Ben and Molly LOVE painting and take
their art very seriously. In fact, ever since I introduced them to some of the
finer things, Molly is simply not content with paper: “Uh, no, mommy. Canvases are for painting, remember? Not paper.” (Canvases are worthwhile dollar store
investment – they make any painting craft with kids look far more posh.)
Last year, in the throes of Molly’s
fingerprint stamping obsession, we attempted this craft for daddy’s Valentine’s Day present, with mixed results:
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| Ben (left) and Molly (right)'s Valentine paintings from last year |
I figured I would give it another shot this
year, and while I was at it, how about a how-to?
Materials
Canvas(es), with or without easel
Washable liquid paint, various
colours
Cotton swabs (aka Q-tips)
Markers (Sharpies, if you really like
living on the edge. Ben discovered them and there’s no going back now – he
LOVES that they can write on anything, like craft foam, glossy paper, or over
top of paint. So far I haven’t come to regret it *too* much.)
Smocks, unless you like to live
dangerously
There a gazillion ways to use your
children’s fingerprints, handprints, and footprints in crafts – just ask Pinterest. (Public Service Announcement: Just say 'NO' to brown footprints though. They don't look like what you think they look like.)
This activity keeps things on a small scale, using
just fingerprints, so you don’t have to set aside too much time for post-painting
baths or worry about spreading drop cloths all over your floors and furniture
for the inevitable fallout.
For this craft, using just a few fingerprints can
create a garden scene that is just as unique as your child (and some kids are
definitely more unique than others – again, see above for Molly’s example).
I’m a big fan of reusing stuff and an
even bigger fan of not having to wash things, so I always put my paints out in
egg cartons, which can be used over and over for this purpose. I also like to
use cotton swabs in place of paintbrushes, one per colour (and spares for
mixing new colours). Not having to clean brushes lets the colours stay vibrant
and there’s no gross purple paint-y water to spill everywhere.
For your garden, help your little ones
make any combination of:
1. Flower stems: Paint one pointer
finger and stamp.
2. Flower leaves: Paint a
pointer finger pad (for small leaves) or a whole finger (for large leaves) and stamp along the stem.
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| Molly showing off her stems and leaves |
4. Heart-shaped flowers: Paint a pointer finger
pad and stamp twice, overlapping at the bottom to make a heart shape.
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| Heart-shaped flower |
5. Daisies: Paint all of the fingertips
of one hand and stamp together as a cluster. Paint one fingertip a contrasting
colour and stamp a dot in the centre.
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| Making a fingerprint daisy |
6. Butterflies: Paint a pointer fingertip and stamp four times make the wings. Draw or paint contrasting colour body and antennae.
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| Butterflies and Bee |
7. Bee: Paint a thumb with yellow and
black stripes and stamp (very gently, or the black and yellow will smush together). Paint a fingertip white and stamp to make wings. Draw or paint antennae and stinger. Add a speech bubble saying, “Bee Mine!”
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| Thumbs up!! |
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| This was the finished product as I envisioned it. |
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| Molly had other ideas! |
You know what they say about best-laid plans...
~ karyn
What else can you add to your garden using fingerprints? Comment below with your ideas and follow Genuine Jenn and PicklesINK on Facebook to share your pictures!
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