School Holiday Project 40 - Bringing Paint To Life

It is not so much about creating a picture in today's project, as it is about creating a reaction. I have the kids mix the paint with bicarbonate of soda, measuring the ingredients and using a pipette themselves. They then paint their pictures, before dropping vinegar on the painting to see it coming to life in sizzles, steam and bubbles, all the while mixing with the colours surrounding them and creating new colours. This project has so much educational and developmental value that it is hard to keep track of it all.

You will need a couple of containers to mix the paint in.

You will also need some watercolour paints or gouache.

Bicarbonate of Soda is essential.

Have the child/children scoop a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda into each of the containers.

Show them how much paint to squeeze into the containers and let them do it by themselves.

Put a toothpick in each container to mix with.

Show the child how to draw water into the pipette and then have them squeeze the water into the containers.

Those little fingers proved to be very good at mixing the paint, water and bicarbs together.

Now it is time to start painting. This time we do not dab the brush dry of excess paint. The more fully loaded the brush, the more bicarbs will go on the paper (although I use the reverse side of a cardboard cereal box as this is more absorbent than paper). Encourage the young artists to get as much of the 'powder' as possible onto the painting.

Pour a little vinegar into a bowl and have them suck it into the pipette. The vinegar is dropped onto the painting where it reacts with the bicarbonate of soda and starts to bubble, sizzle and 'smoke'.

My young artist found the smell of the vinegar too sharp and came up with her own solution to the problem.

Watch the new colours forming as the original colours run into each other and be sure to comment on this.

After the initial experiment, there was no stopping this young lady and she did not let up before all of the mixed paint was used up! The vinegar had to be refilled a couple of times.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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