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Raised Salt Paintings

Our favorite projects are those that include a mix of science and art. Raised salt paintings are a fun way to meet both of those needs and uses household items!
Grab some white glue and have your preschooler draw shapes on thick paper (we used cardstock).
Make sure that the glue isn’t too thin and that the shapes aren’t terribly complex.
raised salt paintings

Next, have your artist shake a healthy amount of salt on top of all the glue.

Shake off the excess (we placed ours on a plastic tray, making the mess well contained!) and save it for another painting.
raised salt paintings

Break out the watercolors and make sure the brush is well saturated in both paint and water.

Have your tot lightly tap the salted glue with the brush and watch the colors run and spread!
raised salt paintings

 

 Try different colors, using varying amounts of water and paint to see how it affects the salt.

M declared that these were “Crystal Paintings.”  But, enjoy them while they last, since as they dry, the salt does tend to flake off.

A super fun and inexpensive science and art experiment!
Written by Jill

Raising a Happy Child

Tuesday 27th of March 2012

I definitely want to try it out with my daughter one of these days. I read about it before, and this activity sounds like so much fun!

The Activity Mom

Tuesday 13th of March 2012

Susan, start while the glue is still wet. It spreads better when it is wet.

Susan

Monday 12th of March 2012

Should one wait for the glue to dry first? Or can we start painting immediately?

Angela

Saturday 10th of March 2012

Thank you for this idea! I just pinned it. My 3 year old loves crafts with glue & paint so I just know this will be a hit!

NewEnglandMomma

Thursday 8th of March 2012

Looking forward to trying this - what a great fun idea! Thanks!