how to stop mixing paints

[mushpea]

each time I give the children paints after school they mix up the colours by putting their brushes in the different coloured painds, we always start off which a brush for each colour but they always end up getting mixed by both the younger and older mindeeds and then one always complains that they cant have a certain colour as they are all mixed up! I dont have enough pallets for each child to have their own set of paints and I dont see why they should have their won set really as they need to learn to share and think of others before 'messing up the colours', I did think I would put a pot of water on the table and teach them to wash their brushes each time but knowing them it would just keep getting spilt or they would just dip in the paint then in the water,
how do you deal with this?

[hectors house]

I am a meanie - I sit at table with children when painting and they only have one colour at a time - they have to ask me or another mindee if they want a different colour - I tell myself it is good for communication, learning to share and naming colours - but its probably because I don't the colours mixed together!

[AliceK]

I gice them all their own pallets and they can choose what colours they want in there. I don't use proper paint pallets I improvise, currently using plastic plates with compartments in, not sure where I got them from. The older children also have a little ramekin dish with water in to wash their brush.

xxx

[LauraS]

I gice them all their own pallets and they can choose what colours they want in there. I don't use proper paint pallets I improvise, currently using plastic plates with compartments in, not sure where I got them from. The older children also have a little ramekin dish with water in to wash their brush.

xxx

Ditto this. Ice cube trays are good for tiny quantities of.paint and are super cheap.

Smooshing and mixing the paint is more enjoyable and as creative as painting a traditional picture for some kids, so why ban it?

Mixing playdough on.the.other hand...

[TAZ]

I use whatever 'recycling' bits are available s paint pallets - margerine containers, yoghurt pots, egg boxes. They also have a pot of water (depending on age) and are quite good at washing out their brushes

[jackie 7]

Oh good I thought I was they only one who supervised the painting. I use the pots with sealable lids so I can get them out fast as little ones loose intrest fast. It helps in turn taking couloirs naming communication and gets them used to sitting close to others. Not because I hate waste.

[WibbleWobble]

i put blobs on the top of a take away carton (we save them)...they have one each and a few brushes. They can mix as much as they like...mixing paint is all part of exploring the medium.

not bothered about play doh either...i make my own so its cheap and easily made


BUT IF YOU PUT THE WRONG TOY IN THE WRONG BASKET (there are pictures to assist) THEN I GET TWITCHY!!!!


wibble xxxx

[Mouse]

I save takeaway food pots, margarine tubs etc.

Each chlid has their own 'tray' with the colours of paint they want on it. As I only have little ones they don't really mind if their paint gets mixed up, but at least they leave each other's paint alone!

[jadavi]

I also give a small tray each (palette, yog pot whatever,) and they can chose two colours.
Nearly all of them at the moment are in to big time daubing - hands arms etc, so the paper is usually redundant.

What i used to do when they were really painting on paper is give a ramekin dish each of water and a small sponge or tissues to dry brush inbetween to stop paint getting too watery....

[AliceK]

i put blobs on the top of a take away carton (we save them)...they have one each and a few brushes. They can mix as much as they like...mixing paint is all part of exploring the medium.

not bothered about play doh either...i make my own so its cheap and easily made


BUT IF YOU PUT THE WRONG TOY IN THE WRONG BASKET (there are pictures to assist) THEN I GET TWITCHY!!!!


wibble xxxx

Same here, make my own playdoh and it always gets mixed up, that's fine in fact Mrs O commented on it in my last inspection. BUT, like you, the toys have to be tidied away in the right places. One of my 1yr olds tidied up today, completely randomly, he's never done it before and he put all his toys in the one box. I restrained myself from "helping" because I was so proud of him for tidying

xxxx

[mushpea]

Well they ended up with a paper plate each with different colours on so one lad mixed his straight away and the otheres kept theirs seperate, no arguments for all of 5mins till the lad realized he had Brown gloop then pestered the others for their paint !!

[mushpea]

I should add I don't mind if they mix the colours its the kids that get the hump cause they like seperate colours, I make my own playdougj too so don't mind if they colour mix but I did tell one girl off last week as she took the two colours, mixed them then said 'there, now noone else can play with the colours' fuming wasn't the word, that ended her play dough session!

[MessybutHappy]

I have "proper" trays for the children that like to keep it all neat, and plastic plates for those that don't! I have been known to scoop unused paint up and put it back in the bottle....I'm tell myself that I'm doing it for a good reasons, but really it's because I hate "waste"!! I just remembered that i have recycling stuff put away "safely" too...I need to get a grip!!!!!!!!

[emmamc]

Ditto this. Ice cube trays are good for tiny quantities of.paint and are super cheap.

Smooshing and mixing the paint is more enjoyable and as creative as painting a traditional picture for some kids, so why ban it?

Mixing playdough on.the.other hand...

Ooo I love the ice cube tray idea!

[singingcactus]

Why not put out some block paints at the same time. Then those that want specific colours can have them, and those that don't care, don't have to worry.