Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

It was Paul’s birthday recently and I thought it would be fun to try some messy art while making some cute wrapping paper at the same time. Here’s how it’s done.

You will need:

• paint (we used tempura powder paint, but any washable/child friendly paint will do)
• 1 plate per colour (we used tough melamine plates that are easy to wash)
• 1 chux/cloth per colour
• 1 outdoor tap, or a bucket of water
• large sheets of paper (we used recycled paper from an architect friend)
• one or more enthusiastic children

How to:

~ dampen each cloth, fold into a square and place on the plate.

~ pour paint onto the cloth. You need just enough to turn the cloth into a stamp pad.

~ set up your paper, lead the children to the paint and stamp away!

~ when you’re done leave your wrapping to dry and hose off plates and children.

Tips:

• Use sticky tape to secure your paper to the ground before you start.
• Have extra paint ready to top up the ‘stamp pads’ as needed.
• For easy clean up keep this activity outdoors (you didn’t need me to write that, did you?).
• Go straight from art to bath if the backyard hose isn’t working out for you.
• Tempura powder paint does flake off a little with handling. If you want to avoid further mess try poster paint.
• I highly recommend having a go yourself. There’s nothing quite like the feel of paint between your toes. Instant childhood, right there.

Or you could….

• try this with any age child – or adult!
• we stuck with footprints but you could try out all different parts of the body, or grab some leaves from the garden for leaf stamping.

What takes you back to your childhood?