Marble Painting

One day a small group of children walked up to me and said, "We are bored." Before I could say anything, they suggested revisiting a favorite activity. I asked. "what activity would you like to work on?" The conversation led to a marble painting project. 

On occasion, school-age children want to enjoy an activity without engaging in a long-term investigation and choose an activity because they enjoy a specific creative process.

To begin marble painting, we searched for a recycled box lid. We found a cardboard lid with tall sides that appeared perfect for the job. Next, we collected different earth-tone paint colors, construction paper, a pencil, and four marbles. 

One benefit of having a collection of recycled materials is the ease of access to cardboard and other materials at a moment's notice. The children enjoy overseeing their work and collecting the materials needed to begin a project. Much thinking goes into selecting paint as children negotiate how many colors to use for different types of creative work.

Next, we found an open space at a table in the corner of the room. Noticing paint on the table, other children gathered and asked what the group was working on. The small group of children encouraged other children to try marble painting.

In school-age care, children work in small groups. The process of creating new work motivates the other children to attempt similar work. Sometimes in this scenario, children express an opinion that the other children are "copying." Copying is a message children learn in different educational contexts away from the program. Our role as an educator is to invite the children to bring everyone along. Collaboration is part of the creative process. Working and learning together builds the learning community.

The marble paint process invited children to select a colorful paper of choice, a brush, and then drip paint on top of the paper. The paint was very watery. The pouring process required a delicate touch, so the children did not get too much paint on the paper. 

The paint we used for this work had a watery viscosity. It was interesting to watch the children experiment with dripping the paint. The children's use of different viscosity paint created a challenge. How is this paint different? What changes do I have to make to keep my paper from being a wet mess of color?

After dripping the desired quantity of paint on the paper, the children added four marbles to the box and moved it with great speed and side to side. The marbles and gravity spread paint all over the paper in a set of random patterns. 

Marble painting is an activity the children always enjoy because of the combination of physical and creative attributes. Children enjoy selecting the paint and dripping it on paper. The most prominent reactions happen when the marbles begin to move. Then a conversation starts between the creator and the children who are watching. They talk about how the marbles roll through the box and how the paint reacts to the movement.

Each marble creation was unique. The outcome depended on the children's color choice and the motion used to create the work. I started placing finished work on the drying rack. Taking a closer look at each paper, I could see the marbles' journey along the surface. 

The rest of the afternoon featured watery paint and rolling marbles. The children enjoyed engaging in an active and messy activity. Activities like marble painting are essential. They balance out the mental demands of projects, schoolwork, and home life with pure fun.