Why paint with regular old paint, when you can paint with foamy paint?
You and your toddler can do a fun science experiment resulting in bubbly, foamy paint. Afterward, use that paint for a quick art activity. Today’s STEAM activity is a twofer, and it’s going to be a blast!
Quick Note about STEAM
Jump to RecipeSTEM has been a big deal for the past few years. If this is the first time you’re hearing this acronym, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. STEAM is the same as STEM only with the addition of Art.
Apparently, our little darlings need more instruction in these subjects because we are starting to fall behind the rest of the world.
Whichever acronym you use, this fizzy, foamy, messy science experiment turned art activity will work for you!
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How We Did It
Making Foamy Paint (a.k.a. the Science Part)
Warning! This is a messy STEAM activity!
And like most messy activities, it’s very, very fun.
I got out a muffin tin, food coloring, baking soda, and vinegar.
By this point, I had a toddler swarming me with her excitement to do a “craft.”
(Is it a swarm if there’s only one toddler, but she moves so fast it’s like there’s a hundred of her?)
So I set up our STEAM activity very quickly.
Baking soda. Food coloring. More baking soda.
Vinegar in squeeze bottle. Add dish soap. Lid on. Shake.
If you need step-by-step instructions, we did a slightly different version of this activity here.
Next, I got Ella set up at the kitchen island.
She was so psyched to use the squeeze bottle!
The addition of dish soap to the vinegar creates a more foamy fizz. It also smells nice.
It was fun to watch the foam rise and ooze out of the muffin tin!
I then realized that we needed a drip catcher.
So I stuck a baking sheet under the muffin pan.
A few more squirts of the vinegar mixture and our paint was ready.
On to the Art part of this foamy paint STEAM activity!
Painting with Foamy Paint (a.k.a. the Art Part)
I made sure to use watercolor paper for the foamy paint activity so that it could hold up to the amount of soaking I knew would come.
She made three paintings of “clouds” before I decided we should stop.
It may have been because we were out of paper.
The foamy paint was very pastel. I think the colors would have been more brilliant if I had used more than a drop of food coloring.
Ella enjoyed painting with foamy paint and had fun making it too!
(This paint would also work really well with crayon resist art!)
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Our Solution for Mess-Free Painting
We have a couple mess-free painting options at our house, but my favorite is the Crayola Color Wonder Mess-Free Coloring series.
The ink and paint are all white, but they magically change color once they hit the special paper!
It’s perfect for my toddler who is still learning to use paint brushes and markers without getting the color on her hands.
I also like that I don’t have to worry about her getting the paint or ink on the furniture or her clothes.
We have a Color Wonder Mess-Free travel kit that includes 5 markers, 3 sticker sheets, and 4 stamps.
The travel kit pictured below is from Target, but here is a better version of the travel kit available on Amazon.
I like the Amazon version better than ours because it can be used as a lap desk and has spots to put the stamps and markers so they don’t fall off. Perfect for long car rides!
Also, it comes with better marker colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue). Ours were weird (purple, brown, yellow, light blue, teal).
We also have the light-up paint set, though I never put the batteries in so our toddler doesn’t know it can light up (Shhh… don’t tell!).
One feature I like as a mom is the cord connecting the brush to the paint set, so you never lose it. The brush also can be untwisted from the stick for easy clean up.
There is a spot to keep the brush once you’re done with it and a clip that will hold the coloring page in place. Both features keep things neat and tidy.
One thing that bugs me about the paint is that when it dries, it’s still a bit sticky, so you can’t stack it with other papers or they’ll stick together.
However, my girl loves painting with the mess-free paint so much, I don’t mind not being able to save the picture in her art folder.
There are a ton of coloring books to choose from. The paint, markers, and stamps will all work on any of the Color Wonder coloring pads or books. Here are some of our favorites:
I think that science and art are both important subjects for kids of all ages. Science helps us understand our world, and art does the same.
Let’s just agree to learn more about both.
The real debate here is whether foamy paint is better than mess-free art.
Your Turn! It’s Foamy Paint Time!
Foamy Paint
Supplies
- 1 tbsp baking soda (per color)
- food coloring
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp dish soap
Supplies
- muffin tin
- tray or baking sheet
- squeeze bottle
- paintbrush
- watercolor paper
Instructions
- Mix baking soda and food coloring together in each cup of a muffin tin. Place the muffin tin on a large tray.
- Put the vinegar in the squeeze bottle and add the dish soap. Shake gently or stir to combine.
- Let your child squirt the vinegar mixture onto the baking soda mixture. Watch it foam!
- Once all the colors have been activated with vinegar, use the foamy paint to create a masterpiece on the watercolor paper!
Which foam do you prefer?
1.The foam from a warm ocean wave washing between your toes as you stroll barefoot down the beach or
2. The smooth textured-foam of a perfectly steamed and brewed cappuccino sipped as rich coffee aromas fill the air.
Comment below!