water painting

"mama, let me write your name."

some days i just can't handle the toddler activities that require lots of small parts or big messes (yes i know that is MOST toddler activities).  on those rare occasions i have found a great solution.  water painting!   just taking a bowl of water and paint brushes outside and painting the back patio has provided both an educational and entertaining time for the two of us.  there's no mess (minus a little water).  the sun dries up the art (so no need for more paper or cleaning the dry erase board).  and she loves identifying the letters or numbers i draw.  in addition to making requests (lots of balloons, birds, and fish), she uses her imagination and tells me what she's drawing (elephants and mama's name).  surprisingly, this keeps her occupied longer than some of her toys or even yo gabba gabba!

painting elephants

what are your go to, simple activities? share!