Materials Needed:
- Bubble wrap (various sizes if possible)
- Washable paint (various colors)
- Paper (construction paper or cardstock works well)
- Paper plates or trays (for paint)
- Optional: Tape
- Optional: Child-safe scissors
- Optional: Small rolling pin
- Optional: Smock or old clothes
Lesson Activities:
Introduction: What is Bubble Wrap? (5 mins)
Let's look at this funny material! What does it feel like? (Bumpy, squishy) What happens when you press the bumps? (POP!) Talk about how bubble wrap is used to protect things when they are mailed. Let's pop a few bubbles together - isn't that fun? Today, we're going to use bubble wrap to make some amazing art!
Activity 1: Bubble Wrap Prints (15-20 mins)
1. Cut a piece of bubble wrap, maybe the size of your hand or a little bigger.
2. Pour a few colors of paint onto separate paper plates.
3. Gently press the bumpy side of the bubble wrap into one color of paint.
4. Carefully lift the bubble wrap and press it straight down onto your paper. Lift it straight up. Wow! Look at the pattern it made!
5. Try using different colors. You can even try layering the prints.
6. Experiment with different amounts of paint and pressure.
Activity 2: Bubble Wrap Stomp Painting (Optional - requires space!) (10 mins)
*Adult supervision required*
1. Lay a large piece of paper on the floor (maybe tape the corners down).
2. Carefully tape pieces of bubble wrap to the bottoms of the student's bare feet (or over socks/shoes you don't mind getting paint on).
3. Put blobs of paint on paper plates spread around the large paper.
4. Let the student carefully step into the paint and then stomp or walk onto the paper! See the bubbly footprints appear.
5. Make sure the area isn't slippery and the student moves carefully.
Activity 3: Bubble Wrap Roller (10 mins)
1. If you have a small rolling pin, wrap a piece of bubble wrap around it and secure it with tape.
2. Pour paint onto a paper plate.
3. Roll the bubble wrap roller into the paint, getting it covered.
4. Roll the paint-covered bubble wrap across a clean sheet of paper. Look at the cool texture it creates!
Clean-up Time (5 mins)
Let's wash our hands and clean up our painting supplies. We can set our amazing artwork somewhere safe to dry.
Wrap-up (5 mins)
Look at all the different patterns we made using bubble wrap! Which activity was your favorite? Point out the different textures and colors used. Talk about how the bubbles made interesting prints.