(tot school tuesday) handprint flower art

Hello Tot Schoolers! My book shoot was yesterday (can’t wait to show you the photos we got!), so I’ve called in some backup on my blog for today. Melissa of Mama Miss is here teaching us how to make fun handprint flower art with our kiddos. I just love this idea and can’t wait to try it with Logan this spring!

We are big fans of any kiddo artwork that involves finger-paints and slapping our hands in it.  This project involves both, along with a very pretty result!  My oldest, V, she’s 3 1/2, as soon as she sees the finger-paints come out, her eyes light up!  She stands over me as I gather the supplies, asking MANY questions (she’s a curious 3 1/2 year old, so everything is why, why, why).  I can hear the little gears turning in her head, wondering what next finger-paint adventure we are about to embark upon…an animal, a leaf…hmmm what ever could it be!  So, today, we’ve decided to make a “boo-ti-fal” (as V calls it) flower with all of you.

Materials

Finger-paint

Watercolor paper

Paintbrush (not shown)

Optional materials for mounting

Black cardstock

Foam Tape

Scissors

White pencil

Instructions

Apply paint to child’s hand, covering entire hand.  Making a circle with the base of their palms, go around imprinting their finger-painted hands on the paper, leaving an empty center.  This will involve approximately 4-5 handprints and an additional layer of paint may be necessary after each handprint to complete the circle.

Using a complimentary color, paint the center circle using a paintbrush.

 At this point you are done with the project, let dry for 20 minutes to an hour depending on the thickness of your art.

Optional:  Mount your artwork!

We were so pleased with how this turned out, we decided to mount it for display!  Start by cutting out your flower.  V did a rough cut around the shape & I tightened up the edges after she was done.  Next add foam tape – it will set the artwork above the paper that it is mounted on, making it three dimensional.  Apply tape to each flower petal.  Place the flower with foam tape backing on to black cardstock.

Add date, child’s name, or age to the display using a white pen or pencil.

I got a little creative here…because it reminded me of specimen art, I added her age as the “figure number”, the description of the artwork, and then her name on the back.

xx ♥ m

Melissa of mama♥miss is a stay-at-home mama of two.  When she’s not on her computer immersed in the blogosphere you can find her behind the lens taking pictures of everything & everyone.  Her background and education lie in fashion design, and she is a self taught photographer & graphic designer.  She uses her creative skills to bring crafty original experiences to her kids and home.  You can find her blogging about trying to be super-mama at here website mamamiss.com, as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest too.  Here are some of her more popular kid-related posts: Carrot Garden Sensory Bin, One Fish Two Fish Counting Game, and Edible Fun Octopus.

Tot School Tuesday Co-host: Kara of Mine for the Making (visit her blog for preschool aged activities)

Link up your Tot School Tuesday activities here! Tot School Tuesday is all about teaching your child something in a fun and playful way. Blog along with me every Tuesday and link up your ideas here. They can be original ideas or something you saw online (just make sure to give credit to the person who came up with the idea).

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