We have lots of little card shaped animals (courtesy of Granny) so we decided to do some painting with them and some stamps we had to see what we could create!

Equipment;

– Old clothes/aprons.
– Plastic activity mat.
– Paints (non toxic, water based).
– Paint pots.
– Paintbrushes/sponges.
– Stamping shapes.
– Card cut into animal shapes.
– Extra card for experimenting.
– Wipes

Step 1: Preparation;

I set this activity up at the table with the plastic activity mat and all other equipment. My son helped squeeze all the paints into pots (you may have to do this part for a smaller child).

Step 2: Experimenting with stamps and animal shapes.

Initially we dipped the stamps into the paint directly then onto the card however we found that too much paint went on and when you stamped onto the card it just made big splodges, not the intended shapes. We therefore started to use the paint brushes to put the paint onto the stamps and then stamping – this worked a lot better and we created better defined shapes.

As my son likes to get messy he also painted his hands to make handprints and did some finger painting.

He then wanted me to get more involved so we did some hand prints together which turned out really great and are good memories to keep and we painted together on some larger bits of card.

Step 3: Tidy, tidy, tidy up!

This activity did get nice and messy (which we love!) We needed a wipe down in the kitchen before heading up for a bath! All the reusable equipment needed soaking before a proper wash later and we left our creations to dry.

Step 4: Making cards with our creations!

So after this activity we had a few birthdays coming up so we used some of our animals, hand prints and big paintings to make some birthday cards!

Out of the larger paintings I cut out numbers and letters to spell the name and age of the birthday girl, we then stuck these onto a larger piece of card with some of the decorated animals.

It was also grandad/dad’s birthday so we used one of our combined handprint pictures to make a card from us both!

It is always handy to have some spare handprints/paintings around which you can quickly use to make some personalised cards! Don’t forget to share any of your creations and follow us on instagram, twitter and facebook.

So the whole country is getting swept up in the World Cup 2018 madness so we thought we’d do a football themed activity this morning to get in the mood for the big match later this evening!

Equipment;

– Plastic activity mat.
– Old clothes/aprons.
– Different coloured paints (water based, non toxic).
– Paint pots and paper plates.
– Mark making tools – balls, brushes, rollers, sponges etc.
– A3 white card.
– Scissors.
– Pencil.
– Masking tape/sticky tape.
– Wipes.

Step 1: Preparation is the key to a good match!

I cut out some stencils on A3 card saying “Its Coming Home” and “Go England”. I then stuck the stencils onto other pieces of A3 white card with masking tape.

We set this activity up outside as the weather is still lovely. I set up the plastic activity mat with the pre-prepared posters, paints, paint pots, paper plates and mark making tools. We then got into our painting clothes and had wipes on standby!

Step 2: Kick off!

My son squeezed out the paint into the pots, onto the paper plates and also directly onto the posters and some mark making tools. He then used the different mark making tools to cover the posters. He rolled the balls around, used brushes, finger painted and enjoyed using the sponges and rollers.

Once covered in paint I took the top stencil layer off to reveal the message below. The stencil itself also looked great!

Step 3: Extra time!

After making the posters my son had fun rolling and pushing around the balls in the left overpaint on the paper plates! He did also kick them around the garden so the grass got a bit of added colour too!

Step 4: Full time, tidy, tidy, tidy up time!

I put the reusable mark making tools in warm soapy water to soak, we wiped down the excess paint and then we went indoors to clean ourselves up!

We’re now waiting for our posters to fully dry so we can have them up for the match later on today! Hope you’re all having fun supporting England, please share any of your football themed creations and don’t forget to follow us at http://www.megaawesomemessyart.com and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding quickly approaching we thought we should get a bit messy making some red, white and blue bunting to decorate our house ready for the celebrations!!

Equipment:

– Plastic activity mat/towels.
– Old clothes/aprons.
– Mark making tools (brushes, sponges, bottle tops, Pom-Poms etc).
– Red, white and blue paint (water-based, non-toxic).
– Glitter.
– Paint pots.
– Paper doilies.
– Card.
– Wipes.
– Scissors.
– String/wool.
– Paper clips.

