Sun Catcher Art

I came across an idea on Pinterest the other day; letting your kids paint on windows.  I mixed washable tempura paint with clear Dawn dish soap, about a 50-50 mix. The soap thins the paint so it lasts longer and also makes it super easy to clean off. 

I put down some drop cloths, dressed each child in a smock, set them at their own windows, and gave them each a palette of sorts.   I cut an 18 egg carton into thirds so each child had a 6 well container.  I filled the cups with red, yellow, and blue (2 cups for each color), and let them mix them as they pleased.

I also gave them very thin brushes so it would take them longer to paint and hopefully cut down on large drips and splashes.   To say they enjoyed this is an understatement.  They spent almost as much time making custom colors as they did painting.

  This is a messy activity, no getting around it, but the mix of washable paint and dish soap eliminates any hard scrubbing or stains. 

The end result is really beautiful; colors back-lit by sun streaming in the windows.  This is Juliana's masterpiece:

Gabriel's:

Addison's:

I think it would be fun to make some black paint and paint intersecting lines over the whole window, then have them fill each section with a different color. Custom "stained glass!"