DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET 52  chapter 3 Drip Art The children can create drip art by using several squirt bottles filled with various colors of paint. They hold the bottles at the top of a piece of card- board or poster board. They squeeze the bottles to let the colors drip down the cardboard, one color over another. They do not touch the paint. The out- come is long drips of layered colors that puddle at the bottom. Adults look at the finished product and think, “Wow! That’s really cool!” But the excitement for children lies in the process of squeezing the paint and watching it ooze and pool. You can do this activity using an easel or a large cardboard box placed on the floor or using tented cardboard on a table. Cover the floor or table with newspaper to catch the inevitable drips. Enjoy watching the process, hearing the giggles, and ad- miring the beautiful, colorful layered artwork! Many people think two- and three-year-olds cannot paint still lifes. I have done it with older children, and one year I decided to try it with younger children. I gathered the plastic fruit from the dramatic play area (so children would know it was not being offered to eat) and placed the fruit on the art table. I invited the children to paint a picture of the fruit. Several chil- dren came over to paint right away. One child painted each fruit one by one. After she painted the fruits individually, she looked once more at the plate of fruit. She then painted a picture of the plate with all the fruit on it. I was fascinated by this process of observation and synthesis. A dish full of plastic fruits Drip art, standing The finished products An amazing two-year-old artist paints a still life. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL