Let Kids Be Kids With an Outdoor Paint Station

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I’m always looking for fun ways for the kids to let their hair down and create with wild abandon. So last week we set up an outdoor paint station with the sole purpose of letting kids be kids; giving them the opportunity to explore creatively and let their imaginations go. Sure, things got very messy, but with the cleaning power of all® POWERCORE™ Pacs you’d never know it.

Most of my kids have had mild sensory issues during their toddler years. Simply put, they hated getting messy. Currently, our littlest guy refuses to drink out of his cup if it’s wet on the outside. Donuts? No thanks, they make your fingers sticky. Meals are loads of fun at our house! 

Sometimes the creative process beckons us to get a little paint on our hands. Which is why it was important to me to start encouraging the little guy to get dirty. 

What I love about setting up an outdoor paint station is that we weren’t making a ‘project,’ there are no expectations nor are we looking for a pretty picture to hang on the wall. This is all about exploring and enjoying the experience. 

To set up a station of your own follow these three easy tips! 

Gather Supplies

Here is a list of supplies, but really anything goes! Outside the cost of the paint (about $6) this is a low cost activity. We used paper from packages and cardboard boxes, and even though it has print, newspaper would work too. You’ll see from the pictures our painting tools included everything from a ladle to a leaf. Clean out your cabinets and if you have old utensils you don’t use anymore donate them to your paint supply bucket. 

Supplies

• tempera/poster paints
• paint brushes
• kitchen tools
• string
• spray bottles
• squirt bottles
• straws
• leaves
• paper
• cardboard

Get Messy! 

I mentioned it before and I’m saying it now. This was the hard part. When the first drop of paint hit his thumb he was ready to quit, but after a bit of comforting reassurance he was back at it.

The longer I let him go on his own the more confident he became. In fact, he went from carefully walking around the edge of the cardboard to walking across it and admiring the footprints he made.

Clean Up Time! 

Clean up is a breeze. Tempura paint is water-soluable so you can easily wash it off all the tools and put them in a basket until next time. After the paper dries, put it in the recycling bin. Follow the directions on the package and let all® POWERCORE™ pacs OXI get the kids’ clothes clean and bright again. 

all® POWERCORE™ Pacs come in two varieties OXI and Plus Removes Tough Odors. You can find them on the laundry aisle at Walmart, they’re the ones in silver packaging. They’re a powder-liquid combination pac so you’re get the best of both worlds. Plus, their superior cleaning and brightening power is just what you need for an occasion like this.

all® POWERCORE™ pacs OXI powers through tough kid stains, even those you make on purpose! And all® POWERCORE™ Pacs Plus Removes Tough Odors replaces harsh odors with a fresh, long lasting scent. 

How do you encourage creativity and Let Kids Be Kids?