Spring weather has beckoned us outside all week, and that means we wanted to move our arts & crafts outdoors, too. There are two fun parts to this particularly toddler project. First, the painting, then the clean-up!

To start, I set out plates of fingerpaint. Mix a little squirt of dish soap into each color, which will make clean-up easier on the flip side.

I told Veronika that we were heading outside to paint the patio door! At first she was surprised, but then she was remarkably good about it, understanding that she could paint the glass but not the wooden door frame or screen door.

I demonstrated by painting a yellow sun and green grass, but truly Veronika needed no direction. She tested out painting up high…

…and down low. She practiced making big swirly circular brush strokes, or sometimes jabbed the bristles against the glass which made what looked like orange footprints. When I asked her if she was finished, she said quite firmly, “No, I’m still painting”.

She did finally tire of the project and we left the paint to dry. But the fun had only just begun! The second half of this activity is to wash off the paint. I filled a bucket with warm water and we headed back outside with our bucket and sponge.

She loved helping dip the sponge in the water and washing all over the window. And yes thanks to that dish soap, it really does come off in a heartbeat.

Well, Veronika hadn’t had enough fun yet; she decided the patio needed to be sponged off, too! Overall, this turned into a gorgeous afternoon-long project outside.