Pine Cone Paint Roll

from 14 months · 10-15 min · Fine motor

What you need

Lay the paper in the box lid and drop a few small blobs of paint on it.
Put the pine cones in and show them how to tip the lid gently from side to side.
Let them tilt, shake and rock the lid so the cones roll through the paint.
Lift the cones out and look at the bumpy lines they left behind.
Leave the paper to dry and hang it up.

The pine cones do the painting, so they get a busy, bumpy picture from tipping and shaking alone.

Two hands together: Tilting the lid takes both hands moving at once.
Cause and effect: Each tilt sends the cones rolling, and the paint shows where they went.
Making marks: They are making a picture without a brush or a crayon.

Watch how hard they tip. A gentle tip makes thin lines, a big shake makes splodges, and both are good.

Use big pine cones and check for loose scales first. Washable paint and a wipe-clean floor make clearing up quick.

Easier: hold one side of the lid while they tip the other

Harder: give them a pine cone to hold and roll by hand across a second sheet of paper