Saturday, March 17, 2012

Cleaning up........

It's almost end of March, and still, I'm reminding students proper clean-up techniques.  Who am I kidding, they're kids, of course they still needs reminders.


P.S. Do you use these palettes too?  I'm not a fan b/c they're hard to clean, but I also hate using disposable stuff like small condiment cups, wax paper palettes, etc.  Tried pill boxes once, but I bought the circular kind which were impossible to clean.  Saw them at the $1 store so I couldn't resist, I bought 8 of them:(

What's your FAVORITE paint palette for 20+ kids?

15 comments:

Nena said...

I used the same palettes this year, for the first time. I always used disposable palettes and figured I'd try something new this year. I didn't worry much about clean up, since they are the ones using them. If it they were dirty they had to wash one for themselves. At the end of the painting section I offered community service hours to have them cleaned.

Carleen Michener said...

I like Styrofoam printing trays (meat trays) for paint trays, they clean pretty easy, and I can reuse them several times before I finally have to throw them away.

Phyl said...

I use a number of different things, depending on the lesson. I have someone who eats a diet TV dinner every day, and brings me the empty dishes. They are wonderful paint palettes - we use them for color mixing and for paint for stamping, and more, and they are easy to wash and after a while I toss them and replace.

I do sometimes use disposable condiment cups. Maybe not the best ecologically but the best in terms of time and practicality.

I also have some of the palettes you showed, and I use them with my 6th graders only, mostly with acrylic paints. We use a school brand acrylic and have discovered that, if you leave them to dry after using, the paint can be PEELED OUT and no washing is needed! The kids fight for the chance to peel them!

Nancie Kay said...

I use small 1-2 oz plastic cups. I fill them about half full of tempera and store in shallow plastic trays that are stored in plastic grocery bags between class periods. I refill as needed and teach the kids how to keep colors separate. read more about my method here:http://handsheadnheart.blogspot.com/2011/01/simplify-tempera-paint.html
My students usually mix colors on their work, or on foam desert plates that can be wiped off after class.
I have a stack of palettes like those pictured but hated spending so much time cleaning them so they're gathering dust in a drawer somewhere...

Unknown said...

I'm switching from styrofoam plates to muffin tins with those waxed paper Stancups to line them with. Easy cleanup!

Unknown said...

Muffin tins work pretty well for whole-table paint trays. You can find them at dollar shops for a buck most of the time. The only problem is that there's always that one kid at the table who doesn't clean their brush before using a new color, and then the rest of the table is mad!

Shawsha (The Art Teacher Lady)

ArtMuse said...

Lol, when I read the part about the 'one kid who doesn't clean his brush' I laughed, that's so true! When painting I use large take-out container lids lined with leftover laminate plastic paper. The secretary in the office gives me the ends of the rolls when she can't use them for the laminating machine. Its similar to wax paper but I get it for free!

ArtMuse said...

I laughed when I read the comment about the 'one kid who doesn't wash their brush', that's so true! I use take-out container lids, the large plastic ones are good for whole tables and the smaller ones are good for partner palettes. I get the ends of the laminating rolls from the office so I just cover the lids with the laminating plastic and viola no mess! It's the same idea as using wax paper but its free.

Ashley said...

I've been using old magazines, and catalogs that constantly come into school. I just peel the top sheet or two off and reuse the magazine again and again until it's done. Best solution to my paint problem I have found yet! Hate cleaning the plastic trays.

Miss said...

Having only one sink and sometimes classes of 30 students, I've resorted to using what I call 'paper palettes'. The same idea as what Ashley mentioned in the previous comment. I save all the flyers/junk mail from my apartment building. They're thick and the paper is shiny and smooth so easy for mixing colours. They get thrown out at the end of class. It works well for me.

Tisha Smith said...

Love all your comments. Never thought of using the extra laminator film.....brilliant! The laminator is EVEN stored in my room, so film that's been cut away is easy for me to get. (Some of it's really big pieces too. Yay, for reusing.)
Ha, we ALL know that one kid or more than one in every class who keeps us on our toes and "forgets" to clean their brush before dipping in another color paint.

Anne Farrell said...

I like icecream container lids best.(The plastic kind we have here - not sure about in the U.S) They're easy to clean. I get kids to use old paintbrushes to clean palettes with - much easier.

Painting With Brains said...

I use these at the high school level. I agree, they're tough to get clean. And Phyl is right- if you let them dry a day or two, you can peel out the paint, which the kids are all-to-happy to help with. We also keep a soaking bucket to soften up the paint if it's dried on too long. I offer extra credit points to kids who are finished early with their work to try and scrub them. "Clean enough to eat off of!" is my classroom mantra, although, it doesn't always work out that way.

Beth said...

i lucked upon a large stash of old melamine (sp) saucers at a thrift store. easy to clean and stack nicely for storage. I too dislike those white ones in your post. they get gross and stained and take a lot of scrubbing to get clean

Beth said...

melamine (plastic) saucers that i got at the thrift store a few years ago CHEAP! clean up is easy!