By: Valerie Drapeau
Education Coordinator
Materials:
Paper
Washable paint in a variety of colors
Toy trucks with differing wheel sizesPaper plate
Foam paint brush (Or you can just dip the wheels!)
Paper towels
Length:
Set up: 5 minutes
Activity:20 minutes of painting
Academic Subject(s):
Art
Have you ever noticed how different the wheels of certain trucks are? Some are large, some are small, and some even have rotating tracks for grip to drive over bumpy ground and mud. Wouldn’t it be cool to see what kind of patterns these wheels can make? That’s what today’s Sanity Saver is all about. Let your child experiment with different toy trucks that they have and see a one-of kind-painting being created!
Directions:
Step 1: Squirt a few globs of different colored paint onto the paper plate. Have some paper towels on standby for the next step!
Step 2: Have your child find some hand-held toy trucks (bigger ones will work too!) that you already have in the house. Have them dip the wheels in the washable paint or brush some of the paint on the wheels with a foam paint brush. Here comes the fun part! They then can “drive” the trucks over the paper in various directions to create different tracks. Try mixing colors and wheel types from different kinds of trucks to create neat patterns! For example, a front-end loader is a kind of truck with very large wheels. If you “drive” on your painting with one of these, you may see large tracks with interesting smaller marks to show where the tires grip the road (your paper). Or you could use an excavator that has rolling tracks on the chassis that will create thinner, more uniform painting imprints. There are so many possibilities! Place your painted trucks when they are not in use on a paper towel or separate paper plate.
Step 3: Drop your trucks in soapy water to clean off the paint. Giving your trucks a bath is part of the fun! Have your child present their masterpiece after it has dried.This activity is a great opportunity to discuss different kinds of trucks. See how many your child can name! While they are painting, see if they can describe what kind of truck they are using, how it works, what size of wheels it has, etc. Look for trucks when out driving with kids too!
Vocabulary Words:
Front End Loader -A machine with a scoop or bucket on an articulated arm at the front for digging and loading earth.
Excavator – A large machine for removing soil from the ground, especially on a building site.
Chassis – The base frame of a motor vehicle or other wheeled conveyance.
