things we do after nap :: painting the sky

Painting the Sky

Supplies

• set of acrylic mirrors attached with double-sided tape to table
• foam paint (you could also use homemade whipped cream for kids who like tasting)
• brushes, sponges and scrapers
• water bucket and washcloth
  
• a blue sky with puffy white clouds

We recently read Eric Carl's Little Cloud and thought that this project would be a good follow-up to that experience. Of everything that I've set up for Finn these past few weeks, this project got the most play time. It started off as a typical painting project - using brushes and sponges, then moved on to a water-and-paint mixing experience, then a purely sensorial exploration of the feeling of the foam on his hands, then some creative play with brushes and blue hands, and ended during clean up when Finn discovered that a spray of water could push both paint and painting accessories off of the table and onto the ground. It was fascinating to watch his play evolve! He emerged feeling very peaceful and upbeat.

The mirrors were the biggest investment for this project, but they have been so worth it - you can do so much with these, from using them with building blocks to add another dimension to self portraits to bending light in science experiments.

An extension of this project, especially this time of year, would be to set up the mirrors underneath a tree canopy so that you could paint the trees, providing yellow and red foam paint. 

If Lachlan were a bit older and able to eat dairy, I would whip up some cream without any sugar and give him his own mirror-and-cloud sensorial experience. As he's only *almost!* eight months old, however, he just enjoyed looking on and playing outside with sticks and large rocks. 

I've made a Flickr group for Things We Do After Nap! Check it out here, and add your ideas to the pool!