Art for a Rainy Day

Post by Leslie Fraser, Arts Education Specialist at Kidspace Children's Museum

Objective: To explore and discover the element of rain in efforts to combine art and nature.

Materials:
Books on weather
Watercolor paper
Tempera paint powder
Colored trays
Plastic spoons

Investigation:

1. Lay the watercolor paper inside the tray. Scatter the paint powder onto the watercolor paper. One thin layer of different colors will do just fine.
2. Put on your rain coats because you are going to go outside! Place the trays in the rain. Watch for when the powder has soaked into the page.
3. Ask your child to observe what is happening to the colors on the page.
4. Go outside, grab the trays and bring them back inside.

Questions to ask your child:

1. What did you observe? Let them tell you what they saw. Did the colors change?
2. Why did the colors combine with each other? What made that happen?