Color Matching with Painted Garden Stones

Painted Garden Stone Color Matching Game

I am so excited to have Stephanie from Twodaloo guest posting today.  Stephanie also has toddler twins, and I love reading about all of the wonderful art experiences she shares with them.  A recent favorite of mine from Stephanie is Fingerpaint and Mirrors.  

Hi new friends! I'm Stephanie from Twodaloo, and I am absolutely thrilled to be sharing here at Train Up a Child today! We have been enjoying lots of beautiful spring weather here in Texas, and have been hard at work improving our outdoor play spaces for our two-year-old twins. One spot that I am currently working on is a shady corner in our front garden bed that will make a perfect little hideaway for them to play in while I prune the rosebushes. I've still got a few projects up my sleeve before I reveal the whole thing, but I thought I would show you one way I've added a whimsical element to the space (and fit in a little learning, too)...a Painted Garden Stone Color Matching Game! 

 

To create this game, I gathered a few simple materials:

• Outdoor craft paint in a variety of bright colors
• Several sizes of paint brushes
• Natural items for matching (I used rocks, shells, and pinecones)
• Flagstones left over from another project (not pictured)

 

First, I gave each flagstone a few coats of craft paint and allowed them to dry. Each stone was painted a different solid color. 

 

Next, I painted my natural items with the same solid colors. Nothing fancy or complicated here, but don't they look yummy all grouped together in a pretty basket? 

 

After everything was dry, I set up a simple invitation in the garden. 

he twins ooh'd and aah'd over the brightly colored "magic rocks" and pretty soon started placing all the fancy natural objects on their matching flagstones. 

 

Once our little nook is fully completed, I will space the flagstones a bit farther apart and set them down in the soil. The small painted objects will be stored nearby in a pretty clay pot. In addition to color matching, the twins can use the natural objects for sorting, patterning, and props for imaginative play. 

 

I hope you enjoyed this peek into our whimsical garden hideaway! If you liked this, you might enjoy our Magic Fairy Painted Rocks and Storage Tower- equally enchanting and perfect for imaginative play! For more playful ideas for teaching colors to young toddlers, check out our 30 Colorful Activities for Toddlers post which is chock full of easy color recognition activities you can do at home. And for more outdoor play space inspiration, visit my current favorite Pinterest board: Outdoor Playspace Ideas! Thanks again, Allison, for having me over today! You have such a lovely and inspiring blog and it's an honor to be here. Twodaloo! 

Stephanie is a speech-language pathologist currently staying home to play and learn with her twin toddlers. She blogs about early childhood activities and the occasional creative mommy project at Twodaloo. You can also find her on Facebook, G+, and sharing daily play snapshots on Instagram.