Blow-Painted Trees

On a piece of cardstock with a trunk drawn on it, the teacher adds drops of runny paint, and each child blows them through a straw to grow the tree's branches in different directions. It works on aimed, controlled blowing, and the result makes a keepsake.

How to play

1. With smocks on, they review the straw rule: only blow out, never sip; the straw points at the paint, never at a face (2 min).
2. Each child draws a tree trunk in crayon at the bottom of their cardstock (2 min).
3. The teacher places a drop of paint at the top of the trunk and the child blows it through the straw to grow a branch upward (2 min).
4. More drops, more branches: they blow left, right, softly for short branches and hard for long ones (4 min).
5. With another color, they blow tiny drops to make flowers or leaves on the branches (2 min).
6. They leave their tree to dry and take a deep breath, smelling the air as if they were in a forest (1 min).

Rules

• I only blow out through the straw.
• The straw points at the paint, not at my friends.
• I blow on my own paper.
• If the paint goes somewhere else, that's okay: it's a new branch.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: tape the cardstock to the table so it doesn't slide, and use a tilted tray if it helps.
• Visual impairment: mix a little sand or salt into the paint so the branches can be felt once dry.
• Autism: if paint is bothersome, the child can blow drops of colored water on paper towel without getting messy.

Learning goals

• Aim the breath precisely at a point.
• Adjust blowing strength for the effect they want.
• Enjoy creating with their own breath.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Straws: 25
• Liquid tempera paint: 3
• Cardstock: 25
• Droppers: 6
• Smocks: 25
• Crayons: 25

Teacher tip

The paint must be watered down until it's almost like water, or it won't move. Work in groups of 5–6 with an adult in front; the others can draw their trunks while they wait.

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