Fizzing Rubber Band Snap Painting

If you haven't tried rubber band painting with your kids, you need to shut off your computer or phone and do it right now.  Well, maybe you should read the whole post first.  Then do it.  Seriously, this is one of our very favorite painting activities ever.

Erupting Rubber Band Painting

How to Paint with Rubber Bands

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Supplies:

• rubber bands
• cookie sheets
• washable tempera paint
• baking soda
• spray bottles
• vinegar
• watercolor paper (optional)

Directions:  I mixed roughly 1/8 cup of paint with a tablespoon of baking soda.  I repeated this for each color then poured small amounts of each color on the watercolor paper.  I've seen rubber band painting done many ways including by painting the rubber bands first and squirting paint on the paper first.  I chose the second option since I knew my boys would want to get right down to the part where the paint splats and makes a big mess.

JZ (7) was the first to sit down and snap a rubber band.  He jumped in surprise at the paint that splattered on him.

He started stretching and moving the rubber bands strategically to place them where they would connect with the largest pool of paint.

As you can see, this is a very messy activity.  We've never had an issue with washable paint staining, but I suggest wearing play clothes.  Here are tips for messy play as well as laundry tips to avoid stains and keep clothes bright.

The other boys quickly ran over to join in the fun, and they made it their goal to see who could get the messiest.

After the paint was sufficiently splattered, I pulled out a spray bottle full of vinegar.  The boys went to town covering the paint with vinegar and watching the fizzing fun.

The watercolor paper is optional, but I recommend it if you plan to keep the artwork.  The paint will dry overnight depending how much vinegar is sprayed.

For more fizzing paint recipes follow me on Pinterest.

More messy ways to paint and play with colors:

Combining Art and Science ~ Erupting Paint Recipes ~ Color Mixing Activities