Looking to mix up your at-home art activities? Here are some BIG red ideas that will jumpstart your child’s creativity.

Painting:
Think of new ways to apply red paint to paper: try kitchen utensils, old toothbrushes, the bottoms
of shoes, or old hairbrushes and combs. What textures do you see in the red paint?

Food Coloring:
Add red food coloring to water and make ice cubes. Place the ice cubes on a tray or plate covered with paper. Paint by moving the red ice cube around on the paper As the ice melts the color is left behind on the paper!

Add one drop of red food coloring and one drop of a different food coloring to water to make
the ice cubes. What color ice cubes did you make this time? Try painting with one red ice cube and one of the new ones you made. What happens to the colors as they melt now?

Clay:
Try this clay recipe:
Mix 2 cups of salt and 2/3 cup of water in a saucepan and stir over heat for three to four minutes. Remove fromheat and add a cup of cornstarch and ½ cup of coldwater. Don’t forget the red food coloring! Stir until smooth.
Can you use your red clay to make a Clifford?

Drawing:
What are some ways that you can change a conventional drawing tool?
Select all the “red” colors in your crayon box, put a rubber band around the bunch and try to draw with it.
Tape a red marker to a broomstick and draw on a large sheet of paper on the floor for some Clifford-sized drawing.
Talk about what objects are colored red and ask, “Besides Clifford, are there other red animals?”

Suggested Book:
Clifford The Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell

Ask your kids what they think Clifford the Big Red Dog™ eats and drinks to stay healthy. If you have a dog, these treats are a great way to model that animals need our love and care. If you don’t have a dog, make plans to spend time with the dog of a friend or family member.