pinching it in their fingers

 used their soaked coffee filter to scrub the tabletop "clean"

 made a jellyfish!

 I didn't get a photo of it, but dipping the tips of markers into the tubs of water also happened more than once.  The water turned a lovely color!


Hindsight Tips:
--markers will bleed through the coffee filters onto the tables.  If that is a concern, cover your tables with something less porous.

 Variations to try: 

--another option if coffee filters are difficult to come by for some reason would be sturdy white paper towels
--pinch the middle of a dried colored coffee filter and twist it into a flower!

Adult Challenge:  Follow your child's lead.  There are so many ways to explore these supplies.  Let your child choose which way they'd like to proceed (although spraying other people with water should be discouraged unless those people WANT to be wet).

Best kid quote:  "These look like wings!  I'm going to put mine on and fly out the window and up into the morning!"