South Florida is best seen in a canoe. There is something about gliding through the water that is calming for my little one and myself. We love canoeing and thought we’d make a magic canoe for our storytelling afternoons.

Check out this canoe invitation to create a process art experience that is a quick project with endless learning magic.

Canoe Art Project

Time: 20 minutes Ages: Toddlers + Difficulty: Easy 

Supply List

• Large Cardboard
• Paint (Temperas)
• Container to mix paint
• Twine
• Scissor
• Seashell charms *We used sea sponges

Step 1: Prep Cardboard

Cut out your cardboard canoe. Taking a pencil to sketch it can help guide when cutting.

Step 2: Mix Colors

My son picked out the colors for this project. Toddlers love decision making and my little one was happy to call out his favorite colors. We used blue, yellow and different shades of green.

Use any recycled containers to hold the paint. We used an egg carton and allowed for us to mix the colors right on it.

Step 2: Sea life charms

Start to paint your canoe, we used different size brushes to learn about strokes. You’ll see after a bit you’ll have a favorite go to brush. It’s rather enjoyable to see the paint soak in and colors come to life. Put on the finishing touches with some sea charms.

We had a choice between seashells or sea sponges. (We only have 3 of anything from nature. Meant for our projects, discovery closet or pretend play).

• Tell me what did you use to make your canoe?

• Will you go in the ocean with it?

• I can’t wait to learn about the island you will travel to!

Please tag me in your creations on Instagram and FB and use the hashtag #EXPLORERARTLAB to spread the word. We hope you enjoy this activity and thank you for being part of our community to grow "Everyday Creative Explorers".