The Imagination Tree

Creative play and learning for kids

  • Home
  • Welcome
    • About Me
    • Popular Posts
    • Play Challenge
    • Subscribe
  • Age
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Preschooler
    • School Age
  • Activities
    • Literacy
    • Numeracy
    • Creativity
    • Physical
    • PHSE
    • Science
  • Resources
    • Spaces
    • Toys
    • Books
  • Contact
  • Kindness Elves

Muffin Tin Op Art

May 4, 2011 by Anna Ranson

I’ve seen this idea around a lot and love the simplicity of the printmaking process- just perfect for toddlers and preschoolers! All that is needed is a muffin tin, some paint and paper.
We got the muffin tin from the girls’ play garden and Cakie painted the upturned sections using her fingers. We used a mixture of poster paints and acrylics.
Then she laid it down onto an A3 sheet of cartridge paper and I helped her to steady it and lift it off carefully in one go.

 The results were instantly satisfying and visually stunning!

 I let her try all by herself and she slipped the tin slightly, resulting in this print. I really love the drama and movement that it creates- like a set of vibrant comets whizzing through the sky!  “Mistakes” often turn out much more interestingly than the intention.

Then we had a go at painting a different tin which had larger circles and without ridges to compare the effects. She swirled some of the colours together because her fingers carried paint from one place to the next, which looked lovely.

 And here’s the result! It really reminded me of Damien Hirst’s dot pictures and also some of the Op artists’ illusionary art work. Funky, bright and modern and would look great in a black frame on the wall!

 We left the garden tin as it was and put it back into her little play space as a piece of installation art, reflecting the colours in the windmill perfectly!

This activity is good for:
* promoting independence and a sense of achievement
* creativity and messy play
* talking about and looking at the work of real artists
* gross motor skills
* could be extended to include counting/ patterning/ sequencing/ grouping of numbers and objects
* talking about shapes and introducing the idea of patterns and repeating

Related Posts

  • Hidden Numbers Game for PreschoolersHidden Numbers Game for Preschoolers
  • Counting Spiders Sensory Maths TrayCounting Spiders Sensory Maths Tray
  • Farmyard Sensory Writing and Counting TrayFarmyard Sensory Writing and Counting Tray
  • Birthday Cake Cloud DoughBirthday Cake Cloud Dough
  • Santa’s Beard Advent Countdown CalendarSanta’s Beard Advent Countdown Calendar
  • Birthday Cake Play Dough CountingBirthday Cake Play Dough Counting

Filed Under: Activities, Art and Craft, Creativity, Math, Painting, Printing, Toddler Tagged With: Early Maths

« Sticker Storytelling
It’s Playtime! [5]- Imaginative Play »

Comments

  1. Jamie @ hands on : as we grow says

    May 4, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    Beautiful! Love the slipped one!

  2. Cate says

    May 4, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    What a terrific idea – and so colourful? What will you do with the completed artwork – would look great framed and hung on a playroom wall 🙂
    xxxCate

  3. ಪುಟ್ಟಿಯ ಅಮ್ಮ/Putti Amma says

    May 4, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Love the simplicity! Great way to make gift wrap paper, get large ares covered with paint soon:)

  4. Anna @ The Imagination Tree says

    May 4, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    Cate- am going to frame it for sure!!

  5. Tricia at Mom is the Only Girl says

    May 4, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    It’s so simple! I love it – sometimes the simple things turn out the best, don’t they?

  6. RedTedArt says

    May 4, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    Oooh I love this idea!! How fun and how wonderful and yes how very pop arty! Fabulous!

    Thank you for linking up to Kids Get Crafty 🙂

    Maggy x

  7. Deborah says

    May 5, 2011 at 4:55 am

    I love this!

  8. kristensfitnessnook says

    May 5, 2011 at 1:40 pm

    I love this. I just had my 10 month old finger paint for the first time today! Long life the baby wipe!

  9. JDaniel4's Mom says

    May 5, 2011 at 8:13 pm

    What a great way to reuse a tin! I love the design.

  10. jenny @ let the children play says

    May 10, 2011 at 7:26 am

    They look gorgeous. We did this a while back at preschool:

    http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2010/07/print-making-with-muffin-tins.html

  11. I am Laura says

    May 12, 2011 at 4:27 am

    I love it. I actually like the “mistake” one the best! Thanks for sharing at my blog party. Hope you come back again tomorrow!

  12. Whitney says

    June 21, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    I too like the “mistake” best. I’m going to give the a go with my toddler. Thanks for sharing the idea!

  13. Heather @ Preschool Buddy says

    June 22, 2011 at 12:12 am

    It’s always the most simple ideas that I love the most. This is definitely one of them. The symmetry and colors make great art.

  14. jen @ paintcutpaste.com says

    June 22, 2011 at 5:10 am

    one of my favs… when we tried this, my daughter drew on the tins with q-tips before printing. such cool results and an even better process!

  15. jen @ paintcutpaste.com says

    June 22, 2011 at 5:12 am

    (above, i meant the process of doing this is even more fun than the product — and the product is way cool!) yours look so fabulous and cheerful!

The Imagination Tree on FacebookThe Imagination Tree on TwitterThe Imagination Tree on PinterestThe Imagination Tree on G+RSS feed from The Imagination TreeThe Imagination Tree straight to your inbox

Search The Imagination Tree

About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

The Kindness Elves Store
Play Ideas on The Imagination Tree

Create with The Imagination Tree

Makes on The Imagination Tree

Sign up for our FREE emails:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT