You probably know that STEM activities are perfect for kids of all ages.  But what about kids that love art? 

Pendulum painting for kids is a super easy way to combine STEM and art (also known as STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art, math). 

Your child will love building this simple pendulum and using it to create their very own colorful works of art.  

This pendulum art activity is perfect to do outside as the weather warms up for spring and summer.   

You may also enjoy this simple sun prints STEAM activity  or doing your own egg drop on those warm days.  

Pendulum Painting

Affiliate links have been used below at no additional cost to you.  See my full disclosure for more information. 

Materials Needed:

• 2 Chairs of Equal Size
• Broom Handle 
• Poster Board or Large Piece of Art Paper
• Hole Punch
• 2 Paper Cups
• Sharpened Pencil
• Yarn
• Tape
• Washable Acrylic Paint
• Water

Painting with a pendulum can be messy, which is why I suggest doing it outside.  That way, when you’re finished you can just hose off any spilled paint.

If that’s not possible, you can place a cheap plastic tablecloth underneath it all to catch potential paint splatters.  

Start by placing your chairs so their backs face each other.   The chairs should be 2-3 feet (.6- 1 meter) apart.

Balance your broom handle across the chair backs.

Next, use your hole punch to make 2 holes at the top of one of your cups.  The cups should be directly opposite each other.

Use the point of your pencil to make a small hole in the center of the cup’s bottom.  (If you don’t have paper cups and have to use plastic ones like we did, have an adult do this step using the tip of a sharp knife.)

Thread yarn through both of the holes at the top of the cup.  Tie the cup to the center of the broom handle so it hangs about 6 inches (15 cm) from the ground.

How to Make a Pendulum Painting 

Use a piece of tape to seal the hole on the bottom of the cup for now.

Squirt some acrylic paint into your other paper cup.  Add about twice the amount of water to the paint and stir it together with your pencil.  You want the paint to be runny.   

Once it is mixed, pour the paint into the bucket on your pendulum (the hanging cup).  

Place your posterboard under your pendulum.

Remove the tape from the bottom of the cup.  Then hold onto the yarn and start swinging the cup gently in a circular motion.  (See below for a different way to move it.)

Let go of the yarn and watch your pendulum as it creates art.

Your paint should form a colorful swirl on the poster board, marking the pendulum’s path. 

If your paint is too thick it will look like splotches that are spread far apart instead of a swirl of smaller dots.  This is what happened with our blue paint in the photo below.   You can easily correct this by stiring in a bit more water.  

If you’re looking for more outside art activities, you may also want to explore splat painting and mud painting for kids. 

How Does a Pendulum Work

Pendulum’s use a weight to work.  In this activity your cup of paint is acting as the weight.

When the weight of a pendulum is hanging straight down and not moving, it is in its equilibrium position.

When you move the paint cup out of equilibrium and let go of it, it swings back and forth due to the force of gravity.

Friction steals a bit of energy from the pendulum with each swing, slowing it down until it eventually stops. 

This motion, along with the dripping paint, makes this a fun and colorful STEAM activity for kids. 

Extensions for the Pendulum STEM Activity

This time, instead of starting by swinging the cup in a circular motion, just pull the cup back some and let it go.  This is how most pendulum’s really move.  How is the pattern of the paint different?  

Try changing the length of your string.  How does this affect the pendulum’s motion, and the painted design?

How is your pendulum affected if you swing it faster?  What if you swing it slower? 

Kids of all ages will have fun with this pendulum painting for kids STEM activity.  

You may also enjoy these posts:

• Pendulum Salt Painting
• Music STEM Activities
• How to Make Crystal Egg Geodes
• Engineer a Paper Plate Water Wheel
• Making Musical Instruments (STEAM Activity)

The post Pendulum Painting for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Are you looking for some fun outdoor art activities kids can enjoy as the weather gets warmer?  

Mud painting is perfect for those rainy days of spring. 

