Toddler Art Class: Stamping Hearts

Cardboard tubes make convenient stamps--just not always heart-shaped.

Art Project: Stamping "hearts" with t.p. tubes
Supplies:
Clean, empty toilet paper tubes
cardstock
paint (we used red and white)
small paper plates
masking tape (optional, but helps hold the t.p. tube in a heart shape if that's what you want)

Book:   
Penguin and Pinecone : a friendship story / Yoon, Salina
Project inspired by this photo

 What Kids Do:  A few actually tried stamping hearts

 Some stamped circles:

 Some tried making fingerprint art:

 Some tap-tapped with the edge of their t.p. tube:

 Some just used it like a brush:

 Some used that edge to scoop up paint and then tap it out onto the paper:

 Some tried tape resist:

 And some REALLY got into the paint:

 Painting their whole hands:

 

Or... just their fingernails:

 This artist wanted to paint his t.p. tubes instead:

 And this young artist/scientist discovered that you can lift a plate of paint with your flat hand!

 Those tubes also make great telescopes, of course!

Hindsight Tip: If you REALLY care about these stamps being heart-shaped, I'd recommend shaping the tubes yourself before class and securing them with a piece of the masking tape.  Otherwise, it's tricky (even for adult hands) to hold it in exactly the right shape as you're stamping with it.

 Variations to try: 

Try this as a study in shapes.  Can you make a square stamp with a t.p. tube?  An oval? A circle? What other shapes can you make?

Adult Challenge:  Allow your child to experiment and "fail." If they're not doing the project as I suggested, but they're also not hurting anyone or any property, just let them make their own discoveries!