Toddler Art Class: Scrape Paintings

Library cards get you access to lots of fun things, but did you know you could PAINT with them?

Art Project: Scrape Paintings (in black and white)
Supplies:
library cards (or other plastic cards--gift cards, those fake credit cards that come in junk mail...)
paint
paper
paper plates (to hold the paint)

Book:  
Black meets white / Fontes, Justine
We changed our library's logo awhile back and still have scads of library cards with the old logo that we aren't going to use anymore. I asked if I could use them for Toddler Art Class and got plenty!

 What Kids Do: 
 scrape with a flat edge

make lines with a thin edge

Tap paint dots on with a corner

Use the card as a stamp

Swipe the card back and forth (like a paintbrush)

Use the card to scoop up paint

Include the card as part of a collage

Abandon the card altogether and just get hands in the paint!

 and... if you're an older sibling who LOVES to make art, you draw a tree.

Hindsight Tip:  There were a few kids who really hated getting paint on their hands and some who also hated using the library card as a paintbrush.  Consider having another alternative brush on hand (q-tips? sponges? paintbrushes?).

 Variations to try: 

Depending on what season you do this in, the feel of the paintings would change drastically with different color choices.  I really liked seeing what the kids would do with the black and white paint and was surprised that there wasn't MORE of the gray in the "finished" products.  For just a slight variation, you could give kids two sheets of paper (one white, one black) so they can experiment with how those paints look different on different papers.

Adult Challenge:  Observe your child's demeanor.  Are they excited? Engaged? Frustrated? Respond to their emotion instead of to the painting that they're creating!