Fun Littles

Fun and easy kids activities

Painting Marshmallows

Feb 12, 20159,731 views
Art Projects
Ages3–6 yrs
Prep10 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessMedium
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Kids paint jumbo marshmallows in rainbow colors with liquid watercolors, let them dry on wax paper, then dust them with baking soda. The finished marshmallows are for building rainbows, sorting colors, patterning and math play.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Painted marshmallows are art materials, not food. Once they are painted with watercolors and dusted with baking soda, don't let kids eat them.
  • Marshmallows look like a treat and can be a choking hazard for young children. Supervise closely, especially toddlers who mouth things.
  • Liquid watercolors can stain hands, clothes and surfaces, even washable ones. Cover the table and dress for mess.
  • An adult handles the baking soda dusting, as the author did. Keep the powder away from eyes.

Steps

  1. Cover a metal cookie sheet with wax paper and lay out all the marshmallows.

  2. Pour liquid watercolors into the cups of a plastic egg carton palette.

  3. Set out a few brushes, two cups of water for rinsing and some paper towels for wiping.

  4. Hold the marshmallow down with a finger on top, or pick it up, and paint around the sides.

  5. Stand the marshmallow up like a tall cylinder and paint the bottom, then flip it over and paint the other circular end.

  6. Rinse the brush in the first cup, then the second cup, before switching colors.

  7. Leave the painted marshmallows standing up on the wax paper until the outside is no longer wet.

  8. Adult: peel the marshmallows off the wax paper one by one and press the base of each into the bowl of baking soda.

  9. Adult: gently dust off the excess baking soda so the marshmallows don't stick together.

  10. Play and create: build a rainbow, name colors, make patterns or use them for math.

Tips

  • Having the second cup of water for brush cleaning really helps with very light colors like yellow. The first cup gets brown pretty fast.from the author
  • Holding the marshmallows down while painting is great fine motor exercise. My 4 year old pressed the top with one finger and painted with her other hand, and also tried just picking it up and holding it. Both worked.from the author
  • The outside will feel sticky when dry. As long as it isn't wet, they're done. If you leave them out a long time they get sticky and hard to peel off.from the author
  • You will lose some color from the base where the marshmallows were standing.from the author
  • Dust a handful of marshmallows at a time and you're done quickly.from the author

Make it your own

  • Build a rainbow arch with the painted marshmallows.
  • Go over color names and sort by color.
  • Practice patterning with the colors.
  • Use them in counting and math activities.
  • Arrange them in rainbow swirls.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · February 2015
Art Activities for Kids : Painting Marshmallows
Marshmallow painting is a wonderful project in itself. But how about we paint the marshmallows themselves in this simple art activity for kids?
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Painting Marshmallows: the original post

Paint roasting marshmallows in this simple art activity for kids. Materials ***

materials Art in every form! art with marshmallows Marshmallow painting is a wonderful project in itself. { Have you see our no-cook marshmallow dough post?} But how about we paint the marshmallows themselves in this simple art activity?

Set up for this painting marshmallows art activity.

  • Cover a metal cookie sheet with wax paper and lay out all your marshmallows.
  • Place liquid watercolors in a palette. { I always use plastic egg cartons}
  • Have a few paint brushes near by along with 2 cups of water for cleaning your brushes and some paper towels for wiping.
  • Having the second cup of water for brush cleaning really helps during art projects involving very light colored water colors { yellow} The first cup of water gets brown pretty fast and the 2nd water cup helps off rinsing and having a fresh paint brush before switching colors.
  • My 4 year old who was more eager to get started had ball painting the roasting marshmallows. She tried multiple ways of holding down the marshmallows for painting { great fine motor exercise} Pressing the marshmallow on the top with her finger while painting with her other hand. She was able to get around the marshmallows without smearing a lot of color. She also tried just picking up the marshmallow and holding it while painting. That worked for her too. Make sure your child paints the bottom part of the marshmallow { while having the marshmallow stand up like a tall cylinder} and flip it over and have them cover the the other circular base.

process for painting marshmallows She colored all the marshmallows using rainbow colors { of course!!} { all our rainbow activities here}

Art and Craft Brush Set

Drying the painted marshmallows

Leave the well painted marshmallows on the wax paper standing up until dry.

drying marshmallows

  • The outside will feel sticky. As long the outside is not wet, then the marshmallows are done drying. If you let them set out for a long time, then they get sticky and will become hard to peel off.
  • Slowly peel off the marshmallows one by one from the wax paper. You will lose some color from the base where the marshmallows were standing.
  • After you have removed the marshmallows, drop them directly in a container for dusting off.
  • Now for dusting off the marshmallows{ so they don’t stick together} you could use powdered sugar/white flour/ baking soda. I had a big bowl of baking soda sitting by.
  • As I peeled off the marshmallows I gently pressed the base of the marshmallows in the bowl of baking soda and starting dusting off the excess baking soda. I did a handful of marshmallows at a time and was done quickly.
  • After this dusting off process, the marshmallows are ready for playing and creating.

art activities for kids! brightly colord marshmallows

Playing and creating with the painted rainbow marshmallows

Create rainbows, go over colors, practice patterning, engage in math activities - anything that works for you! make a rainbow with marshmallows Loving the swirls color marshmallows

Thanks for reading

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