Chinese New Year is just around the corner. (It's the year of the Rat, by the way.) I used to do this art project in my classroom. It turns out looking very much like a Chinese Water Color Painting and the technique is super-fun for your kids to do.
First of all, here is a look at the finished product:
Pretty cool, right? And, it is so easy to make. The picture on the left my son and I did together, the one on the right he did on his own.Here is what you need:
- Paper - I like to cut my paper long. The white construction paper in this picture is 6" x 11". I just glued it onto a slightly larger piece of black construction paper when we were done painting.
- Black paint - Any kind of black tempura or other kids paint will do. You will have to water it down, though. I used equal parts paint and water.
- Red paint.
- Drinking straws. It's easier if you cut them in half!
Directions:
- Place a hearty drop of black paint onto the paper.
- Blow on the paint with your straw. It works best if you blow from the side, not directly above the paint. Continue adding drops of paint as necessary.
- When you feel like you have enough black paint on your
page, add the red cherry blossoms. Just use your finger tip to put the red dots onto your black branches.
Looking for another way to share the fun of Chinese New Year with your kids? Here are two books that I really like:
Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn - This is a great story about Chinese New Year, but it's a little wordy. If you are looking for a shorter story try this one: Dragon Dance - A Chinese New Year Lift the Flap Book by Joan Holub
2 comments:
Come over to my house and do projects with my kids. PLEASE?!?!
My question is: what do you do with Ashley? Sometimes I feel bad because Sawyer is working on a project that Sage is too young for.
And for some reason, I see MY kids inhaling the paint rather than blowing out air! LOL
I totally had to show Greg how to blow through the straw instead of suck. Otherwise, he would have drank some paint too. Some of the projects (like play-doh) I do with Ashley too, others (like this one) I do after she goes down for her nap. I usually let Greg stay up an extra 30 minutes so we can do a craft or play a game that Ashley is too young to play.
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