Animal Bath Time

It's the unexpected surprises that keep life exciting. That's why on a mellow Sunday afternoon, I told my children they could paint their (indoor) toy animals. Of course there was one condition: They must give those animals a bath afterwards. (I knew this would be exciting for them as well, but I acted like it was a condition.)

  1. Ages: 0 - 8

  2. 1 hour - 2 hours

  3. Super messy

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Materials you'll need

  • toy plastic animals
  • paint
  • bowl
  • warm water
  • dish soap
  • Towel

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.

    Photo reference of how to complete step 1

  • 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!"

    Photo reference of how to complete step 2

  • 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.

    Photo reference of how to complete step 3

  • 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...

    Photo reference of how to complete step 4

  • 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.

    Photo reference of how to complete step 5

  • 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.

    Photo reference of how to complete step 6

  • 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!

    Photo reference of how to complete step 7

  • 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?

    Photo reference of how to complete step 8

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