For The Kiddos: $1 Bin Painting

Ack! Time to catch you up on all of our fabulous doings since we’ve been blog-slacking. I picked up a few of these little birdhouses in the $1 bin at Joann’s. Will isn’t big on coloring, so I figured I’d give painting a whirl…

 
I thought it would be doubly fun to do when Will’s cousin, Ashley, stayed with us for a weekend while she was out of school. An activity that a 3 year old and a 16 year old both enjoy? SCORE!

I covered the table with newspaper, grabbed some paper plates, brushes, red Solo cups with a little water for paint color changes, and a bunch of random paint.
We got a little on our hands…


We watched, mouth agape, as we swirled our paint brushes in a cup of water to change colors… or just mix all of them together to see what happened. Will learned that his two favorite colors, red and yellow [aka Iron Man’s colors], make orange when mixed together.


We “awww”ed at cut little baby hands swiping paint on the little birdhouse… Maybe it was just me because those little sausage fingers and dimples are just so cute!,

Meanwhile, Ashley was elegantly painting her birdhouse. This is a girl with a plan, … and an iPhone just in case she misses a text.


Intense! I highly approved of the colors she picked. It would blend right in with my house.

When all was said and done, Ashley produced this masterpiece:
 

And Will produced this colorful conundrum fit for a king, or a pigeon:
                  

Not bad for $2! It took a little over an hour, start to finish. Obviously Will lost interest faster than Ashley did, but he’s also not as crafty as she is. He’d rather go Hulk-smash something. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled in those $1 bins for fun little activities like this we can all do. You never know when creativity, or a good deal, will strike! This would be a fun little party activity turned party-favor if you’re planning on doing a bird themed party. Or do it as a baby shower activity, and the mom-to-be can take them home for a cool mobile or hanging collage!

Do you have a favorite $1 bin find? Or maybe a fun little activity you like to do with your kiddos? Do share! We love a fun [and cheap] good time!