Giant Mark Making Tuff Spot

As this weeks #TuffSpotTuesday theme is Mark Making we had the perfect excuse to complete an activity I used to love doing with my class. I would give my Reception children giant paint brushes and pretend the class had been shrunk. We would go out onto the playground where they could create huge masterpieces. For some children mark making on a grand scale is less daunting than using a piece of paper. I replicated the activity for Adam in the form of a Giant Mark Making Tuff Spot.

To make our giant paint brushes I got three long poles and used masking tape to secure a large paint brush at the end. With my class I used to use bamboo canes. For Adam I used a broom handle and two children sized golf clubs. I placed our blue Tuff Spot outside on the grass and poured red, yellow and blue paint on three plates.

Adam got stuck into the activity straight away. He dipped his large paint brush into the paint and started to mark make on the Tuff Spot. “Adam is tiny. The paint brush is huge” Adam kept repeating over and over again. He was fascinated that he could make marks within the Tuff Spot yet be standing a long way away from it.

Adam made a variety of marks in the Tuff Spot and was exploring colour mixing at the same time. It was a great activity for developing his gross motor skills and strengthening muscles in his arms that he doesn’t usually use when mark making.