Step 1: Preparation.

Set up your painting space on table or floor and put on your painting clothes/aprons. We put our activity mat on the table then set out the paints, paints pots, mark making tools, doilies and glitter so they were all in easy reach. I later added in some card which I had on stand by as my son quickly needed more things to paint!

Step 2: Getting royally messy!

My son squeezed the paints into the pots – if you have a younger child you may need to do this part. To add some extra sparkle we then added some red glitter into our red paint.

We used the mark making tools to decorate the doilies (and the card). My son then painted his hands blue and made some lovely handprints so there was a great mixture of patterns and shapes which were created!

Step 3: Tidy, tidy, tidy up!

As my son wanted to put LOTS of paint on his hands this ended up being very messy – but then that’s what we love! We put our creations to the side to dry and put our reusable mark making tools to soak. I then dunked my son in a bath which quickly became very blue! I finished cleaning up when he was having his afternoon snack.

Step 4: Making the bunting.

Once the doilies and card were dry I cut them into triangles and then attached them to some wool I had strung up with red and blue paper clips. An older child may be able to help with the cutting stage. One of the pieces of card with hand prints on I kept whole as I liked it so much. We then used our red, white and blue bunting to decorate the house in preparation for the royal wedding celebrations!

We hope you all have fun celebrating this Saturday and we wish all the best to the happy couple!! Don’t forget to share what you’re doing to celebrate on instagram, Facebook or twitter and follow us at megaawesomemessyart.com

Equipment:

For the painting bit:
– Plastic activity mat.
– Old clothes/aprons for you and your child.
– Paints in lots of bright colours (water based, non toxic).
– Glitter (if you want to!).
– Toilet rolls/cracker pieces (saved from Christmas).
– Scissors.
– Sticky tape.
– Paper plates.
– Brushes/sponges.
– Card.
– Wipes and old towels.

For the decoration bit:
– Black card for silhouette.
– White/coloured card for New Year’s banner.
– Scissors.
– PVA glue.
– Permanent markers/felt tip pens.

Step 1: Preparation.

Cut multiple strips into the toilet rolls and sticky tape the crackers pieces together to make a tube (see picture). This is what you will use for your firework mark-making

Then set up your table/floor with your plastic activity mat, paints on paper plates, firework mark-making tools and card (put out other sponges/brushes incase your child wants to use them as well). Make sure you and your child are wearing old clothes/aprons. Prepare for fireworks!

Step 2: Firework experimenting time!!

This activity is all about experimentation: first show your child how to dip the firework mark-making tools into the paint and then press them onto the card/paper to make firework marks. Your child will then hopefully copy you and have lots of fun making bright colourful marks.

Whilst the paint is still wet help your child to sprinkle some glitter onto the painting to give it a sparkly feel (you can leave this part out if you want to).

Step 3; Tidy tidy tidy up!

I did this activity at the table and compared to other activities my son was not as messy but, he still needed a good wipe down and bath! I then soaked the reusable equipment and washed it properly later.

Step 4: Decoration time!

I did this part on my own as my son is too young to use scissors, but if you have an older child they could help you. I drew a silhouette of the London sky line onto the black card – I searched online for one to copy then adapted it to how I wanted it (see photo at top of blog). However, you can do any skyline you like depending on where you live (I tried a Paris one too). I stuck the silhouette to the bottom of the painting (once it had dried). I used pens to write ‘Happy New Year 2018’ on card and then stuck this to the top of the painting like a banner. You could draw directly onto your painting if you have the space.

Now you have a lovely New Years painting, why not incorporate it into a photo to send to family and friends wishing them a happy new year!

See you all in 2018 for some more MAMA Children’s Activity Posts, some memory projects and the next chapter of my MAMA journey. Find us at http://www.megaawesomemessyart.com or follow on instagram, Facebook or twitter and don’t forget to share you’re MAMA creations with us!
If you’d like to contact me with any questions or queries, please email at megaawesomemessyart@mail.com