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Toddler Seed Pod Stamping!

by The Empowered Educator 24 Comments

We are always collecting things when outdoors…not only to have fun investigating, touching and discussing different and unusual items but also because I often like to turn them into painting or craft tools!


So after a recent trip to the beach we collected some Pandanus Seed Pods and the toddler twosome were so pleased with them. They are really hard with pointy little tips…I knew right away they would make a fantastic sensory painting experience!

It was a really basic activity…perfect for toddlers to really explore as they wanted to. I set up some brown paper for something different to plain white, pulled out our DIY paint sponge pads and stood back to let the creativity begin!

Toddler Paint stamping activity
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The pandanus seed pods have a nice thick part at the top which was just perfect for the toddler twosome to grasp and push down hard!
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I added a little water to the paint pads to thin the acrylic out a little…these stamping pads have been in use for over 6 months now with very few refills…they really are such a frugal and fun way to paint!
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They had to press down quite hard on the paint and then the paper to make prints with the points but this was a great opportunity to practise their fine motor and problem solving skills!
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Ruby has become increasingly concerned about her hands being messy lately which is part of her sensory processing disorder. I'm really glad I started lots of messy, sensory play with her early or we might be having even more issues.She really enjoyed this activity though and seemed to like the texture of the hard seed pod and the fact that it had quite a good space for her to grasp and hold as her grip can be a little loose at times…one of the reasons we are also working on fine motor activities so you will see more of those on the blog this year too!

She washed her hands numerous times in the tub I always keep close by but then she extended this action by also washing the seed pods…this kept her busy for quite a while with her little cloth and the water. As soon as hands and seed pods were clean she began painting again. Obviously in her mind the process was complete and she was able to get messy again.

This can be frustrating to watch but I try to remember that it is her way of playing and working through the sensory experiences of an activity…and that is how she enjoys it….it is my job to lay the tools out for her, not direct how she uses them or I run the risk of making her feel she is playing or painting ‘wrong'. So very important to always let a toddler determine their method of creativity and the finished product.

The toddler twosome also found a few other ways to extend this activity….we did some hand prints, we talked about the foam and bubbles appearing on the sponge pads and they discovered they could ‘draw' with the pods which created a whole new pattern!

I absolutely love my sponge pads…for those that have asked about them they are honestly so simple to put together.

I buy the budget kitchen sponges (they don't absorb as much as the more expensiveย brands so work better) and then dampen them a little before placing into recycled trays or containers. I tend to use the Chinese container variety as they have a lid.

Just pourย  a little paint on the damp sponge in the tray and smooth it over. Now you are ready for stamping!ย I have used my DIY Cornflour Paint as well as washable acrylic. If you use the acrylic paint you can put the lid on the containers and store them for long periods…you might need to add a little more paint here and there but if you turn the sponges over you will get more use before you need to refill!

Cornflour paint will last for about a week in the fridge but after that you will need to rinse the sponges out or they become smelly!

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Iย really like to use them with toddlers for all sorts of painting as I don't end up with huge globs of paint everywhere and it also challenges their fine motor skills as they have to push objects into the sponges and lift back out
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This was such frugal fun and we can reuse the pods in many ways. We love being outdoors and exploring and you just never know what might be the next fun painting tool!
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Perhaps you have some ‘collectables' that could be used in another way to have some sensory fun….or perhaps you have already tried a few different ones out….I'd love you to share your favourite painting tool from nature with us in the comments below!
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If you would like more ideas and inspiration like this why not join other early childhood educators in The Empowered Educator Community or follow me on Instagram!
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A Little About Me

Jodie Clarke is an early childhood professional supporting educators who want and need to stay passionate about the work they do! She has 30 years hands-on experience in the early childhood and human services sectors across many different roles.


Jodie is mum to 3 in Australia and has already helped thousands of educators with their work through her popular blog posts, activity ideas, online training and e-books.

Filed Under: outdoor fun, sensory fun, SPD, toddlers

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Comments

  1. The Provincial Homemaker says

    08/01/2013 at 10:11 pm

    Well, we have everything on hand for the stamp pads today – I might just make some of them up. First I just need to tip out the iceblock boats that are currently living in the containers!

    Reply
  2. Jodie Clarke says

    09/01/2013 at 3:04 am

    Love the idea of the ice block boats! The stamp pads are very useful though i promise!!

    Reply
  3. Happy Whimsical Hearts says

    09/01/2013 at 8:58 am

    Love this Jode, it is so fun to take simple items like seed pods and use them in sensory art ๐Ÿ™‚ I have been meaning to buy some of those sponges so I can set up the paint like you do – adding it to the shopping list!!

