Gross Motor Painting

This is one of my favorite uses of our large outdoor plexiglass easel. 

We found these big, flat toilet brushes at a dollar store. 

We put paint on trays and lay them in front of the easel just below it.  We then cover the easel in rolled craft paper.

The children love the big slapping motions they can do with this kind of painting.  They are thrilled to be able to reach the very top of the easel.

 Some of them even jump to reach it.

There is a great deal of  gross motor action going on with big arm movements, hard slaps, reaches, jumps, and so on.  They enjoy making the circles that the brushes make when pressed on the paper, but then they soon discover what happens when they rub the brushes up and down or sideways.  They also get excited about layering the brush marks and seeing the colors change. 

Some even paint with two brushes at a time.

It is all about the process...but they can be used for a product as well.  I used the dry paper to make valences for our classroom windows.