Maybe I’ve done too many famous artist lessons (perhaps a hazard of teaching children’s art classes at a museum?), but I always like to add ‘something’ extra to these types of activities. So, this time I’m trying three-ingredient kids’ paint.
One of my favorite parts of this art activity is the ‘color-bursts’ of the paint! This, along with the actual DIY process, adds layers of science and math to what may seem like just a simple finger painting project.
As your child makes the paint, ask him to do the measuring, tell you the quantities and predict what will happen when he mixes it all together.
Monet for Kids
Before the art-making begins take a moment to talk about Monet.
You don’t need to give your young child a college-level lesson on Impressionism and the history of the art. Instead, spend some time looking at one of Monet’s Water Lilies (there are several in the series). I was lucky enough (while teaching) to have the real thing readily available. If you don’t have a museum nearby that houses a Monet, use a reproduction in a Monet art book. The brush-strokes, the season, the time of day and the light are all key factors in Impressionist art. Ask a few open-ended questions about these (letting your child make the discoveries himself, rather than just telling him), such as:
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What do you see? -
What colors can you find? -
How do you think the artist made this? -
Where do you think Monet was when he painted this? -
What time of day do you think Monet painted this?
And now it’s time to make some art!
Monet Art Project for Kids
Here’s What You’ll Need:
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1/3 cup corn starch -
1/4 cup vegetable oil -
Food coloring – Blue, red and yellow -
White card stock paper
Mix the corn starch and oil in a small bowl or plastic-ware container.
Repeat the mixing steps to make a few more batches. Each container makes one color.
Drip two to three drops of food coloring into the mix, using one color per container.
Your child can also mix two colors in one to make new hues. For example, yellow and glue make green. You can pour the colors into ice cube tray compartments, mixing smaller batches of shades as your child goes along.
Stir the paint. At this point your child may notice that it looks speckled, and not exactly smooth. Ask him if he thinks it will go onto the paper with speckles and how he can make the color more even.
Paint on blue water. Have your child scoop some of the paint onto his fingers. As he presses it down on the paper he can make ‘brush strokes’ with his hands. This process also bursts the speckles. The oil in the paint makes it easier for your child to create visible brush strokes.
Layer on more paint. This adds to the textured look. Your child can add yellow sunlight into the water or mix a batch of purple to make shadow areas.
Add a few green lily pads. Your child can also dot on reds, yellows, oranges and other brighter hues to make flowers on top of the lily pads!
More Art Projects for Kids
- Textured Painting with Renoir
- Seurat Style 4 Season Pointilism Project
- Paul Klee for Kids
- Tissue Paper Monet Project for Kids
- Painting like Jackson Polluck
- Van Gogh Art Project for Kids
Erica Loop is a mom, parenting writer and educator with an MS in child development. When she's not teaching, she's busy writing kids' activities for her blog Mini Monets and Mommies. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.
