This is a great project for anyone, but especially good for a child who isn’t quite sure they even want to do art. Driving toy cars through pain and then across large pieces of paper is great fun! And beautiful!

This project will invite and involve even the most reluctant and stubborn kid! It is a bit messy as with all painting projects… roll up sleeves and wear a paint smock or and old shirt of dad’s buttoned up backwards.

Painting with Car Tracks

Materials:

Liquid tempera paint
Liquid starch
Cookie sheet or tray with sides
Paintbrush for mixing
Small toy cars
Other toys with wheels
Large sheets of paper

What to do:

• Pour a puddle of the liquid starch onto the cookie sheet or tray
• Squeeze a big spoonful of paint into the starch puddle
• Mix the paint and starch together with a paint brush
• Roll a small car through the paint
• Then drive the car over a piece of paper creating designs and tracks
• Place the car back on the tray
• Roll other wheeled toys through the paint and roll them over the paper
• Dry the painting completely

Variations:

Place several different colors of paint on the tray so mixing of colors will occur both on the tray and on the paper
Incline a board, cover it with paper, and place blobs of paint on the paper – roll the cars or other wheeled toys through the paint, down the incline! Have some paper at the bottom to catch the drips and toys
Do some experimentation by pressing the car wheels onto and ink pad or food coloring on a wet paper towels, then drive the car over the paper

My favorite variation:

Paint a “Cars Track” play mat for toy cars to drive on when the sheet of paper is dry!


I recommend washable non-toxic paint available at Amazon and other craft stores:



If doing this as a group activity plan to have many cars and many trays with different colors:




Guidelines
Experience level:
Easy – for beginning artist with little experience

Art techniques:
Painting
Printing

Planning and Preparation:
Moderate degree of involvement and time for the adult in charge.

Help:
Sometimes a project is not necessarily dangerous, but some assistance may be needed from another child or person.