In our class, doing art is a must. We do an art project almost daily. Why? Art is fun. It’s research based. And it’s fun. Kids need it and want it. And it’s a great way to have conversations about the things we’re learning about. This marshmallow rainbow painting is an easy (a little messy!) way to paint a rainbow as part of a rainbow or St. Patrick’s Day unit!
You need: paint, marshmallows, plates, toothpicks and construction paper.
The first thing I did was draw the rainbows using a pencil. These were VERY rough sketches just to give the kids some guides to follow.
Next, I put toothpicks into the marshmallows to make marshmallow paint sticks!
Then we put the paint onto paper plates. And we painted our marshmallow rainbows!
I modeled the first few stamps and then the students were on their own! We made sure to hold onto the marshmallow so it didn’t slide off the toothpick. (TIP: After a few uses, I would replace the marshmallows so they were fresh and a little more firm!) As we were painting our marshmallow rainbows we discussed the colors of the rainbow and we talked about violet is like purple and indigo is like blue. That means the art lesson included lots of speaking and listening skills as well as vocabulary!
The finished marshmallow rainbow painting:
Rainbow Resources
For more rainbow ideas including research, writing and math and literacy centers, check out our rainbow research creation:
For rainbow freebies, check out this Schedulin’ Sunday post!
Looking for ideas on incorporating art into your classroom? Check out How To Get Away With Art In Your Classroom!