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We tried another semi-failed art experiment yesterday involving painting with a little pine bough. The girl was excited about giving it a try, picked out some colors and decided this was going to be “less scratchy” than the ill-fated pipe cleaner experiment. 
I laid out the paint on a plastic lid so she could pick up more of it at once. She made one good swipe with it and then decided — because she was determined to paint a picture of our cat — that she’d rather use her fingers.
So I made my own painting, which didn’t turn out quite the way I expected, but it’s still lots of fun to play with materials like that.
I think the lesson here is to keep trying and don’t get discouraged just because your kid isn’t loving a particular activity or process. We don’t all get excited about the same things and that’s the way it should be.
But we also shouldn’t give up when we have one bad experience — or two.
We need to keep experimenting, trying new materials in different ways and being open to the good projects and the bad, in our own art and our kid’s.
How do you feel about projects that go awry? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I have definitely had some project fails! I picture one thing in my head and it doesn’t turn out that way at all…especially when kids are involved! I love your idea of using untraditional objects for painting, though!
When you’ve been snowed in for days, you do what you can. 🙂 Thanks for visiting!
Fun idea! Often I find our projects don’t turn out as expected, but as long as my son has fun – it’s a win. I love seeing what they can create given a couple tools and freedom to explore.
Good for you for trying something new! My twin two-year-olds usually prefer finger painting to anything else. They might paint with a brush for a couple of seconds, but then they go right for the hands. Whatever brings out their creativity, right?