Summer Fun: Finger painting

Who says you have to leave the house to create summer fun?

This week we turned our front yard into a finger painting art studio that even Michelangelo would have admired...

Start with a flat surface where you can secure a piece of paper with clips or tape.  You don't need an easel, but they are fun. We found one in my mother's basement....the same one I used as a kid.

It passed muster with G-Bear.  She was hard at work in no time.

First with one finger...

then two....

....pretty soon her whole hand...

Don't forget an apron, or an big old t-shirt, because things are bound to get messy...

that's half the fun!

(The tongue is just like her Dad when he's concentrating.  I am pretty sure his tongue looked just like hers as he was taking this picture.) 

I had to resist the temptation to tell the kids what to do with the paint.  Just tried to let them figure it out for themselves....

...my temperance definitely paid off.

To prevent color mixing in the paint pots, I gave the kids plates with little paint piles so they could mix away without me hovering.

Don't forget to get a little paint on your forehead.

And take a break for a new piece of paper!

Or stop, smell, and finger paint the roses in the neighbors' garden...

We got to display our masterpieces as they dried in the breeze.  The top most picture is E-Bear's...you can tell he was a bit short for his side of the easel.  

Time to wash those hands!   Nobody back in the house until we have washed hands! 

Thank goodness for washable paint :)

Do good this summer, and have fun too.