Today’s post is a part of the various fun and easy art projects for preschoolers we have been sharing so far. However, most of art projects we have been sharing are Valentine’s day themed. This time we share an all-season one – we used cotton rounds to experiment with color and make art with it. I hope you have all seen our cotton rounds craft. After seeing the kids enjoy the our “just add water bleeding art” activity, we decided to do a combine both activities.

The idea is to color mix and experiment with different colors on cotton rounds.

[box title=”Things we used” color=”#333333″]

• Liquid water colors/ markers soaked in water
• Watered down tempera paint
• Colored water using food color/li>
• Cotton rounds
• Medicine dropper, spoons, paint brushes

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We used medicine dropper, brushes, spoons to pour, drop, splash water colors on the cotton rounds using 3 kinds of colored liquids

1. Liquid Water Colors

I made liquid watercolors using the old “marker soaked in water” trick to make them and I must tell you that it worked pretty good. Using the dropper, the kids droped/squirted/poured water colors on cotton rounds and watched the patterns emerge.

The colors travel through the fibers in the cotton rounds so beautifully that it is a treat to watch them soak up the cotton round. Big A was in awe! “Colors are moving, moving, wow!” But please take note to actually see the absorption, the squirts of color or dabs of colors should be done really gently and slowly which the pre schooler caught on.

This activity is a fantastic, open ended art activity even for toddlers because let’s just face it- toddlers just love to splash colors all over. My toddler had a great time squirting, painting water colors all over the cotton rounds.Although she had a hard time being gentle with the medicine dropper but it doesn’t matter she just loved being there with big sis “ playing with colors”

2.  Watered down tempera paint also works relatively good.

Although the color travel through fibers were virtually absent. My younger was eager to use brushes on this one.

We noted the difference between painted cotton rounds and ones where we used a medicine dropper. The difference was dramatic.

By engaging in these kind of art projects for preschoolers, I can personally see the way the older one is learning  any new concepts – planning, observing, predicting, recognizing patterns and differences etc. Giving the child freedom to engage in open ended art activity turns a  simple color squirting exercise into a fun and learning activity.

3. Water with food colors

These did not have enough “color” in them to travel through the fibers and just plain soaked the cotton rounds. Yet, the colors were fantastic.

Big A took the time to do numerous multi colored cotton rounds, working in layers, really! Check this out.

It started off as a simple squirt water colors on cotton rounds but it transformed into much more. It is great to see a child’s mind at work when given just a couple of art supplies. Here she has created a face and also experimented with the other side of the cotton rounds to see the difference.

I used a cleansing pad from a drugstore. You can see that the surface is ribbed and different from the cotton round. The patterns the colors make on this round is very different from the ones made on a regular cotton round. Observing these minor details are a great exercise for a pre schooler.

Thanks for reading

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Stop by our “All things Paint” pinterest board for more fabulous open ended art ideas.