It’s also fun in the summer as part of your very own backyard summer camp.

Affiliate links have been used in this post.  Read my full disclosure here. 

Warmer weather is the perfect time to get outside to do some messy art.   

Over the years we’ve had fun doing splat painting and my son’s favorite, painting with trucks.

Painting with mud has become our new favorite.  

It’s no surprise this process art activity can get a little messy.  Find a shady place outside to get artistic and the mess can all be hosed away when finished.

How to Make Mud Paint

Wondering how to make mud paint?

It’s super easy!  All it takes is the willingness to get a little dirty and to have fun.

You’ll also need:  dirt, water, food coloring, a few plastic cups and craft sticks.

To make your own paint, grab your shovel and head out to the yard to get some dirt.  You will want 1/3 cup of dirt for each color of dirt paint you wish to make.

To make a smoother paint, with less lumps in it, dump the dirt onto a hard, flat surface and use the back of your shovel to smash up the clumps.

Scoop 1/3 cup dirt into each cup.

Then add just a little bit of water to each cup and stir with a craft stick. 

You want the mud paint to be the consistency of pudding.  If it is too runny you can pour off a bit of water or add a little more soil.

Leave one cup plain.  This will be your brown paint.

To make different mud paint colors, squeeze 10+ drops of food coloring into each of the other cups. 

We found that blue, green, and red worked the best.  (The grey color paint we used is actually just creek clay mixed with water — which was a whole new feel compared to the mud paint!)

Stir thoroughly with a craft stick.   

Mud Painting

For painting with mud, you will want some thick art paper.  We used this paper and had great results.

Arrange the paint so all your artists can reach the various colors and get ready to see their creativity.

Mud paint is irresistible for those that like to finger paint.

It also works well with paint brushes for more detailed paintings.

As you know, mud crumbles when it dries.  The painting won’t last forever.

If you want to preserve the painting you can spray it with a spray sealant like we did.  Just let the painting dry flat and once it is dry spray an even coating across the top.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we started our mud painting.  But I absolutely loved how they all turned out!

If you are looking for a fun outdoor art activity for a variety of ages, mud painting is one they will remember for a long time. 

You may also like these kids painting activities:

• Salt Painting
• Puddle Painting
• Squirt Gun Painting 
• Cotton Swab Painted Fall Trees 
• Crayon-Resist April Showers Painting 

Originally published July 10, 2018.

The post Mud Painting: Messy Art Kids Love first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

After all, with all the reds and golden yellows decorating the trees, who could resist trying their hand at capturing that beauty in art?  

If you are looking for something bright and colorful (and fairly mess-free),  this simple Q Tip painting fall tree craft is perfect for young kids.  

As one of the requirements for the Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden badge in our  Girl Scout Daisy troop, we decided to make some pretty fall decorations for a local nursing home. 

This fall tree craft was fun for the girls to make, and fairly mess-free.  (Which, as a leader, I loved.) 

As a bonus, painting with Q Tips is a fun way to work on fine motor skills, making this Q Tip fall tree perfect for preschoolers and kindergartners.      For another fun fall craft perfect for working on fine motor skills, check out this turkey craft. 

Q Tip Fall Tree Painting 

Affiliate links have been used below, which means I may earn a commission for qualified purchases.  See my full disclosure for more details.

Materials Needed: 

• White paper (Thicker paper like this works better for paint.)
• Washable Acrylic paints in fall colors (We used yellow, orange, red, brown and green.)
• Cotton Swabs
• Brown crayons
• Empty egg carton or paper plate to use as paint pallette

Start your fall tree painting by using your brown crayon to draw a tree trunk and branches in the center of your paper.  

You could also use marker for this, but if it is washable marker the paint may make the marker smear.  We found crayons worked great.  

Get as detailed as you’d like with your tree trunk.  You can add a hole to the tree, or even a couple squirrels on the branches.

Once your trunk and branches are drawn, it’s time for the paint.  