    Reply
  4. Catherine says

    10/01/2013 at 3:23 am

    This is such a clever idea Jode I would never have thought of using seed pods to print. They created some beautiful patterns. x

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      13/01/2013 at 10:45 am

      Thanks Catherine…i knew as soon as i saw them we would have to paint with them!!

      Reply
  5. Cassidy Sevier says

    10/01/2013 at 3:44 am

    What a great painting experience! And I’ve never tried to make corn-flour paint before, pinning it now to try soon.

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      13/01/2013 at 10:45 am

      Thanks for stopping by Cassidy…good luck with the paint…i love it!Thanks also for pinning!

      Reply
  6. Lisa Nolan says

    11/01/2013 at 3:34 am

    Still behind! My son was home from school for nearly three weeks! So I’m giving myself a deadline for the tentative-contract-in-progress (meaning until we can afford law people, lol, a lawyer) is Sunday at 12 midnight! There! I said it! Do you prefer email or Facebook messaging? Your website just keeps getting better and better!

    Reply
  7. Amie (Triple T Mum) says

    13/01/2013 at 12:26 am

    Great activity Jode! Thanks for including your instructions to make your stamp pads ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      13/01/2013 at 10:46 am

      Thanks Amie…have fun with the stamp pads!

      Reply
  8. Bekka Joy says

    14/01/2013 at 3:57 am

    This looks great! I’m also going to try your cornflour paint – and I have wanted to do some sort of sponge printing for awhile….perhaps we’ll go on a bit of a scavenger hunt to find some stamps! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  9. Debbie @ Aspiring Mum says

    14/01/2013 at 10:03 am

    Nature has some amazing patterns for printing. And I didn’t know that you could make paint from cornflour – now I do and I will be making some!

    Reply
  10. Hinterland Mama says

    14/01/2013 at 8:51 pm

    Love the takeaway containers + sponge stamp pads – wonderful!
    Pandanus palms are such a gift aren’t they? Perfect for climbing (well, if they’re not too spiky!), edible fruit, pretty to look at and now stampable seed pods ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  11. Penny says

    14/01/2013 at 10:15 pm

    Fun, messy, nature play. Love it. It can’t get much better than that!

    Reply
  12. Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky says

    16/01/2013 at 5:13 am

    So much fun, I love using bits of pieces from nature to create works of art.

    Reply
  13. Kate Lloyd says

    20/01/2013 at 3:18 am

    Like what Kylie said (above). I love when we can use nature to make art. I remember when I was small taking pods off a neighbours tree to paint them. I did it heaps until she kindly told me to leave her poor tree alone. Opps. I learnt to take only the dropped ones. hahaha

    Reply
  14. Coombe Mill says

    21/01/2013 at 3:11 pm

    More lovely outdoor paint, love it

    Reply
  15. simplysummers says

    21/01/2013 at 5:28 pm

    What a great idea!! I love the homemade stamp pad. I never thought of that! Thanks for sharing. I found you on Sunday Showcase! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Jodie Clarke says

      22/01/2013 at 3:14 am

      Thanks so much for stopping by….hope you give the stamp pads a go!

      Reply
  16. Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum says

    21/01/2013 at 7:44 pm

    This is brilliant I now can’t wait till next Autumn to get seed heads to do this in the garden.

    Thank you so much for linking up to Tuesday Tots and just to let you know that I will be featuring this over on Rainy Day Mum this week and that I have also featured your Carrot, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Muffins in the Prompts to Play Newsletter

    Reply
  17. Jodie Clarke says

    22/01/2013 at 3:15 am

    Thanks so much for featuring Cerys…love linking up to Tuesday Tots! They had such fun with their seedpods and are still using them in the sandpit!Thanks also for featuring the muffins in your newsletter…so lovely of you x

    Reply
  18. Hannah White says

    29/01/2013 at 3:22 pm

    So much fun!! Thanks for sharing with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday! Please join us again this week! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/01/an-enchanted-childhood-playschool_26.html

    Reply
  19. Kirsty @ Bowerbird Blue says

    17/04/2013 at 7:10 am

    nature painting is so much fun, i love your stamp pads

    Reply
  20. Mums make lists says

    30/04/2013 at 11:35 pm

    This looks so much fun!

    I would love for you to link up at the Empty Your Archive link party – we’ve got a special feature this week on seeds and growing activities for children, Alice x

    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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