Textured Moon Paintings

Last summer for a Storytime at the Markleeville Library, we made textured moon paintings from I Heart Crafty Things after reading a few books about full moons.

This is a very easy activity. We traced a circle onto the black construction paper.
In retrospect, with our young audience, it would be easier to create a circle template to place over the black paper.


Take a paper board box and trace a large circle (big enough to fill most of your black page) on the printed side of the box. Also be sure the paper board piece is large enough to cover the entire piece of black paper. Cut out the circle and tape the access point. Place some tape along the circle edge.

Flip the paper board over and secure to the black paper. As you can see the printed side is down to avoid any unnecessary visual distraction.

Now for the paint.....mix some flour into white paint to add texture until you get the texture of cottage cheese. Using lots of paint is ideal! 

While the paint is still wet, take a circular object, such as a water bottle cap (attached to the water bottle) or any other circular object, press circles into the paint to create craters.

For younger children, you may want to wait until the paint is dry before adding stars to avoid smearing the moon. Younger children may need help peeling the stars from the paper. Placing the star stickers on the paper is another great fine motor activity.

Great books to pair with this activity beginning from youngest to oldest audience and attention span:

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch

 Borreguita and the Coyote by Verna Aardema & Petra Mathers

We paired these activities with a moon themed snack, Babybel Cheese with round crackers.



To the moon!