'When we paint with colours we should paint in such a way that we are conscious that we are calling forth life from what is dead'
-Rudolf Steiner
Every Friday is our painting day. As I did a search for 'painting' on here I found an old post from 2008 when Wednesday was our painting day, how funny! About 95% of our painting days are projects done using the wet on wet watercolor technique on watercolor paper, silk, unfinished wood or fabric. We even sometimes like to use our magic crayons on the paper first before painting on it. On some special days we use 'regular old paint' they we have made or bought to paint things like rocks, egg cartons, pine cones, fabric and other nature finds we come across.
Painting is another area where I feel it is important to not skimp on materials. We buy heavy, artist quality water color paper from our school store and use Stockmar Paints
The paints may seem pricey but you only use a drop or two mixed in with water at a time, so they last a really long time. We actually are still using up bottles from when we lived in Virginia. For your kindergartner or younger child you want a big flat bristle paint brush. The other supplies are more budget friendly. You can use old glass jars to mix and hold the paint in. Painting boards can be bought or you can make your own like my friend Rebecca did, or even just go thrift store shopping for a large cutting board (that's what K used for a couple of years until we were gifted with a painting board one Christmas). 
Painting on our old cutting board 'painting board'
The wet on wet technique's preparation takes a little while so I consider this a 'more involved' activity. Because it is a more involved activity we have an easy dinner every Friday - pizza. I make our pizza dough in the bread machine while K is at school so it has all day to rise, then it's a simple process of rolling out the dough, putting the toppings on the pizza (whatever fresh veggies we happen to have that week) and baking it.
Before we can begin painting, we have to soak our watercolor paper in water, this takes about 20 minutes. I like to place the paper into a sink of water before we leave to pick up K from school so that way it has had plenty of time to soak.
When we arrive home we begin out painting. I only soak one or two pieces of paper for them each painting day. This helps them to work more on their painting, instead of rushing through to get to the next one, and it also helps to keep our painting days within our budget.
Depending on the season and the color(s) we are using I like to sing a song, or saya verse or poem. For example, below is the current poem I am saying as we paint with red:
Tipperty-toes, the smallest elf,
Sat on a mushroom by himself,
Playing a little tinkling tune,
Under the big round harvest moon;
And this song that Tipperty made,
To sing to the little tune he played:
'Red are the hips, red are the haws,
Red and gold are the leaves that fall,
Red are the poppies in the corn,
Red berries on the rowan tall;
Red is the big round harvest moon,
And red are my new little dancing shoon.'
-Elizabeth Gould
K's teachers do a puppet show preparing the child for the color they are painting with, but I am just not that together to do anything like that, just yet. Maybe someday, though...
K painting a wall in our old house in Virginia
For more information on the wet on wet painting technique:
Painting With Children
is a great book on painting. It goes into painting preparation, color stories and poems, painting moods of nature and the seasons of the year.Painting Wet on Wet: Waldorf Watercolors for Children
You Tube video tutorial from Bella Luna Toys
The Parenting Passageway
The Waldorf Way
Please remember - this is just our family rhythm and what works for us at the moment. This isn't meant to be hard and fast rules on how rhythm should go in every one or any one's homes. I just thought to share it because I receive quite a few e-mails asking about our home rhythm, and I also just wanted it documented for myself so that I may remember these times when they are older and/or on to another rhythm.
Thank you, again, for joining me in the rhythm fun! Here is the linky list. If you have a (new or old) link you would like to share about your family rhythm, please enter it below so that we all may see. Then please link back here in your post. I look forward to seeing your inspiration!
Thanks friends!
