You won’t get a lasting piece of artwork with this toddler project, but you will introduce your little one to interesting materials and novel methods of making art!

First, lay a long sheet of aluminum foil down on the ground. This immediately caught Veronika’s attention, and she wanted to walk across the shiny sleek surface.

Then I gave her a little cup filled with oil. Baby oil would work well, or any neutral kitchen oil like canola. I showed her how to use a paint brush to smear this on the foil.

I started tearing bits of tissue paper for her (although your toddler might prefer to tear these him- or herself!), and showed her how it instantly stuck to the oil on the aluminum.

She liked sticking them down and picking them back up again, and looking at the smears of oil left behind.

Trial and error showed that flat pieces of tissue paper adhered to the foil much better than crumpled pieces, although the crumples did add fun texture.

She also loved dropping bits of the crumpled tissue in her cup of oil and stirring them around!

In sum, there was lots to like about this one, both in terms of texture and creativity.