When I was in college, I did this activity in my Art Education class. Part of teaching kids art is to teach the history behind the art. Therefore, this shaving cream paint lesson revolves around learning about impressionism. The great thing about painting with shaving cream is that you can build up some really great textures and teach your kids all about how texture can create great effects in art.
The first thing I did was a Google image search for impressionism. I let Abby (Kenzie was sick) point to the art pieces she wanted to look at. I talked briefly about what impressionism means and introduced artists as their work was chosen.
The next thing was to mix up the paint. You basically do shaving cream and acrylic craft or tempera paint. You want the paint to start out fairly vibrant. I gave the kids Popsicle sticks to mix up the paint. They loved that part.
Then, it’s time to paint. You can show different techniques with straight strokes, building up texture, swirling the paint or even using the popsicle sticks to make more texture.
By emphasizing texture, your kids are really learning vocabulary and new art skills. That is what is so cool about working with the shaving cream.
The results are as fun as the process.
Cool idea! I let my kids play with shaving cream on occasion. I’ve added food coloring before, never thought about using paint. I might have to give it a try!!