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Multi-Sensory Paint!

September 21, 2011 by notjustcute Filed Under: Create, Learning through Play and Experience 5 Comments

 One of the things that makes young artists so great, is that they are concerned more with the whole experience than with the product alone.  Expand your next painting experience by trying out these tips that encourage children to use more than just their eyes to experience art.  (Originally posted January 2010.)

If you’d like to incorporate a few more senses into your painting projects, add some regular salt generously to your tempera paint and use as fingerpaint or with a brush. The resulting project will have a bit more texture and grit that becomes even more visible as it dries. Use side by side with “regular” paint for a great texture comparison. This will spark interest as well as encourage the use of new vocabulary words like bumpy, gritty, sandy, smooth, etc. (If you’re not fingerpainting, you might want to use your older brushes for this one, as the salt tends to get into the bristles a bit.)

The next day you can add another sense to the activity as you make your paint scented! Just add a packet of Kool-Aid to the container of paint. Try scented paint alone or add the scent to the salty paint for a combined experience. (Do be cautious, as the Kool-Aid seems to make the paint a bit frothy. It can overflow, albeit slowly!) The Kool-Aid adds a fruity scent while also intensifying the colors (which may also affect the washability, depending on the product).

Making your art activities multi-sensory makes them more appealing, while also enhancing the senses and building language skills as the children are bound to talk about the differences they’ve observed! Painting in general also builds creativity and fine motor control and strength.

So try something new with paint you can see, smell, and feel….I suppose you could also add hear if you add some music….though I wouldn’t recommend tasting, at least not with this salty Kool-Aid concoction!

More from the “Exploring the Arts through Our Senses” unit here!

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Comments

  1. 1

    Teacher Weena says

    September 21, 2011 at 8:54 am

    So fun! We did this last year.
    http://teacherweena.blogspot.com/2011/03/multi-sensory-experience.html
    We’re doing it again.

    Reply
    • 2

      notjustcute says

      September 21, 2011 at 1:14 pm

      Thanks for sharing your link! Great idea to use homemade (aka-safe) paint with the scent. Especially with toddlers, they’re likely to try a taste!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Carrie says

    September 21, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    I have also bought for my staff extracts to use for smell experiences such as vanilla, peppermint etc… Previously it was for bought for play dough but you could use it that way too I would think.

    Reply
    • 4

      notjustcute says

      September 21, 2011 at 1:13 pm

      Great idea!

      Reply
  3. 5

    Christie-Childhood 101 says

    September 22, 2011 at 2:12 am

    You have reminded me that it has been ages since we have fingerpainted 🙁 I think we might just give the salted paint a run tomorrow!

    Reply

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In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

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