Painting
There are so many possibilities with paints. Watercolors are probably the most accessible and are still standard resources in many homes and elementary classroom. In our class we tried the following four watercolor techniques.
Real watercolor paper can be more satisfying that other kinds of paper—like copy paper. But any kind of paper will work. You can buy large sheets or tablets of watercolor paper and then tear into smaller pieces. Using masking tape to tape down every edge. This keeps the paper from curling and also give a crisp edge to the picture when you remove the tape (pull it off at a 45 degree angle after the picture has tried). Use a paper towel to soak up any puddles of water on the paper if you want.
Real watercolor paper can be more satisfying that other kinds of paper—like copy paper. But any kind of paper will work. You can buy large sheets or tablets of watercolor paper and then tear into smaller pieces. Using masking tape to tape down every edge. This keeps the paper from curling and also give a crisp edge to the picture when you remove the tape (pull it off at a 45 degree angle after the picture has tried). Use a paper towel to soak up any puddles of water on the paper if you want.
Free Paint
The first painting we did today was a free paint; we just painted whatever we wanted. Some students sprinkled salt on the paintings today for an interesting texture (see Salty Watercolors).