This activity is loads of fun for any age but can get very messy so is best done outside on a sunny day. Children (and grown ups!) will love dipping the water-filled balloons into paint and bouncing them on an elastic string to make a splat painting.
Time: 30 minutes
Age: Any Age
Level: Easy
Materials
Elastic (old rubber bands work well)
Trays for paint (we used plastic plates)

Cheap materials
Method
Lay out a large sheet of paper somewhere outside that you don't mind getting messy with some paint. We used washable paint so it was easy to hose off the ground afterwards.
Fill some water into a balloon then blow up and tie it. The water is just to weigh down the balloon and let it bounce on the elastic. You can try adding different levels of water into each one for different weights of balloon.

Experiment with different quantities of water to make heavier and lighter balloons
Tie a length of elastic onto the end of each balloon. An old rubber band works well.

Ready for the messy part
Put a few colours of paint into different trays beside the paper
The children can now dip their balloons into the paint

The fun begins
Now hold the elastic and bounce the balloon onto the paper making paint splats all over it.
Have fun experimenting with different balloons, colours and bouncing techniques!
You could cut your final artwork into shapes and make a collage with it, or use it as fun wrapping paper.

The final artwork was quite pretty and would make interesting paper for use in a collage
Categories
#Easy
#Under 5s
#5 to 10s
#Over 10s
#Any age
#Messy play
#Balloons
#Paint
#Wrapping paper