You know the feeling, we have all been there, the kids are bored, its too cold to be outside so what do you do???? How does painting with items you can find laying around the house?  It will be fun, and educational for your kids.  We had this activity planned for last Monday, since the cold weather was moving in, but it ended up being an abnormally warm day so we headed outside to soak in the sun and the last warm temps --- but this is a great indoor activity! 

First up you want to send the kids on a scavenger hunt around the house to find things that can be used in this fun activity! Some great ideas to help them find things are in the recycling bin: paper towel rolls, Styrofoam cups, plastic bottles, card board boxes and more! The veggie and fruit bin: apples, celery, potatoes, bell peppers.  Odds and ends: straws, Q-tips, cotton balls, etc.  

Now you need to use something like a paper plate to use for the paint; check out other ideas why you should always have paper plates in your craft closet here. Let your kids use the items to paint how ever they would like! It is a great way to see which creative ways they use the items -- if you see in the picture, one little one was using a stalk of celery like a pencil and they other was using it on its side.  While your kids are doing this, talk with them about the different shapes, sizes and textures that the different items are making and how different sides of the item can completely change the outcome of the masterpiece.  It is also fun to see what things make familiar shapes -- the bell pepper when cut in half looks like a butterfly, and the bottom of a 20oz soda bottle looks like a flower! Have fun and let their imagination run widely! Just make sure the items are on the menu for dinner or something you may not want to get paint on (maybe a hairbrush or your favorite sweater).

Check out other fun activities to do with your kids here!