Sweet Makes: Color my World on a Rainy Day

If you're on the East Coast you are being inundated with rain and wind due to Hurricane Irene. It isn't so bad here in Central Mass. Lots of leaves floating by and big wind gusts that would take your breath away. Hoping all are safe and dry!

With rain comes toddler meltdowns in our house so I started googling projects to tuck into my ' mommy needs some sanity' pocket. One of the projects I have seen all over is super simple, placing small objects in a jar or bottle and adding water.  I added an additional step which I think you'll enjoy! My son's school did this project with glitter and holiday erasers last year. He loved watching the glitter roll by and often pretended it was a big snow storm. Another project I love is white crayons and water color. ( see below)

Note: As I mentioned these are by no means my ideas- so please don't think I am brilliant :)  I just wanted to show how fun and simple this project really is!

Dreary days can ( and should!) be filled with color! This is the simplest project on earth that really does pack great results with toddlers and even babies. Toddlers can aid in scouting for materials and also place objects into the containers. Make a bottle  in front of baby and talk about the objects and colors you are adding.

Colored Bottles of Fun 
Materials:
Assorted plastic or glass bottles ( I recommend plastic as we did a lot of throwing and bumping on the table)

Odds and ends from around the house ( buttons, pennies, paper clips, sea glass, shells, beans, seed beads, tile spacers, feathers, small pebbles, leaves, foam, cut up sponges, cut up mardi gras beads,  dried pasta, rice, glitter, goggly eyes, popsicle sticks, plastic cutlery, pipe cleaners, pretty much anything that won't disintegrate with water. ( Be sure to watch that nothing ends up in their mouths!!!!)

TIP: Yes, I am a crafter but I don't have a lot of kid craft supplies ( just haven't really gotten into them yet ) A woman I work with encouraged me to disassemble crafts that come home from school after the season is over and save things like pipe cleaners foam pieces etc. Totally worth it!

Water colors ( either liquid or crayola solids)

Water

( that's it!)

Assemble all the things to be added and let your child explore. Remember there is no right or wrong way to put things in. Watch them and discuss what is being placed in and why. ( They may have some awesome answers or stories.  My son explained to us that these were castles filled with different things.)

After they are finished adding things scrape some water color out of the paint pan and add it to the items. It is amazing how they react in a bit of water. Colors spread and become vibrant.

 Bring the containers to the sink and add water, place caps on tightly. Then let your child shake!

Some questions to ask:

What sinks, what floats?

Play  I SPY...

Hold bottles up to the light for a different look

He played with these for at least 40 minutes after making them! 

Next Project!.....

Secret Water Colors 

Toddlers may at first be confused that the crayon ' doesn't work' try your best to explain that the colors will show up when they paint. Encourage them to draw circles and letters to their hearts content!

Materials:
White crayon
Water Colors
Paper
Paint brush
Water

Have your child draw on the paper with the white crayon then color over with the water color! Watch how the wax separates from the paint and water. Or you can have them paint first then color with the crayon and see what happens.