Art Tuesday: Dipping Colors

Now that Ginger is out of school for three whole months, and ballet is over (the recital was adorable!), I am trying to add a modicum of structure to our days. Henceforth, every Tuesday we will be doing an art project. A real art project, not just coloring or gluing. I got a pretty good book, Art for the Very Young. Plus Young at Art is great. And there are lots of online sources as well.

So as often as I remember, or feel like it, I'll be sharing our Art Tuesdays. I expect some will be more fun and/or successful than others. I am not an artist myself at all. But I like creating things, working with my hands, and spending time with Ginger (and in a few weeks, Hazel.) And I love shopping for art supplies. So we will just give it a shot.

First up, a project called Dipping Colors. Easy, fun, cheap - all I could want in a project.

Dipping Colors
What you need:

• paper coffee filters (or paper towels)
• muffin tin (standard or mini)
• food coloring
• newspaper
• water

1. Fill a few muffin cups with water. Color the water with food coloring.

2. Fold the coffee filter/paper towel in quarters. Let the child dip the paper into the colors, watch it spread, turn it, dip another part in another color, etc.
3. Unfold the paper and lay flat on newspaper to dry.Uses: hang the tie-dyed circles from a curtain rod, string or hook for decorations, tape to windows, glue on craft paper to make wrapping paper, or poke a hole through the center and fiddle a pipe cleaner through to make paper flowers.

Child Rating (how much the kid actually liked doing it): ***** (5/5)