As the pumpkins grin and the bats flutter amidst the twilight, we’re gathered here in our virtual craft cove to concoct a little magic with color and creativity. Here at Happy Toddler Playtime, our cauldrons are bubbling not with spells, but with a cascade of vibrant hues, ready to enchant our little witches and wizards with the wizardry of color mixing! Today, we’re diving into a spectacularly spooky and satisfyingly squishy activity: Halloween Color Mixing Bags! So roll up your sleeves, gather your tiny sorcerers, and let’s create a potion that unveils the mystery of colors right before our very eyes!
Imagine the thrill of watching colors morph into new shades, creating a mesmerizing spectacle within a handheld, squishy bag. It’s not only an exciting journey into the world of color exploration but also a subtle nudge into understanding color theory, all while being wrapped in the delightful theme of Halloween!
WILL YOU SET UP THIS HALLOWEEN COLOR MIXING BAGS FOR YOUR CHILD? PIN IT FOR LATER!
Materials
- Sandwich Ziplock Bags
- Black Sharpie or permanent marker
- Washable Paint in Red, Yellow, and Blue
- Little hands ready to squish and mix!
Step-by-Step Brewing Process
- Draw Spooky Faces: Use the black sharpie to draw a Jack-o’-lantern or a Frankenstein face on the front of your ziplock bag.
- Pour the Paint Potion: Add a dollop of each paint color into separate corners of the bag. For the pumpkin add a dollop of yellow red paint. For the Frankenstein bag, add yellow and blue paint. Seal it tightly! If you are worried about the paint coming out, seal the top with packing tape.
- Mash and Mix: Hand it over to your little magician and let them squish, squash, and mix the colors together to discover new shades and enjoy the squishy sensations!
- Observe the Magic: Watch as the colors blend to form new ones—can they guess which colors will emerge?
Tips for a Successful Colorful Brew
- Double-Bag for Safety: Ensure no color escapes our magical concoction by using a second bag for extra protection.
- Squish Gently: Remind your kiddos to be gentle witches and wizards, mashing carefully to prevent the bag from bursting.
- Seal Tight: Ensure that the bag is sealed tightly to prevent any messy spells from leaking out!
Skills Learned Through This Enchanting Craft
- Color Recognition and Theory: Identifying primary colors and predicting the secondary colors they will create stimulates cognitive development.
- Sensory Exploration: The squishy, cool sensation of the paint provides a delightful tactile experience.
- Motor Skill Development: The act of squishing and manipulating the bags gently aids in refining those tiny hand muscles.
- Scientific Observation: Watching colors blend and form new ones introduces the basics of observation in a playful manner.
Wrap your little crafting session with a chat about the colors they’ve created, the textures they felt, and how the faces on the bag enhanced their magical mixing experience. Remember, witches and wizards, the true magic lies not just in the colors, but in the joy and wonder experienced while discovering them!
Happy Crafting & Happy Halloween!
Age Suitability
This activity is good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.
Mess Level
The mess level for this activity is low.
Difficulty to Create
Easy.
Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
The Best Sensory Play Kits for Kids
Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!
Shop our ready made play kits here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Halloween Color Mixing Bags
Materials
- Sandwich Ziplock Bags
- Black Sharpie or permanent marker
- Washable Paint in Red, Yellow, and Blue
- Little hands ready to squish and mix
Instructions
- Use the black sharpie to draw a Jack-o’-lantern or a Frankenstein face on the front of your ziplock bag.
- Add a dollop of each paint color into separate corners of the bag. For the pumpkin add a dollop of yellow red paint. For the Frankenstein bag, add yellow and blue paint. Seal it tightly! If you are worried about the paint coming out, seal the top with packing tape.
- Hand it over to your little magician and let them squish, squash, and mix the colors together to discover new shades and enjoy the squishy sensations!
- Watch as the colors blend to form new ones—can they guess which colors will emerge?
WILL YOU SET UP THIS HALLOWEEN COLOR MIXING BAGS FOR YOUR CHILD? PIN IT FOR LATER!
