The Infant room has been experimenting with various methods of painting over the last couple weeks. Educators have noticed the infants show an interest in the sensory aspect of painting, as well as with different tools we can use to paint. We decided to expand on this interest some more as well as incorporate some gross motor and coordination skills by making our own chalk paint!
Educator Lorie prepared some bags of chalk, then zipped them closed. She also brought some rubber mallets out. She set the chalk bags on the floor of the classroom and invited the infants over to see. Clark crawled over and picked up the bag with the green chalk. He waved it around and we listened to the rattling sound it made. Damian was offered a rubber mallet, and with close supervision, he was encouraged to hit the chalk! He used both hands to lift the heavy mallet, and smiled big when it made contact with the chalk. Educator Kiva pointed to the chalk, saying, “Look, it broke into pieces!” Niko tried lifting the mallet with Lorie’s help, and together they banged on the chalk bags, using hand/eye coordination to make contact with the bag. Harrison and Noah took their chalk bags to the table and practiced turn taking as they banged with the mallet. They used their emerging vocabulary skills to repeat “bang” and “bag!” Sophie and Luca squeezed the bags of broken chalk, listening to the crunching sound it made. After the chalk had turned to dust, Lorie poured the dust into paint pots and added some water to make the paint.
We all got buckled into the strollers and took a walk to the park, bringing our chalk along to test out! Once out of the strollers, the infants grabbed the paint pots and brushes that were brought along. They practiced their fine motor skills and concentration as they fit the brushes into the holes in the lids and dipped their brushes into the paint. Educators Katie and Lorie pointed to the tree and the pinecones on the ground, indicating that the infants could try painting on them. The infants both stood and sat beside the tree, dipping their brushes and painting on the tree bark, the pinecones, the sticks and even on their arms and legs! Educators named the colours that they were using and used simple language such as “tree” “paint” and “dip.” The infants demonstrated self regulation, focus and hand/eye coordination as they continued to dip their paint brushes, open and close the lids, and paint of various surfaces! They also used their core strength and balancing skills as they sat, stood and moved along the uneven ground.
Moving forward, educators recognize the value of including the infants in the process of creating paint and the fun of using what we created afterwards. We wonder, how else could we make paint? What materials might we use? What kind of tools could we try out next in place of paint brushes?
