Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
The animals all lined up with great anticipation to get colorful! I told the kids to go for it and--with some hesitation (was mama being serious?), the kids slowly began to paint with smiles from ear to ear.

Step 2
I have said it many times...I love egg crates for paint holding! They work so perfectly. My two year old got to work on his elephant shouting, "I paint you elephant! I paint you pretty!"

Step 3
Just as they promised, they gave each animal a bath after every painting. (I gave them a bowl of soapy, warm water.) Oh how they loved this step.

Step 4
Some animals made fun tracks. This was very exciting for the curious five-year-old. "What kind of tracks does a T-Rex make?" she wondered...

Step 5
The bathing area was a popular spot. I made the water nice and warm and, on a chilly morning, this was very appealing for the kids.

Step 6
After each bath, they got right back to it. They loved that they could keep starting over. Emma even became a carnival face painter at one point and lined up all the animals who were so excited to choose their face painting.

Step 7
The colorful cow got a new fancy "moo" along with his new fancy patches. I did not expect that at all and it was hilarious!

Final result!
My kids went on and on with this for hours this day. I thought how amazing it was for a new type of painting canvas to capture such great imaginations and was such a fun experience for my children. I wonder what we will paint next?

