Now, before I get into the explanation of this art activity, I want to say something.
Sometimes, when grandparents do an art activity or craft with the grandkids, they expect their grandkids’ creation to be absolutely perfect.
And that, my Dear Reader, is a rather unrealistic expectation, if you ask me.
Kids don’t have the fine motor control or the ability to make something ‘perfect’. They’re kids, after all!
So when you do this resist art activity with them, keep in mind that it’s the experience that counts. Having fun is the expected outcome — having fun with glue and paint, having fun painting and creating. Just plain having fun!
So don’t expect your grandkids to paint like Picasso or Rembrandt. Expect them to just be themselves and have joy in the journey of this experience.
Here’s a list of things that you’ll need. (I totally forgot to take a picture of them. Sigh . . .)
- Inexpensive water colors
- Paintbrush
- White card stock
- Rubber Cement
Have your grandkids drizzle Rubber Cement on the card stock. Have them make loop-de-loops, straight lines, squiggly blobs. Whatever floats their boat.
For the next step, you can do one of 2 things. You can have your grandkids set their paper aside and go play for awhile so the glue can dry. Or, you can have them use a blow dryer to help the drying process along.
If you go the blow dryer route, be aware that your younger grandkids’ hands/arms might get tired holding the blow dryer for very long.
You also need to know that the glue doesn’t get totally dry. It will feel somewhat sticky. And that’s okay. (I accidentally left a piece of card stock with Rubber Cement on it in a cupboard for 2 months. The glue was still tacky when I discovered the forgotten paper.)
Now comes the fun.
Have the kids start painting.
They can paint different colors between the lines of glue, paint the page all one color, paint using just 3 colors. Tell them to be creative — and to have fun!
(For some reason, when Isaac smiles to have his picture taken, he raises his eyebrows!)
When the kids have finished painting, wait a bit until the paint is dry.
Next, carefully rub the Rubber Cement off the paper. The paper will be white where the glue was and the rest of the paper will be colored with the watercolor paint.
And that’s it! Their resist art is finished.
They will probably want to do another picture. And another.
I recommend that you paint right along with your grandkids.
Resist art is . . . well . . . hard to resist doing!
