{"id":20444,"date":"2012-08-13T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2012-08-13T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/?p=20444"},"modified":"2014-04-01T18:37:54","modified_gmt":"2014-04-01T22:37:54","slug":"painting-on-recycled-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/painting-on-recycled-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting on Recycled Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest post from\u00a0Sharon Jeffus.<\/em><\/p>\n

Most moms have lots of creativity stored up and lots and lots of\u00a0things that get thrown away. \u00a0Many moms also like to surf through treasures at thrift stores. \u00a0 My hope is that these ideas for painting on recycled materials will\u00a0help you save money while at the same time encourage creativity and\u00a0out of the box thinking for your kids.<\/p>\n

You can approach these\u00a0projects as exploring new ideas and having fun with your children. I\u00a0have had children come up with wonderful projects on their own out of\u00a0recycled materials.\u00a0Here are three ideas for painting projects that will save you some money.<\/p>\n

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Paint on Old Records or CDs<\/h3>\n

Do you have or know where you can find any old records\u00a0and CDs that are not any good? The size of these old records can be large or small, but\u00a0they make a wonderful lesson in fine art and painting.<\/p>\n

Before you\u00a0use an old record for artistic purposes, check\u00a0wikiHow<\/a>\u00a0to see if\u00a0it has any value.\u00a0I found that most old records have no value. \u00a0I didn\u2019t want to throw\u00a0them away, and I found that no one wanted them, so I got the idea to\u00a0paint on them with children.<\/p>\n

Sand the records or CDs lightly\u00a0first, and then paint a base color. \u00a0Paint easily adheres to this. You can even varnish when finished. \u00a0Not only can children recognize\u00a0and learn painting technique, but it is an opportunity to talk about\u00a0art and music history as well. Renaissance masters painted pictures in\u00a0a circle like this\u00a0Madonna by Raphael<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Paint on Cardboard<\/h3>\n

For older children and adults I suggest using cardboard and latex\u00a0enamel paint to make large beautiful paintings. \u00a0You can also mix\u00a0latex enamel \u00a0with acrylic paint and watercolor as they are both water\u00a0based.<\/p>\n

Contact local painters and see what they do with their leftover paint. Although many of these are white, you can color and tint them\u00a0with watercolor or acrylic paint<\/a>. \u00a0 I had a house painter give me\u00a0large numbers of paint quarts that were half full.<\/p>\n

Large pieces of cardboard can be found nearly everywhere. \u00a0You can also ask your local\u00a0hardware store for discontinued masonite samples. \u00a0What boards you\u00a0don\u2019t paint on, you can use for drawing boards for your children.\u00a0Make sure the cardboard is clean and draw your design with pencil\u00a0first. \u00a0I suggest covering with varnish when finished. Go to\u00a0Bowen Collections<\/a>\u00a0to see the work of an artist who uses these materials to\u00a0create lovely art.<\/p>\n

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Paint on Items you Find at a Thrift Store<\/h3>\n

Children can put patterns\u00a0and themes on animals and other items from thrift stores. \u00a0This is folk art that you see in Mexico. \u00a0Paint realistic animals and\u00a0make them new by putting bright colors and small patterns on the figure. \u00a0\u00a0This is good for fine motor control.<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0kid friendly acrylic paint<\/a> and varnish when finished.<\/p>\n

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