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Blow Painting

Wet paint moves around easily and drips. As it dries, it changes colour and texture.

In this make-and-take activity, children use air from their own breath to 'paint' abstract pictures, then observe how their artwork changes as it dries.

 Wet and Dry printable guide.

This activity was developed and tested with preschool and kindergarten educators as part of Science World's Big Science For Little Hands program.

Objectives

  • Discover the power of air to move objects.

  • Observe the differences in wet and dry paints.

Materials

  • Per Class or Group:
    tempera paint, thinned with water in a bowl
    containers for paint
    spoons or droppers for paint
    an electric fan (optional: to speed the drying process)

  • Per Child:
    1 drinking straw (HINT:to discourage smaller children from accidentally sucking up the paint, cut a small hole near the middle of the straw)
    paper (shiny fingerpaint paper works well)

Key Questions

  • What happens to the paint when you blow at it differently (i.e. softer, harder, in one long exhalation, in short exhalations, etc.)?
  • How does the paint change as it dries (colour, texture, behaviour)?
  • Does your painting look different dry than it did when it was wet? How is it different?

What To Do

Preparation

Consider having a previously made, dried painting as an example.

You may also find it helpful to have the students first practise blowing through the straws so they can feel the “wind” that will move their paint.

If you are concerned about students using too much paint, you may want to distribute it yourself – a little bit goes a long way!

Activity

  1. Drip a small amount of paint onto your paper.
  2. Blow on the drops of paint with your straw to make your own design.
  3. To speed the drying process, use an electric fan to dry the paintings, then observe any changes.

Extensions

  • Move wet paint around the paper using gravity!
  • Experiment with different kinds of paper.

About the sticker

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

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Artist: Jeff Kulak

Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.

About the sticker

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

About the sticker

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Artist: Michelle Yong

Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.

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Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

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Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.

About the sticker

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Artist: Ty Dale

From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.