Finger paint rainbow

While St. Patrick's Day is often associated with the color green, rainbows are also intertwined in this holiday. This activity came from thinking of what I could do with my two-year-old that involved rainbows, using materials I already had on hand. I decided to finger paint again! This craft is a two-step process (or three-step, if you need to make your paints), so plan ahead.


First, I mixed up the remaining colors of the rainbow that I hadn't already made. Since I only needed a small amount, I used one recipe (not doubled this time!), and used my cruddy old muffin tin for mixing colors.


I still have a box of glass nursers that the hospital sent us home with when our daughter was born. *sniff* These little three-ounce jars were the perfect size for just a small amount of paint. It kind of looks like baby food, doesn't it? Peas, carrots, squash... blueberries?

I also wanted to note that I used a clear dish soap this time (Palmolive Pure and Clear). I also cut down substantially on the amount. I used only about two tablespoons. (Didn't measure; just estimated.) By comparison, I liked this batch a lot better than the first. It was a thicker consistency and not bubbly at all. It doesn't pour as nicely into the jars (I had to use a small spoon to scoop it into each jar, and then back out when we were ready to paint), but it's a much better consistency for finger painting. And, it seems to be just as washable as the first batch. :)


You will need:

• Finger paints in all colors of the rainbow
• Six sheets of light-colored paper (I used cream cardstock because that's what I had)
• One sheet of light blue paper (cardstock, again)
• Newspaper and masking tape are also helpful :)
• Glue and scissors will be needed in the last step of the craft
  

Paint away! I laid out newspaper and taped it to the table with masking tape. Then, I put a small piece of tape on each piece of cardstock (one at a time) to attach it to the newspaper, just to prevent it from sliding around. I let my daughter choose the color she wanted each time, and just swapped out papers when she was done with each. I also carried her to the sink in between each color to rinse off her hands, but you could just keep a roll of paper towels handy. :)


Lay them out to dry. Aren't you jealous of my fancy-schmancy drying station?


When the paint is thoroughly dry, cut out arches, biggest (red) to smallest (purple).


Glue each arch in order. More good "learning colors" practice. :)


Attach each to the blue paper or cardstock to create your rainbow.


I LOVE how this turned out, and my daughter loves it, too! While this was a quazi-St. Patrick's Day craft for us, we also used this to teach her what a rainbow stands for (on a two-year-old level, of course). God loves and cares for her! She repeats, "God is love." :)