Homemade Watercolor Paint

I saw this idea over on the Happy Hooligans Blog and I had to give it a try. It's a great way to get a little more life out of those old markers. We made the paint during Blue Barn Camp and my kids are still enjoying it.

You will need:

Old dried out markers

Water

Large cups to mix / empty jars for storage

Afterwards: Brushes and paper

Step 1:

Remove pen lids and have kids sort by color family. We had 5 groups, but you could of course split it out further if you have enough pens.

Red/Pink

Yellow/Orange

Blue/Purple

Green/Turquise

Black/Brown

Step 2:

Place pen families upside down into cups half full of water and leave overnight.

Step 3:

The following day remove pens, place in bag and recycle. You could also see if your local elementary school recycles pens or better still get them to, for more information. Crayola pens themselves are plastic 5 which can be recycled so check with the recycling pick up in your area.

Keep liquid watercolors in jars for future use.

Step 4:

Paint, paint, paint...here's some pictures being made with our wonderful homemade paints.