Activities: Painting With Feet
Look, Ma! No hands!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Ever since you had your kid, you've realized that you can do so much more with your feet than walk on them. You can pick up Legos before your toddler chokes on them, put dirty laundry in the hamper, click on the remote, pet the dog. Now that you've mastered your pedi-skills, it's time to get your kid's toes in on the action. Invite your little one to paint with her feet. Finger painting is so last year ... foot painting is all the rage these days!
- Feet:Your kid's (and yours, if you dare.)
- Sidewalk or driveway:Save your linoleum and take this project outside.
- A huge piece of paper:Mural paper, butcher paper or a brown paper bag that you cut open all work.
- Nontoxic finger paint:Buy it or make your own. See our recipe in the "Do Note" below.
- Large shallow dishes:A pie plate or shallow rubber bin. Big enough to fit your kid's foot in, shallow enough for her to easily step over. One per color.
- Paper towels or baby wipes:These are essential, so your foyer floor doesn't end up looking like a Jackson Pollok painting.
- iPod (with speakers) or portable CD player:Bring along your kid's favorite tunes.
Head outside with your little pedi-artist, paint and paper.
Have your kid take off her shoes and roll up her pants. Or better yet, encourage her to wear shorts or a bathing suit.
Help her pour about an inch or two of paint into each bin.
Roll out the paper on the sidewalk. You can anchor it by placing her shoes and/or a few rocks on the corners.
Set up the iPod or portable CD player. Flick on some tunes.
When everything is set up, invite your kid to step into the paint to get her feet full of color; then encourage her to dance around on the paper to create a colorful mural.
Have her wipe off her feet with paper towels or baby wipes before diving into another color.
Invite her to repeat steps (no pun intended) 6 and 7 as many times as she wishes.
When she's finished her fabulous foot painting, either carry her straight into the bath tub or help her hose off her feet before stepping inside.
Let her painting dry.- Help her hang it up in the rec room or in her bedroom. When her friends ask how she made it, she can tell them that she has secret ninja powers and can walk on walls. (Not that we encourage fibbing, or anything!)
- "Foot Paint" Recipe:
- In a bowl, mix together three tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 cup of cornstarch and two cups of water.
- Add six to ten drops of food coloring to create your desired color. The more food coloring you add, the more saturated your hue will be.
- Make one batch per color.
- This is a great activity for siblings of different ages to do together. It'll be a welcome relief from the constant bickering over toys.
Submit!
pending082307mckevitt.jpg?quality=0.6&height=60&width=60&)
