As the summer season approaches, the weather begins to warm up as the sun comes out more often. The weather is sunshine, rain, snow, wind and storms; it’s what you see and how you feel when you go outside. What is the weather like today?
Take a look at this painting by Pris Butler called “Quilting Scene.” What is the weather like in this painting? How can you tell? What are the people doing outside? Do you like to play outside when it’s sunny? You can go swimming, blow bubbles and play at the park. Buttler is a self-taught artist who paints colorful scenes of everyday life.
Let’s make our own painting inspired by the weather.
For this activity, you will need:
- paper
- straw
- small utensil
- washable paint
- water
- cups
- protective table covering (plastic tablecloth or newspaper)
- wet wipes or damp cloths for quick cleanups
To create your windy hair painting:
- Cover your work surface for easy clean-up.
- Place the paper on your covered surface. You can print out a face template or draw a face on the paper for your toddler to paint.
- Pour small amounts of 2 or 3 colors of washable paint into separate cups. Add a few drops of water to each color. Adding more water will make step 5 easier for your little one.
- Dip any small utensil, such as a fork or a chopstick, into the paint. Then hold the utensil over your paper to create droplets of paint.
- Before it dries, have your toddler use a straw to blow the paint drops to create windy hair. Try adding several colors and blowing from different angles for a “windier” effect.
- Allow the painting to dry and admire your work of art.