Beautiful Oops Straw Blow Painting

I’m often asked where I get the inspiration for the activities I do with children. My inspiration is found in paintings, our natural surroundings, games we play and of course children’s books. I am honored to explore books through play with the rest of my Preschool Book Club Team. This week is all about the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Beautiful Oops! celebrates all of lives little mistakes, from torn papers to coffee mug stains, challenging the reader to think of mistakes as “an opportunity to make something beautiful. Ever since we read this book my children have focused on their “Beautiful Oops moments”. Our Beautiful Oops Straw Blow Painting encourages children to look deeper at their artwork, to that little blob of paint on the paper, and find beauty and inspiration.

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WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE BEAUTIFUL OOPS STRAW BLOW PAINTING

copy of book Beautiful Oops!
tempera paint or acrylic paint
water
white butcher paper roll
straws
black permanent markers
cups or paint containers

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT

literacy
fine motor development
oral development
creativity
artistic expression
emotional development

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL OOPS STRAW BLOW PAINTING

Begin by reading the book Beautiful Oops. After reading the book discuss the ways the different “mistakes” in the book were transformed into something beautiful.

Next set up a painting station using a long piece of white butcher paper. Add different color paints to different paint containers. Mix in a few drops of water to slightly thin out the paint. Pour small amounts of paint on to the paper. Using a straw blow the paint. It will splatter on the paper creating unique shapes. This exercise is great for oral development.

Children can keep pouring additional colors on and using the straws to blow the paint around the paper.

Keep adding more paint until the children decide they are done.

Let the painting dry completely. We left ours to dry over night. Once dry we used black permanent markers to create different creatures out of the painting blobs. This was so much fun!

Outlining each of our creatures in marker was wonderful fine motor practice. It also required a lot of patience! When we decided we were finished we put our new masterpiece up on the wall. The kids are loving looking at their Beautiful Oops Straw blow Painting!