This is a great project to do with kids of all ages - and it's just as fun as an adult! All you need is some styrofoam, paint, paper, and a sponge or paint roller.
To make these prints, you just write or push an impression of an image in the styrofoam, apply paint to the foam, and then push it onto a piece of paper. What you're left with is a painted block with the impression you made left in white. It looks a little bit different every time you print it, and that's what makes this project so fun.
These prints were turned into cards for healthcare workers in our community, which is a great way to share them!
Materials: - styrofoam piece** (I used foam trays from the dollar store)
- paint (I used tempera)
- a sponge or paint roller
- a pen or pencil
- paper
Instructions:
1. Find a flat area on a piece of styrofoam and, using a pen or pencil, push an impression into the foam. You want to push hard enough that you make an indentation in the foam, but not so hard that you're making holes in it.
2. When you're happy with your impression, sponge or roll paint onto the foam. Try not to put so much paint that you fill the impression with paint. You want a thin enough layer that the impression still shows up white when you print it.
3. Push the painted side of the foam onto a sheet of paper and press down every corner of the foam so that the full impression is printed. Lift the foam and check out your design!
**An alternative way to do this project, without using foam, is to lay a sheet of aluminum foil on a tabletop, spread a layer of paint on the foil, draw a picture in the paint with q-tips, a pencil eraser, or your fingernail, and then press a sheet of paper to the paint. You'll be left with a similar product, with your drawn design showing up white, surrounded by the paint you used.
