Saturday craft: Help your child make a jellyfish salt painting

It’s the weekend and today we’re playing with salt, glue, and watercolours to make some colourful ocean art. This project requires only a few supplies, including table salt, watercolours, and wood glue, and is suitable for children ages three to 12.

What you need

• Wood glue
• Light blue cardboard
• Paintbrushes
• Salt
• Watercolour paints (or food colouring combined with water)

How to make it

1. Start by sketching the outline of a jellyfish in pencil on cardboard paper. Let your child squeeze the wood glue in the lines of the design. For younger children a jellyfish design is simple to make, but older children may prefer making starfish, sharks, or even turtles. Click here for a few design examples.
2. Let your child sprinkle salt over the design until it is completely covered, then brush off the excess salt.
3. If you don’t have liquid watercolour paints, you can substitute food colouring. Fill some plastic cups halfway with water and add a few drops of food colouring to each cup. Then, dip your child’s paintbrush into the paint and let your child gently touch the salt-covered glue lines to watch the paint magically travel and mix colours. If you like, you could also use a medicine dropper or a pipette for this task. When you’re finished painting, leave it aside for a day or two to dry.
4. Display your child’s new pieces of art once it has dried.