Mixed Media Columbus Day Craft

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Huggies® because “Kids Outgrow Diapers, Not Messes™”. As always, all opinions are my own. We hope you enjoy celebrating Columbus Day with your children or by making this fun mixed media Columbus Day craft.

Columbus Day is coming up in a few short weeks and that makes it perfect timing to learn more about early explorers and American History. Spend an evening together as a family at the library, read through some books and challenge everyone to find out something new they didn’t know before about Christopher Columbus and other early explorers. Then bring the fun back home by finishing the evening making this beautiful mixed media Columbus Day craft.

Mixed media is one of my favorite types of projects because the mixtures of different elements creates such amazing color and texture. Your kids will love the entire process of making this Columbus Day art project and the finished craft is beautiful and definitely frame worthy!

How to Make a Mixed Media Columbus Day Craft

Supplies:
– x-large mix media paper (11” x 14”)
– paper plates
– brown paper straws
– newspaper
– white, brown and blue paint (we used a few different shades of blue)
– paintbrush
– Huggies® Wipes
– scissors
– glue

Directions:
1. Gather all of your supplies. Start by pouring several different shades of blue paint and some white paint onto a paper plate. Using your paintbrush, paint your x-large mix media paper with your blue paint. Mixing together different shades of blue makes this a creative process for kids. The different shades add so much texture and color to your painted ocean. After you are finished covering your paper with blue paint, use your white paint to paint squiggly ocean waves all over your paper. Set your painted paper aside to dry.

Any time we have paint out for a craft we always make sure to have Huggies® Wipes close by, open and ready to tackle any messes. Even when we use a paintbrush we always have paint that somehow ends up on fingers, hands and faces. Instead of taking the risk of having my kids walk across the house with paint on their hands and accidentally touching things on their way to the sink, I love the convenience of having Huggies® Wipes right at the table ready to conquer the mess.

2. Next cut a paper plate in half. You’ll use one of the halves for your boat. Cut a small strip off of the curved side of your paper plate half so it is flat and your boat is all ready for painting. Pour a small amount of brown paint onto another paper plate and paint your paper plate boat. Make sure to have those Huggies® Wipes out, open and ready for any more paint messes. They are super strong with their triple layers and are so soft and gentle on the skin so I never have to worry about my kids using them on their hands, arms or face, unlike other brands of cleaning wipes. In fact, I keep a container of the Huggies® Clutch ‘N’ Clean Pack in my car so we have them when we are on the go for any impromptu or unexpected messes. You know how often those happen!

3. While your paint is drying, grab your newspaper and cut out boat sails from it. Kids can get as creative as they want with the size and amount of sails they choose. Fold your rectangle sails in half and make a slit towards the top and bottom so that your brown paper straws can slide through the sails. Younger kids can skip this step and simply glue the sails over their straws.

4. When your paint is finished drying, it’s time to assemble your Columbus Day craft together. Add glue around the outside edge of your boat and glue it onto the bottom of your blue painted paper. After threading your sails through your straws, add a line of glue onto the back of each straw and glue them onto your paper with the bottom sitting down inside the top of your boat. If you have any triangle sails, glue them onto the top of your straws.

5. Finish your craft by cutting out circle windows from your newspaper and glue them onto your boat.

Does your family love messy activities? Join the Huggies® #HugTheMessSweepstakes by tagging your messy kid photos on Instagram and Twitter for a chance to win $2,500. How does your family celebrate Columbus Day? We would love to see some messy and fun Columbus Day activity entries!

Visit Huggies® to purchase wipes for your craft supplies, or find them at your local store (not just in the baby aisle). Make sure to stay connected by following Huggies® on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

MORE FUN ART ACTIVITIES SPONSORED BY HUGGIES®:
Marbled Art Earth Day Craft
Puffy Paint and Footprint Ice Cream Cone Craft