25 Things - No. 21 (Play with paints in the bathtub)

   
  I recently accomplished one of the things off my list of 25 Things to Do Before Owen Turns Two. You can see the list by clicking the "25 Things" tab at the top of my blog. That's where I will update the things that I've done with Owen from the list. The activity that I did with Owen recently was a simple one, but also a really fun one: painting in the bathtub. I found the idea  to make homemade bathtub paints on Pinterest. Here's the recipe (to make one color):


1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. water
5-6 pumps of baby shampoo
several drops of food coloring


     I mixed up four batches of this to make red, blue, yellow, and green paint and then put them in little prep bowls in the empty bathtub (read: no water). I took all of Owen's clothes off and his diaper (though in hindsight I wish that I had left his diaper on since he wasn't in water and that way I could have taken a lot more pictures without worrying about showing off his baby boy bits. 

    Owen was pretty unsure at first, but once I put his finger in the paint and then on the wall of the tub, he got the hang of it pretty quickly. He had so much fun smearing paint all over the walls and himself. Then he enjoyed moving around the bowls of paint and trying to set them inside one another. Which wasn't such a great thing, but I figured he was in the bathtub so any mess could be easily cleaned up. I made sure to wear an old shirt (i.e. one of Tim's T-shirts) in case any of the paint got on me, but that didn't happen so I'm not sure about whether this would stain clothing. The idea of cleaning up after Owen painted the entire bathtub was super daunting, but clean-up was actually super easy. When we were finished playing, I just ran the tub and used a washcloth to wipe down all the walls of the tub and to wipe Owen off. Then I just gave him an impromptu bath since he was already covered in shampoo anyway. 

   I definitely enjoyed doing this activity with Owen. It was fun to do something new with him and I really love exposing him to art. (Even if it is just painting the bathtub). Sometimes I struggle as a stay-at-home mom with coming up with activities that are fun for us to do and that break up the monotony that can occur when we follow the same schedule day after day. I'm so happy that Pinterest exists because it contains a wealth of knowledge and activities from other moms and I can't wait to find some more things for Owen and I to do together.