Create Your Own Watercolor Journals

So.

We had an accidental discovery today, or a moment of mild genius.

Have you ever seen Watercolor Pencils?

We bought some at IKEA a couple years back – one of about 50 other things that I threw in the cart thinking this might be cool somewhere in the house someday. Yikes. IKEA. Have you been to an IKEA? It’s a pretty fun, great family adventure to break up a road trip — but uH — how come you can NOT get through the store without spending at least $500??!??!?

Okay. So IKEA rant done. (Our family actually really loves IKEA so much so that the kids made up a chant that they sing every time we pass one on the highway)

But these watercolor pencils seemed like something kinda of fun that I thought was worth spending a few dollars on. I figured I would find some use for them along the way of our homeschool adventure.

okay – but now that I know this – next time I go – I’m getting like 10 packs of these.

Well. I have used them several times over the last year or two. Usually, I’ll just draw some simple pictures with them, and up until TODAY – I would just let Geo use a paintbrush and some water over the pictures I drew and turn them into watercolorish paintings.

(If you’ve never seen them, watercolor pencils work just like regular colored pencils.)

Well. TODAY. I thought –

What if I just color little boxes at the bottom of his paper. Could he just use them as his own little single-use paint tray?

So I drew little squares at the bottom of one of our nature journals.

I filled them in, pressing pretty hard to make sure I was leaving enough of the watercolor behind.

Then I gave Bear and Geo paintbrushes and q-tips and water and let them go at it.

It WORKED!

I mean – it really worked.

Do you know how AWESOME I think this is?

I mean – have you ever tried to bring along a water color tray for little kiddos?

We are talking water and drippy paints and a lot of mess. The paint idea is always super fun in theory – but then the paint gets messy and … yes, water and drippy paints and … grossness everywhere.

Have you ever tried to be a fun adventureous mom and take the kiddos out to draw something in nature? (My kiddos actually have nature journals that we occasionally pull out)

Or just wanted to have something to take on a road trip that is low mess?

Well – I feel like it just became easier to become fun mom.

Just draw some squares on a paper.

Give the kiddos some q-tips or small paintbrushes and a small amount of water

(or even better yet, use one the pens from those WaterWow kits)

Do you get all the endless possibilities these creates?

I can add circles of “paint” to any paper

Without opening a paint jar.

Without having water.

Withouth a mess.

I can pass out a paper to my co-op class – and give them a circle of red paint on the side.

I can give my three-year-old a quality painting activity in about 20 seconds – and without worrying about a tray of paint getting tipped over.