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Kids Art Projects | Rolling Rock Painting

By Rachelle

Kids Art Projects | Rolling Rock Painting | TinkerLab.com

Fun Kids Art Activity with Rolling Rocks

I’ve been on the hunt for inspiring activities that foster creative thinking, and just came across a sweet project called Super Sized Marble Painting from Jenny at Let the Children Play.

Jenny is a preschool teacher, so many of her activities are geared toward large groups of kids and I was pressed to figure out a way to pull this off with just me and my 2-year old. Another issue was that I didn’t have any marbles in the house, and I couldn’t swallow forking out $11 for the marbles I found at the toystore this morning. In a fit of resourcefulness that I attribute to my girl scout past, I remembered the big bowl of smooth river rocks I have tucked away for forcing hyacinth bulbs to grow.  Score!  Something to consider:  because painted rocks/marbles are bound to fly around, this is an excellent activity to try outdoors.

Fun Kids Art Activity with Rolling Rocks | TinkerLab.com

Why This Art Project works

  • Children get to experiment with non-art materials (in this case, marbles or rocks instead of paintbrushes), a reminder that all things are not necessarily what they seem, and that objects can be repurposed with new possibilities.
  • Older children will problem-solve as they try to figure out how to achieve color and line combinations within this almost unpredictable, moving framework.
  • Children will be active!  This is not quite Jackson Pollack Action Painting, but without some physical activity the artwork would just never happen.

Time

20+ minutes, 5 minutes for set-up and 5-10 minutes for clean-up

Fun Kids Art Activity with Rolling Rocks | TinkerLab.com

Rolling Rock Art Activity Supplies

  • A stack of paper
  • Thick paint such as Crayola washable tempera paint (affiliate)
  • Small, rolling objects such as marbles or smooth rocks
  • Bowl/bowls for the paint. I lined my bowl with tin foil so that I could simply throw the paint away when we were done — easy clean-up!  I was happy to use one bowl for all the colors, but you may want yours in separate containers.
  • A tray of some sort. I found ours at a thrift store for $3 similar to this one on Amazon (affiliate).  You can find these new at stores like Target.  A clear plastic tub or cardboard box would also do the trick.
  • Masking tape
  • Paint Brush (optional).  Great to have on hand in case your child wants to ditch the rocks for ol’ fashioned brush painting.

Fun Kids Art Activity with Rolling Rocks | TinkerLab.com

The Set-up

  • Tape a sheet of paper inside the tray.
  • Squeezed four paint color into a bowl
  • Dip a rock into the paint and then place it on the paper.  Repeat this step for as many rocks as you’d like.  We used about 8.
  • Rock the tray back and forth to create marks all over the paper.

Fun Kids Art Activity with Rolling Rocks | TinkerLab.com

  • We taped the complete paintings to a fence
  • Clean-up:  I dropped the rocks in a sand pail full of water, swished it around, and poured the water on in the garden, and we washed our hands in the hose before heading inside. Pretty easy.  The apron helped, too!

Kids Art Projects | Rolling Rock Painting | TinkerLab.com

More Toddler Art Projects

For more Toddler Art Activities, you will probably enjoy 12 Art Projects for Toddlers

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Filed Under: Toddler Tagged With: art, kids, paint, toddler

Comments

  1. MaryAnn F. Kohl, art author says

    July 2, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    Try this same activity LARGE…use a cantaloupe and a grapefruit in a children’s plastic wading pool. I put globs of paint on the paper in the pool to cover the bottom of the pool. Then have kids holds the sides and roll the round fruits through the paint making tracks on the paper. Of course you could use balls or any round objects, but the fruit is very silly and fun. After, wash it off and have a snack. Kids love to do this! This activity comes from
    BIG MESSY ART
    by MaryAnn F. Kohl
    published by Gryphon House.

    • rachelle says

      July 4, 2010 at 1:53 pm

      MaryAnn…I love this idea, and look forward to trying it out. Gotta get my hands on “Big Messy Art!”

      • irresistible ideas for play based learning says

        September 7, 2010 at 2:05 pm

        Rachelle we have also used ping pong balls to do another super sized version of this painting which agin the children LOVED. Actually it turned into a delicious sensory experience as well as an art experience! I’ve include the link … I think you’ll like it! http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/2010/03/teacher-toms-ping-pong-art/
        Donna 🙂 🙂

        • MaryAnn F. Kohl, art author says

          September 7, 2010 at 4:51 pm

          AND OF COURSE the ever present tennis balls… especially if you have dog tennis ball toys that are a little worse for wear.

          • rachelle says

            September 7, 2010 at 11:00 pm

            The possibilities are truly endless. You two are such an inspiration. And BTW, MaryAnn, Big Messy Art is now on my bookshelf. Once I figure out how to manage my new role as a mama of two, I’ll be diving into some of these activities head-first.

        • rachelle says

          September 7, 2010 at 10:58 pm

          Again, great photos!! Thanks for sharing the link, Donna. I DO like it, and plan to try this out while the weather is still good.

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