something like a speckled egg...

I love volunteering and I love the kids I work with even more. Last week, we made marbleized paper. I have to say that the students had swirlier turnouts than I did! My sample looked more like a speckled egg! Our projects work best when I bring a sample to class. This way the kids actually see what we are making. Plus, it's a great chance to do some fun art!I found this project online. It was super easy, super messy, but super fun!The best part about that day? Having one of the kids who just wanted to play on the computer actually participate in our project. He was not interested in making art with us AT ALL and was very adamant about not coming to class. Three volunteers tried getting him to come, but I managed to talk him into it. Seeing him excited about the project and promising to participate in future projects made my week. If you are in New York, come volunteer with us! Giving back is so, so rewarding. Thanks to everyone that participated and my great co-team leaders!Hooray for volunteering! NY Cares Day 2011 is coming up! I'll be posting information about my mural soon! What you need:

• Food coloring
• Vegetable oil
• Paper
• Baking pan
• Water

1. Take the food coloring and cooking oil and put it in a glass or cup to stir. I used these glasses at home, but at the class we used little craft containers.2. Mix the oil and food coloring to make the colors you want. Stir it quickly like a salad dressing.3. This part looks super cool...4. Put enough water in the pan so it's a thin layer at the bottom (my sample has too much). Add the food coloring/oil mixture to the pan. It should float to the top of the surface.5. Take the paper and place it on top of the water. When you pull it off, you'll have different swirls and patterns. To make more patterns, just take the mixture and drop it on the paper directly. Move the paper around to make shapes and things you like!** Have a kind roommate help you out when you realize it was stupid to wear a nice camera while playing with oil and food coloring... have him document the rest of the photos **The result? Fun paper!