Here's a fun way to learn all about blue!
I'm not sure if I'm in the minority or majority with this, but I really don't mind if my kids color on their bodies. We have a few rules...they must ask first; they must use washable markers; they must not eat the markers; and they must not color their faces (E(1) is still working on the last 2!).
The girls had SO much fun coloring themselves. It kept them quiet and busy for quite a while. E was especially engrossed in trying to color her toenails. Elliott came home from work while they were doing this, and I quickly asked him before he saw them "You don't mind if the girls color themselves do you?" He didn't, and he even joined in on the fun by drawing pictures on their hands and backs. They thought this was fantastic.
My mom was appalled, but I'm sure she enjoyed watching all of the craziness :) It took 2 nights of baths/showers to get all of the blue off of their bodies, so this is definitely not an activity that we'll do on the night before O(4)'s recital!
Btw, a reader asked me to include the girls ages by their initials since it can get confusing to remember which initial goes with which girl. So, we are now O(4) and E(1).
I'm new to reading your blog, but really enjoying it. I LOVE the idea of this activity, but I'm curious about the boundaries of for your one-year-old. Has she tried colouring herself away from home or at times that aren't ideal? I think if we did it once my almost two-year-old would want to do it every time she saw a marker!
ReplyDeleteThis is really the first time E(1) has had the freedom to completely cover herself with drawings. I am sure that she will try this again, but I watch her pretty closely with markers since she likes to taste them :) I think that she'll eventually understand that this is not something we'll do everyday. I'm looking forward to letting them paint their bodies this summer. That's something we'll save for doing outside :)
ReplyDeleteFun! I'm with you. I never saw the harm in it as long as it's washable and nontoxic. :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE it! I wish I could do that with my preschoolers... I'm afraid the parents will freak out- but maybe I can give them a heads up.... hmmmm
ReplyDeleteI agree - they wash off! (Mostly)
ReplyDeleteOh, YES! Of course, I allow this! I have great pictures of my kids doing this when they were a little bit younger! They had such fun! I have to admit, I can be a bit of an unconventional mom but all I could think of was why not? They had so much fun! I am glad you posted this, I love to know that others have done this and I'm not sure that my youngest has had a chance to do this yet so I will have to let him give it a go!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter came home most days from yochien (kindergarten) with her legs *covered* in marker (they get markers from 3 years old here). She colored on herself whether I wanted to let her or not! Japanese kindergarten teachers are *way* more easy-going about that sort of thing than Americans are--which I decided was very good in many ways for the kids:-))
ReplyDelete(oops--sorry to post twice. I should add that my daughter's kindergarten uniform consisted of a white blouse and navy skirt with suspenders--which is why she always came home with her legs decorated. A smock went over the blouse, so it stayed relatively clean;-)
ReplyDeletelove this! i know seth would love to paint himself - i will have to let him sometime. i don;t know why it never occurred to me that that would be ok. it seems perfectly logical now that i think about it.
ReplyDeleteAt the nursery attatched to my school they often have an activity in the summer where they put out trays of paint and strip any interested children down to their underwear. The children then cover themselves with paint (and each other) and use their bodies to paint huge pieces of paper put out on the grass.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were smaller they often used paints to cover their bodies. We have several great photos of them in various and multi colours!
my two year old does this daily. She is always a mess. I wish she knew how to ask because she often draws on her clothing too and always on her face.
ReplyDeleteYou're in the minority. :) Looks like fun, though!
ReplyDeleteMaybe here in Portugal you are a minority but I let my daughter do that to ;) She's 22 months-old and I read your blogs for ideas. Last summer we played together doing "tatoos" on each other. Some advice: don't let them use the red marker. It's the worst one to wash!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, when she was 1, I used to color her chair's tray with washable markers. She loved it and I just had to put the tray under running water, but I know that most parents would freak out if they saw her doing it!!
I let mine use non-toxic paint when they were younger in seasonable weather. Another idea is bath crayons/paint int he tub. But coloring on themselves with marker at that age would have meant issues daily, but that is my boys:)
ReplyDeleteI do let the kids color themselves with fingerpaint that is save for the body. I am scared that markers are not really healthy - and they usually do not wash off easily. I tried to buy markers made from food coloring but did not have any luck here in Germany.
ReplyDeleteAlso - I think my pediatrician would totally freak if I would bring in my little one completely covered in blue! :-) She already snapped at me when she saw one time that his hands had colored lines from markers ...
I think I would actually enjoy to see her freak out a bit ;-) - but then I will have to "work" with her a bit longer ... and as little one gets sick quite often and does not care to tell me in advance when the next time is going to be we have to be a bit careful with painting projects! ;-)
Kate Gosselin let her brood paint themselves with pudding so I guess it's becoming more popular.
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