Pour a small amount of each of your paint colors into the portions of an empty egg carton, with one color in each section.   Keeping with the changing colors of the leaves in fall, we used: red, yellow, orange, brown, and green.

Place a couple clean cotton swabs into each color of paint.  

Use the Q Tips to dab small amounts of paint onto the tree branches, creating brightly colored fall leaves.  

Be sure to add a few colorful leaves to the ground below the tree, too.

(Unfortunately, school cafeterias do NOT have good lighting for pictures.)

The fall tree paintings we did at Scouts turned out beautifully. 

And I love that some of the girls chose to draw squirrels in their trees as well.

We brought our fall Q Tip trees to the local nursing home to help cheer up residents.  It was the perfect fall tree craft for kindergartners.  It would be great for preschoolers, too. 

This Q Tip painting fall tree craft looks beautiful hanging up.  

You’ll also like these posts:

• Spring Trees Bundled Q Tip Painting
• Leaf Resist Painting 
• Apple Crafts & Activities 

Originally published on November 15, 2014.  

The post Colorful Q-Tip Painted Fall Tree Craft for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

When it comes to kids winter crafts, snowflakes and snowmen are always popular.

My daughter had so much fun mixing painting, her favorite type of craft,  and cutting snowflakes out that we couldn’t wait to share this fun snowflake craft with relief painting.

This craft is perfect for those cold December – February months.

You might also like this sparkly snowflake craft idea.

And if your child loves slime as much as my daughter does, be sure to check out this simple DIY snowflake slime recipe.

Snowflake Craft with Relief Painting

Affiliate links have been provided below.  See my full disclosure here. 

Materials Needed:

• Construction Paper
• Paper Plates
• Sponges (Snips of clean kitchen sponges will work.)
• Acrylic Paint (I love these washable paints!)

Start  by cutting out several snowflakes from construction paper.  The thicker paper holds up better with the paint.

Older kids can do the folding and cutting on their own.

For younger kids you may want to fold the paper and draw triangles, half ovals, etc. along the paper folds and allow the kids to then try cutting on the lines.  Make the shapes super simple for the youngest ones!

Or, you could even have the snowflakes pre-cut.

Once you have your snowflakes cut out, it is time for the real fun.

Pour a little paint, in “winter colors,” onto several paper plates.  (We chose to use white, blue, and purple.)

Give each of your artists a thick sheet of paper, suitable for painting, and a small sponge.

Using the cut out snowflakes like stencils, lay the snowflake on the paper and use the sponge to dab paint along the snowflake’s edges.

Start with the largest snowflakes first.  This allows you to layer smaller ones on top.

You can lift up the snowflake once you have finished dabbing paint on and around it.  Then you can place the snowflake down on the paper again and use a different color paint.

Or you can use different snowflakes and layer them.

Just like real snowflakes, each picture comes out unique and beautiful!

My oldest chose to use her small snowflakes, mixed with the larger one, to create this lovely design.

As a bonus, you can let the paint dry on your snowflake stencil and then hang them with a pretty ribbon.

This simple snowflake craft, using relief painting, looks beautiful hanging on the doors.

You may also like:

• Shaving Cream Paint Snowman
• Fizzy Snow Winter Science
• Melting Snowman STEM Activity

Get more fun ideas like this and a free Christmas scavenger hunt delivered to your email by subscribing to our newsletter.

The post Snowflake Craft: Relief Painting first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

And when it comes to messy art, splat painting is fun and takes almost no prep.   This spring try puddle painting for another low prep idea that’s perfect for a rainy day.

Cotton Ball Splat Painting

Materials Needed:

• Cotton Balls
• Acrylic Paint
• White Craft Paper
• Craft Stick Catapult (optional)

Splat painting is a process art activity for kids.  It’s all about exploring while having fun and being creative.

With that in mind, we came up with two different ways to do splat painting with cotton balls.  The first idea involves using craft stick catapults to paint.

