MAKING RECYCLED PAINT FROM MARKERS

So much has written about the benefits of process art v product art in early childhood. 

What's my view? I think that children should be encouraged to experiment and bring something of themselves to any project. I do believe there is great importance in providing opportunities for our young children to think, to wonder, to create in their early years. 

Process art, art that places more importance in the doing than the end product, certainly allows young children this opportunity but I also think there is a place for craft in early childhood too as it still helps young child develop skills that will continue to help them throughout their lifetime. The debate keeps raging among early childhood groups but I strongly believe we need to trust our children to lead the way, keeping an open mind and respecting to how each individual expresses their creativity. 

How to Make Recycled Paint - simple to make beautiful water colour paint from old textas | you clever monkey
For this reason I often invite my children to play with different materials and techniques to see what they do with them, how they interact with them. I also like to focus on being sustainable where we can and with a growing box of old textas cluttering our cupboard, we decided to put them to better use with this invitation to create by recycling them into beautiful water colours. 

To create the same paint at your place you will need -

- old dried up textas/markers
- water
- some containers (we used spray bottles from IKEA but jars work too)

Simply remove the lids, place the texta ink side down in the container and add enough water to cover the textas by approximately half. Leave for the colour to leech out into the water and then you're ready to paint with the water colours.

We also tried some colour mixing by adding two primary colours to the same bottle to create a new secondary colour. It provided a great visual to support the children's understanding of how colours are made.

We chose to do some spray painting with ours outside. Strictly process art and loads of fun for mixed ages. All of my children enjoyed making this recycled paint! You might also like our collection of BIG art ideas.


How to Make Recycled Paint - simple to make beautiful water colour paint from old textas | you clever monkey

How to Make Recycled Paint - simple to make beautiful water colour paint from old textas | you clever monkey

LIKE IT? PIN IT!
How to Make Recycled Paint - simple to make beautiful water colour paint from old textas | you clever monkey