# Cotton Round Absorption Art Flowers
> Kids drip liquid watercolors onto cotton rounds with pipettes and watch the colors spread and mix. Once dry, they arrange the colorful rounds into flowers, caterpillars, snakes or their own designs.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-for-kids-spring-flower-craft/
- Ages: 2–6 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 10 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: absorption-science, color-mixing, fine-motor, patterns, creativity
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- Liquid watercolors
- 1 piece Transfer pipettes
- 6 piece Cotton rounds
- 1 piece Palette with wells or small cups (household)
- 1 piece Plastic sheet or table cover (household)
- 1 sheet White paper or cardstock (optional) (household)
- Green paint (optional)

## Safety
- Cover the table with a plastic sheet. Kids tend to go overboard, and the colors seep through the cotton rounds.
- Liquid watercolors can stain hands, clothes and surfaces. Use smocks or old clothes.
- Watercolors and wet cotton rounds are not food. Supervise toddlers closely so they don't mouth the rounds or suck paint through a pipette.

## Before you start
- Plan a spot where the wet cotton rounds can dry undisturbed for a day.

## Steps
1. Cover the table with a plastic sheet.
2. Pour a little of each liquid watercolor into the palette wells, then set out the pipettes and cotton rounds.
3. Squeeze the pipette, suck up some color and drop it onto a cotton round.
4. Use just a few drops at a time and watch the color spread through the cotton.
5. Add more colors next to each other and see how they mix.
6. Set the cotton rounds aside to dry for a day.
7. Look at them the next day. More color mixing happens while they dry.
8. Arrange the dry rounds into a flower, a caterpillar, a snake or your own design.

## Tips
- It is best to do this on top of a plastic sheet, since the children do tend to go overboard with the watercolors and the colors will seep through the cotton rounds.
- Gently suggest the kids use only drops of the watercolors.
- The adult's part is done after setting out the materials. It's very open ended.
- We left them to dry for a day, and the following day more color mixing happened. The results were spectacular.
- Do it again! My 5 year old's patterns were much more purposeful and well thought out the second time around.
- It's simple enough to be a perfect toddler art activity, so involve your toddler too.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

Fun and easy absorption art activities for kids using water colors and cotton rounds. Then turn them into a fun spring craft for kids. We really do love [**art activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/art-projects/) here on the blog and we have recently done plenty o[f **spring art activities**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/season/spring-season/) and [**spring crafts for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/season/spring-season/). Today we are exploring absorption again with [**liquid watercolors**](https://www.funlittles.com/tag/liquid-water-colors/). We have already done this [**cotton rounds art**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-projects-for-preschoolers-and-toddlers-cotton-rounds-art/) previously ( and it has been one of our popular posts) The reason we are revisiting this is simply because my 5 year old started creating some figures with the colored cotton rounds. Well, then it is time for another blog post and THIS time unlike last time we did this art activity I KNOW what I'm doing with my camera haha.

### Spring Crafts for Kids : Cotton Rounds Flowers

Materials **[Liquid Watercolors](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042SWTUU/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Transfer Pipettes](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IQTSE0/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Cotton Rounds](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009CUYUVY/?tag=blmemo-20)**



*I purchased the cotton rounds at the local supermarket. The water colors and pipettes were purchased online. The above links will take you to the product page.*

Just like many of our art activities, this again is very open ended where the adult's part is done after setting out the materials. The children transfer the liquid water colors using the pipette on to the cotton rounds. They can observe the colors being absorbed by the material. The entire process of the colors spreading is quite mesmerizing for their eyes.



I enjoyed watching my children explore the colors and squeal with delight every time the colors spread out. This is also a great opportunity to explore more color mixing...{ Tip: It is best to do this activity on top of a plastic sheet since the children do tend to go overboard with the watercolors and the colors will seep through the cotton rounds. You can gently suggest the kids to use only drops of the watercolors.)



It was exciting to see my 5 year old's work. The pattern has definitely advanced since the last time we did this art activity. Now her design even more purposeful and well thought out.



Once they are done creating with the gorgeous liquid watercolors, it is time to set the cotton rounds to dry. As you can gauge the simplicity of art activities for kids like these, you will realize that these are perfect toddler art activities.



We left them to dry for a day and the followin day more color mixing happened and the results were spectacular.  \ `

### How to turn this art activity for kids into spring crafts for kids

I had planned on leaving them out like that but my daughter had other plans. I caught her making patterns with them and she ended up with a flowers, caterpillars, snakes, abstract design..



Now wasn't that a fun spring craft? Don't forget to involve your toddler in this super easy art project.



Thanks for reading

More [**art activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/art-projects/) on our category page