After reading “The Berenstain Bears Discover God’s Creation” last month (see the review here) and learning about all the wonderful “discoveries”” they made, I thought we’d do a bit of discovery work on our own and see what creatures WE could discover! You already know I’m a huge fan of hand-print crafts, so when a friend and I decided to make some beach themed prints, I couldn’t wait to get started.
This is a four-part series, if you will, so that – once complete – you will have four different beach-themed prints that you can arrange on your wall. What better way to display the wonderful creations that are around us every day? This is the FIRST design – check back in a few days for next week’s “discovery”!
Week 1: Crab Handprint
Week 2: Octopus Handprint
Week 3: Clown Fish Handprint
WHAT YOU NEED
- small white canvas (tip: get a multipack so you have some for next time)
- paint in red, white, tan, light blue, and dark blue
- paint brushes (I love this assortment set and used the sponge type)
- craft glue
- beach or play sand
- a few small sea shells
- google eyes (be sure to get one that has assorted sizes)
HOW TO MAKE
- Paint the lower portion of your canvas tan.
- Paint the top portion of your canvas light blue and the bottom portion tan. While the blue is still damp – and using the same brush – brush some darker blue waves into the lighter blue paint. Since the paint is damp, it should mix/blend in…this achieves the softer tone.
- Rinse your brush well, and – with the white paint – dab some white to create the shoreline where the waves break. You can also use a kitchen sponge to get the effect…just be sure to throw away the sponge when you’re done.
- Once all the paint has dried, paint your little one’s hands red – both hands. Stamp the first hand right in the center of the canvas, being sure to press the fingers down. Lift, and repeat with the other hand. IMPORTANT! You want the palms of the hands to overlap on the canvas…otherwise you’ll end up with a two-bodied crab (that’s just creepy).
- Once they stamp their hands, you can go back with your fingertip and a bit of red paint to fill in any blank (empty) space on the crab. I recommend using your fingertip as opposed to the brush as it looks more realistic / like the handprint. Otherwise you end up with brush strokes…not good. Let the red paint dry.
- Once you’re sure everything is dry – I’d recommend waiting a few hours or overnight – select a few shells and glue them to the canvas. You’ll need to make the paint thick on the shells – that’s very OK and you WANT it to squeeze out and around the sides of the shells.
- Once the shells are attached and the glue still damp, take more glue and cover the tan paint with it. You want it thin but not super thin…it has to be thick enough to hold the sand. Once the glue is evenly covering the tan paint, pour some sand onto it and LIGHTLY tap down to press the sand into the glue. Let it sit overnight to dry.
- In the morning, shake off the excess sand. Using a damp paper towel, wipe the sand dust off the red crab and white/blue ocean.
- Once the dust is removed, glue down two google eyes and draw in a smile for your crab.
- Hang it on the wall and enjoy!
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[…] way to store the beautiful artwork AND help your kids learn at the same time. Week 1: Crab Handprint Week 2: Octopus Handprint Week 3: Clown Fish Handprint Week 4: Coming soon! WHAT YOU […]