Are April showers keeping your kids inside? Pull them away from the TV (or tablet or video game) for a while and get creative.
Social media sites are full of fun ideas for indoor and outdoor play. We’ve grabbed one from our Pinterest boards to get you started on a project to keep the rainy day blues away — with a window art project.
Does it sound crazy to let your kids paint your windows? We think with a little preparation (window markers or washable paint) and a few boundaries (literally — painter’s tape), these projects will get the kids’ creative juices flowing.
Most of the materials can be found at your local store’s craft departments.
First, tape off the “no painting” areas with the painter’s tape. Call it their frame, and tell them to keep all paint inside their “canvas” area. Throw some old sheets or drop cloths below them in case of splatters. Window markers and washable paint make it a realistic project that kids will get a kick out of.
If painting windows sounds like a recipe for disaster for your household, you could try having the kids create a cellophane “stained glass” window.
Brother and sister Danny and Heidi Wildman of Cuyahoga Falls tested this craft for us. If your children are old enough, they can cut out the shapes in the cellophane for their masterpiece, but you might need to get involved for the little ones who are still learning to use scissors.
Using paint brushes or a sponge roller, apply a solution of dish soap and water to the window. The cellophane shapes can then be placed right on the glass. After trial and error, Erica, the author of the stay-at-home-mom site whatdowedoallday.com, recommends a solution of 2/3 dish soap to 1/3 water in order for the shapes to stick to the window.
The craft was a hit in the Wildman household, with Heidi saying, “Mom, this is beautiful! Can we keep it up here forever?”
Now let your little da Vincis or O’Keeffes start their works of art!
Supplies
• Crafty Dab Window Paints
• Creatology or Crayola Washable Window Markers
• Painter’s tape
• Cellophane
• Dish soap
• Brushes and sponge roll
Check out these online craft resources:
crayola.com — keyword: washable
ehow.com — keywords: how to make washable paint
mothering.com — keywords: homemade washable paint
