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The Empowered Educator

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No Mess Chalkboard Painting!

by The Empowered Educator 6 Comments

It's been raining here again and we have been spending a lot of time on the verandahs so we haven't been having quite as much of our usual messy fun!

Doesn't mean we haven't been creative though! When i used to run a toddler room, one rainy day activity they all used to love was ‘painting' on the wall chalkboard in the undercover area. I have also seen this idea recently pinned a few times on pinterest so it reminded me that i could offer the girls a smaller size version that they might enjoy.

It's a very basic activity that requires very little preparation and few materials. We used our chalkboard easel that is kept on the verandah (this was Miss Teen's and she could never bear to part with it…i love that it is now in use again!)

The toddler twosome had fun drawing on the board with their chalk as usual (we use the stubby pavement type chalk…easier for little hands to hold) and i coloured a few more spaces in…..wasn't quite quick enough to get a starter photo but I'm sure you get the idea! For older children you could encourage them to do ‘rubbing' or ‘shading' type colouring across the entire board.
I then gave the girls a few different wet brushes and sponges and stood back to see what they would do!
They seemed quite fascinated that they were ‘painting' their chalk drawing away…yet they were making a new drawing!
The wonder was priceless…wish i could have captured their faces for you! obviously older children could enjoy making more elaborate drawings with their ‘paint' but for young toddlers this was a fantastic open ended experience…..
Ruby soon worked out that they could add more chalk drawing over the top and then begin again!
She particularly liked using her trusty bath sponge….she loves to explore with that thing!
Tara's favourite was the shaving brush…..
Fantastic for fanning out and squishing across the board…great for fine motor skills….
Ruby liked the play of light on the board that she could see when looking up from this angle!
 Masterpieces were created that day….and guess what….we didn't end up different colours for a change!
I would happily move this activity inside too as it really doesn't make a mess and it is one that they like to come back to over the course of free play time as the board dries out ready for new drawing and patterns. You could also use a little board on a table or floor mat….whatever works.
It was a wonderful rainy day activity though….just perfect for those little hands and curious minds!We wouldn't mind seeing some sunshine again though……

Warm Wishes….

Filed Under: frugal fun, painting, rainy day activities, toddler twosome, toddlers

« The Week that Was……
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Comments

  1. Catherine says

    17/04/2012 at 3:41 am

    You always amaze me Jode with your creative activities for your girls. What a great way to keep them busy during a rainy day. x

    Reply
  2. Happy Whimsical Hearts says

    17/04/2012 at 4:35 am

    It’s great how some of the simplest ideas can keep kids so happy and entertained. I still remember at kindy ‘painting’ the building with water – it just seemed so much fun to me! Master D now enjoys ‘painting’ our house too ๐Ÿ™‚ And we’ll try this idea out too!

    Reply
  3. The Provincial Homemaker says

    17/04/2012 at 5:55 am

    Ginger loves fence painting (obviously a dry day activity) but I haven’t actually done that with her in a while. Thanks for the reminder.

    Reply
  4. Rebekah says

    18/04/2012 at 2:40 am

    Water is such a fun addition to a chalkboard!! Great rainy day idea!

    Reply
  5. Amie (Triple T Mum) says

    18/04/2012 at 5:11 am

    Our old chalkboard is exactly the same, just without the funky stripes down the sides! Does yours have the felt board behind the paint board on the other side? I hear it absolutely bucketed down where you are! Glad you and the girls had some fun despite the weather!

    Reply
  6. Krissy Sherman Bonning says

    20/04/2012 at 9:00 pm

    That shaving brush is the perfect size for little toddler hands. Awesome! Thanks for linking up to the Co-Op this week. ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m off to pin this one on our board!

    Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to twins and a teen, and an early childhood educator.
I love to share ideas & resources for play based learning
Find out more about me here...

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