At Home with Bounty

Do your little ones enjoy collecting shells from the beach? If so, put their findings to work on your next art project. Shell paintings are a great way to use abstract designs to create a picture. Adult supervision and guidance required.

What You'll Need:

• Art smocks
• Shells of various shapes and sizes
• Non-toxic water-based paints, poured into bowls
• White paper
• Bounty paper towels

Instructions:

1. Prepare your work area. Cover the table with Bounty paper towels to catch paint drips. Have each child wear an art smock. Keep water-moistened Bounty paper towels handy to wipe messy hands.
2. Set several bowls of non-toxic water-based paints on the paper towels. Choose a variety of bright colors for the children to use. Keep the paint shallow. This will prevent the toddlers from dipping entire hands into the paint.
3. Lay several shells of various shapes and sizes on the table. Explain to the toddlers that the shells will work as paintbrushes. After dipping one shell into one bowl of paint, use the shell to stamp, draw, and create designs on the paper.
4. Give each child a piece of plain, white paper. Start by showing the children how to carefully dip a shell into the paint and how to press it gently on the paper and make a stamp of the shell's shape. Then drag the shell across the paper like a marker, creating a line.
5. Let the toddlers experiment and be creative. Some will cover the paper with shell stamps, while others will draw shapes or create pictures from the uncommon paintbrushes. Shell paintings are a great way to improve a toddler's dexterity, since round, wide shells are easier to hold than a narrow paintbrush.
6. After the children finish their paintings, wipe all hands, faces and arms with a damp Bounty paper towel. Let the pictures air-dry, then proudly display the crafts on the refrigerator or a bulletin board.