Blue & Yellow Easel Painting

We got the easel! I've been setting it up for markers, chalk, and crayon art, but haven't had the time/energy to do paint. I LOVE the easel. I especially love that it was $15 and I had a great friend who picked it up for me, so I didn't have to drive the 2 hours to the closest Ikea (my Ikea Kristin friend). There is only one thing I would change about the easel, that the cup tray is on the chalkboard side & I would prefer it to be on the whiteboard side.

Anyways, Corey had the day off, so we went for it. I am so glad to mention that the Ikea paper held up to the vigorous movements of a toddler! Wills had so much fun he nicely asked for another "peesh" (piece) of paper "peese" (please). 

He started off with the brush, got some paint on his finger (& was bothered by it), then started finger painting. When I suggested using the brush he picked up the brush & painted his hand. I thought that was clever. 

 Then we had a bit of leftover paint (I always put too much in), so I put it in a zippy bag & now Sophia has a Squishy Bag*. I'll let her use it at dinner time when she has highchair time.

*Squishy Bag- it is somewhat a sensory activity and in this case a science/color activity. I keep the bag closed & she can squish the paint around, somewhat feel its contents, and see what happens when you mix blue & yellow.

Colored Waterplay

I decided to do this project when I noticed how much fun Will was having squeezing the color out of the sponges from a sponge painting day. Will LOVES water play with a passion. Every time I am in the kitchen he gets his step stool from the bathroom & brings it in & asks demands to play in the sink. I set this up in the morning and he played with it all day, until I couldn't take the dish clutter on the counter.

I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but I added a squirt of Crayola paint to each tub & whisked it. I LOVED the results. As you can see I added the sponges from a previous activity here. I also put in measure cups & spoons, cups, bowls, a ball, an old formula scooper, & a whisk.

Like I said, he LOVES water play & played for a very long time, I'm remembering an hour. I believe it was time for lunch & as soon as his nap was over, he was back at it! The red water became purple, which he didn't seem to notice until after nap, but that is when I learned he knew the color "url" purple and "boo" blue.

note: Will does have a hard time with keeping the water in the sink, not because he's being defiant, but because it is still hard for him to pour down in the sink, so he tries to use the ledge. I try to only encourage him to pour inside the sink, but this time I also laid a thick towel on the side of the sink & I was very happy that no water spilled all over the floor & the towel wasn't too wet. The rule in our home is that if he is purposely pouring water on the floor, he gets a warning. I try to find a way to replace whatever he was doing with something I'm okay with that still helps him to learn the same concept. If he keeps doing it, then he is done with that activity for awhile. By awhile I mean he has to get involved in another activity and finish that before he can try the sink again.