Want to make your own catapults?  Follow these directions.  We opted to hot glue a plastic lid to our top craft stick instead of using the plastic spoon for these catapults, but a spoon would work too.

Catapult Splat Painting

To minimize paint spills and make things easier for the kids, pour a small amount of each color paint into the cups of an empty egg carton.

Dip one half of your cotton ball in paint and set it on the catapult, paint side up.

Then comes the fun part.  Pull the catapult back and let that cotton ball fly!

Painting with a catapult involves some experimenting.   If it isn’t very windy you can try placing the paper on the ground in front of the catapult.   A few small rocks can help hold the paper in place if needed.

Your child may need to move the catapult back and forth to find the optimal position for hitting the paper with the paint balls.

You can also try taping your art paper up on a surface that you aren’t worried about getting paint on or using a small paint easel.    Be ready for a bit of messy experimenting as those painted cotton balls fly!

Cotton Ball Toss Painting

Want to skip the catapults?

Another fun variation for this messy art activity is to just toss the paint covered cotton balls.

This is perfect for younger children.  They will love seeing the colorful results as they toss the cotton balls.

If you have larger sheets of paper you can challenge your child to try tossing the cotton balls from varying distances.   How far away can they get and still hit the paper?

Be warned, this is one activity the kids may ask to do over and over.

Splat painting is a fun and messy outside art activity that is perfect for a variety of ages.  

More Splat Painting Ideas

• Try dropping the cotton balls onto paper while standing on a chair.
• Use a water balloon slingshot to shoot the cotton balls at the paper.
• Use a small wood mallet or toy hammer to help splat the paint.  (The Artful Parent)
• Try splat painting with tea bags. (Messy Little Monster)

You may also enjoy these posts:

• Painting with Toy Trucks — Process Art
• Painting with Squirt Guns
• Colorful and Unique Weaving Activities for Kids 
  

Get more fun ideas like this delivered to your email by subscribing to our newsletter. 

The post Cotton Ball Splat Painting first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

When it comes to spring crafts for kids, there are plenty of bunny crafts and sheep crafts.

This crayon resist painting is a fun April showers craft to celebrate those rain showers that ultimately bring such beautiful flowers in May.

Affiliate links have been used below.  For my full disclosure, click here.

April Showers Craft 

Materials Needed:

• Crayons, including a white crayon
• Water Color Paper
• Water Color Paints and Brushes
• Craft Sponge (optional)

To start your spring crayon resist painting, use the crayons to draw a spring-related picture on your paper. 

We drew brightly colored rainbows and umbrellas.  A cute yellow duck or spring flowers would also be fun to draw on a spring rain painting.

Make sure as you draw your picture that you color in all the white areas with a firm and even pressure.  This will ensure that the paint doesn’t cover up the image later.

Once you have your picture finished, use the white crayon to cover the paper with raindrops.  If you drew an umbrella make sure you avoid drawing raindrops underneath it.

It can be difficult to see white crayon as you draw.  We discovered that if you look at your picture from an angle you can see the raindrops.

The next step is optional.  Rub a damp craft sponge across your page.  This will help the paint spread and blend easier.

Then use your water color paints to cover the paper in shades of blue.

The raindrops will magically appear!

You can use store bought water color paints, or try using your own homemade liquid watercolors.

If you use liquid water colors (like we did) I suggest skipping the step of dampening your paper as the extra water will cause the paint to lose some of its vibrancy.

This April Showers craft using crayon resist painting  is  fun to do on a rainy day.   Your kids will love how the brightly colored crayon drawing seems to “pop” against the rainy background.

Get more fun ideas like this delivered to your email by subscribing to our newsletter. 

• Beautiful Flower Crafts for Kids 
• How to Make Mud Paint
• Gorgeous Shamrock Suncatcher 
• 40+ Jawsome Shark Crafts & Activities

The post Celebrate April Showers with This Simple Crayon Resist Painting first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.