Man, summer is the best. Lazy mornings, late evenings, no schedule, last minute plans…..I love it all. I mean, yeah, there’s more messes, more arguing (ahem, my kids), and yes more whining about needing something to do……but I still love it (for now at least, ha!)! In fact, I have created a summer checklist for Ellie (10), Connor (8), and Chloe (6) that they must check off every day in order to have screen time or if we have somewhere extra fun planned to go, etc. So they have been staying pretty busy, trying to check those items off their lists. Success!
However, I also try to provide some sort of project/activity for them to do (where I need to be helping…and not just give them the supplies to try and tackle), several times a week.
Our latest project also fit right in line with my latest Michaels Maker challenge, which is a Pool-rific theme! So anything pool party related! And while we didn’t throw a pool party with friends….we had our own little outside water party, which included this Squirt Gun Watercolor Painting project.
All it takes is some paper (I actually purchased watercolor paper to help give it a more watercolor look and for the paint to cling a little better….but you could try other paper types too), some cheap water guns, and then some tempera paint. I squirted the paint right into the gun through the opening (because the pour spout on the paint bottles helped with that) and then added some water to thin it down just a bit and to help it circulate through the gun easier. I used about 2 parts paint and 1 part water. Then I shook the gun to mix it all up and tested it out to be sure color was coming out. Done!
Now, you could lay your paper on the ground on top of some plastic but they all agreed they wanted the paper to be more like their “target”. So I tied some twine between two posts on our back patio, attached some clothes pins…and let them have at it!
They had the most fun watching paint come out of their guns and then watching the colors mix and blend and then run down their page.
Connor decided he wanted to try two guns at once….which turned out pretty cool.
Then, he added a third color. He became pretty good at pulling all 3 triggers at the same time!
Just a little tip. Tempera paint isn’t super harsh paint but it helps to have someone on “hose duty” while someone is painting. That way, they can quickly squirt away and drips off your patio. (Or you could lay down a drop cloth….but spraying with a hose is much easier! And it adds to your water party!!!)
The end result turned out so fun! And we’re actually going to use these for another project and cut them out to cover some flat picture frames. Should be cute!
What’s more fun than paint and water and being OUTSIDE!!! Yay for summer!
Give it a try…..I’m sure your kiddos will love it too!
Enjoy!
-Ashley
Need some other Pool-rific ideas??
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Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
