Eek! I just saw a spider. Oh wait…. it’s just today’s art project. Today’s project is a color-resist watercolor spider web. Color-resist is so much fun, because there’s a hidden surprise that your child finds once they start painting. And who doesn’t love a surprise?!
Before beginning to paint, we read the story “The Very Busy Spider” by Eric Carle. I love when I can pair a book with an activity! Ben really enjoyed this story. He loved all of the animals and the spider web. He said that the spider web looks like a maze (one of his current obsessions).
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SUPPLIES
White Crayon
Liquid Watercolor Paints (or whatever watercolor paint that you have)
Paintbrushes
Paint Pallet (or a paper plate)
Water Cup (I use one of Ben’s old snack cups, because I like the rubber bottom and handles)
Salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Draw Spider Web
First, use a white (or another light color) crayon to draw a spider web on a white piece of watercolor paper. I recommend using watercolor paper versus other paper because it can handle a lot of water. If your child is like mine, more water ends up on the paper than actual paint.
2. Prepare Paint Pallet
Next, I set up a paint pallet with different color liquid watercolor paints and a cup of water. I gave him many primary colors for this project, because he has enjoy mixing colors to make secondary colors. You can use whatever colors that you want. I love this simple plastic pallet, because it is the perfect size for Ben and it is easy to clean. It has held up well through many projects. If you do not have a pallet, you can use a paper plate.
3. Paint
Lastly, let your kid paint. No other instructions. As they paint, the hidden spiderweb will reveal itself. Surprise!
4. Add Salt (Optional)
In addition, you can sprinkle salt onto the painting while it is still wet. It will make the paint look splotchy. This is an optional step.
Ben loves mixing the colors together to see what they will turn. We have been practicing which primary colors make secondary colors. He definitely knows that red and yellow make his favorite color orange.
Revealing the spider web. So exciting!
Somehow Ben always finds a way to incorporate cars into whatever activity that we are doing. LOL Can we say car obsessed?! He had fun chasing the car around his painting with the paintbrush while saying, “Catch me.”
Since Ben loves to mix all of his colors together, most of his projects turn out some shade of brown. Today’s project turned out to be shades of dark green. I guess he used mainly blue and yellow paints. I will say that the darker paint colors made the web more visible.
Ben had so much fun that he asked to paint more spiderwebs. Of course, he added his cars from the start this time. On one of his paintings, we added salt. He loved sprinkling it on. However, he eventually just started to dump it on. Haha!
What do you think? I would love to hear from you when you try this with your children. Happy Halloween!
For more Halloween fun, check out these blog posts:
- “How to Make a Recycled Cardboard Monster”
- “3 Fun and Simple Fall Games for Preschoolers”
- “Preschool STEM Pumpkin Investigation”
- “DIY Colorful Monster Play Dough Kit”
- “Halloween Sensory Bin with Colored Spaghetti”
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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.