Paint Racing

In school-age programs, many children enjoy playing with toy cars. In my classroom, we have a collection of Hot Wheels and plastic tracks the children use for racing. When the children are not racing, they use toy cars with Lego and other building materials for dramatic play.

In our program, another group of children likes to build. They enjoy working with Lego, woodblocks, Magna-tile, Knex, and Playstix. The creativity of their work is fantastic. I thought it would be nice if this group tried other activities occasionally and expanded their creative reservoir.

I started searching process art books for an activity that may interest this group and discovered paint racing. The instructions for paint racing invite children to create using a toy car as a paintbrush on paper. I wanted to create a different invitation and decided to have actual paint races. I invited the children to race cars dipped in the paint down a wood platform.

To begin the project, I needed a platform. In storage, we had some plywood left over from another project. I grabbed the plywood along with acrylic paint and paper plates. Next, we needed cars. Looking through our collection, I found some older cars with crooked wheels and chipped paint that was perfect for this project.

I asked the building group if they wanted to try paint racing the next day. “What is that?” echoed the group. I explained my project idea to the children. For a moment, they looked at each other. I was unsure if there was interest or if the children thought I had lost my mind. After a short discussion, the building group decided to try paint racing.

Our program has an elevated stage on top of a tile floor. I set up the wood platform against the stage for our paint races. Next, we taped butcher paper to the floor to act as the landing pad for the cars. Then we filled paper plates with purple, aqua green, yellow, red, white, and blue acrylic paint. Let the races begin!

Two children raced first. They picked up cars and dipped them in their choice of paint. Next, the children set each toy car at the top of the plywood ramp. Ready, set, go! The children released their cars that moved quickly down the plywood face toward the floor. With a crash, the cars skid to a stop on the butcher paper. There was much conversation about the first race as the children prepared for the next one.

Paint racing lasted for much of the afternoon. In the beginning, the paint created thin marks and lines on the plywood surface. After many races, a design started to take shape. As the children raced, I encouraged them to aim each car into a space without paint. As we finished racing for the day, color did not cover the entire wood platform. I asked a few children if they would like to help fill the whole board with paint. We set the plywood on the stage and dipped cars into the paint. Using a gentle back and forth motion, we filled in the edges of the plywood surface with color. Finally, we cleaned up and set the board aside to dry.

It took a week for the painted plywood design to dry. The design was distinctive. The layers of acrylic paint created interesting patterns and grooves on the wood surface. The colors of the paint blended into exciting combinations and patterns. We displayed the finished wood platform in our classroom for all to enjoy.

In the days that followed, the children in the building group returned to their first love, building. Occasionally, they would try a new art project that piqued their interest. Paint racing was a one-time event. The children never asked to paint race again. I am happy we worked together and tried something different. My attempt to create an interest in art with the building group did not turn out as I expected. That is okay. The children should choose what material they work with and what they create. Our role as educators is to support the children and the learning community.

What I learned from this experience may benefit your learning community.

Some children gravitate to the same activities or materials each day. As educators, we may believe this takes away from a well-rounded educational experience. As children explore their interests, they engage with different aspects of learning. As children’s interests change, they will have opportunities to learn new things. Children connect new skills to past work creating a well-rounded wealth of knowledge.

My preference is that children choose their work. In our program, I occasionally create project invitations for the children and invite them to try activities that differ from their usual choices. Based on my observations of school-age children, this is not necessary. As children develop, they move through patterns of interest. In time, all children will explore various activities in our program.

Many excellent process art books are available that help children learn creative techniques and gain experience with new materials. Process art invitations complement current areas of investigation or interest in your classroom. Be open to adapting an original project idea based on the needs of the children in your program.