I Ain't Gonna Paint No More

 Towards the end of the school year it is so much fun to add a variety of activities that will have lasting memories for the kids.  I think these kids will always remember the day they got to body paint themselves in school :).  We started off our day as usual reading and having story time, even writing in our journals.  Then we read "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More" which I love and the kids seem to love as well.  It goes along to the tune "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More".  It's the story of a naughty little boy who gets his paints taken away and then proceeds to sneak them back and paint all over his body.  It's a fantastic read that encourages rhyming and has great opportunities for conversations about behavior.

 After reading the story we headed upstairs and set up our painting zone.  A big blanket that can easily be tossed into the washing machine is a super plus for this activity.

 Everyone paired up to share a tray of watercolors and we got down to business painting all possible exposed skin.  This type of body art always produces the opportunity for kids to practice art with their non dominant hand, which I love!  They get such a kick out of the different ways they can paint their eyebrows or designs on their legs.  They even talk about their "new nail polish".  The conversations are so silly about how they're "bleeding green blood" or they need to go to the doctor to get stitches for all the spots all over their legs.  It is a super fun and memorable activity.

 Usually I like to have access to the hose to wash kids down after this activity.  Today, however, the weather was poor and we were stuck inside.  Bring on the Costco pack of babywipes :).  A little tip: add water from the faucet to the pack of baby wipes before handing them out.  The extra moisture goes a long way in the initial removal of the paint.  Though the paint washes off fairly well, do expect for skin to be stained a bit for a couple of days - try not to schedule any family photos right after this one!