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Home / Early Learning / Preschool Arts and Crafts / Painting with Marshmallows is Such a Fun Camping Theme Art Idea

Painting with Marshmallows is Such a Fun Camping Theme Art Idea

Shared by Mary Catherine 22 Comments

Painting with marshmallows is a great process art activity for any of our preschool themes, but it’ll be perfect for a preschool camping theme.


I love setting up process art invitations for the kids! Even better is when these art experiences are with non-traditional implements. Kids seem to get a kick out of painting without paintbrushes, and what a great way to explore different art techniques? Plus, it gets the children thinking outside of the box.

Painting with marshmallows in preschool

Related: Books to Read by Flashlight

With a recent camping theme, the preschoolers fell in love with painting with marshmallows. Honestly, this art activity went over even better than I thought it would! So many smiles and giggles along the way.

Table of Contents

  • Painting with Marshmallows
    • Materials we used for marshmallow painting
    • What we did
  • More Marshmallow Fun
  • Printable Preschool Camping Theme Lesson Plans

Painting with Marshmallows

I’m not sure why the children’s interest surprised me.  It’s always fun to explore a new art “tool”, especially when it’s something out-of-the-norm.

The preschoolers have painted with a variety of non-traditional items over the years, from apples to pool noodles to toy gears. Each time an usual tool is used, the children have such a great time with it.

Materials we used for marshmallow painting

I’m sure you can easily figure out the materials we used for this little art project! But, just in case, here they are (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

  • Large marshmallows
  • Candy or lollipop sticks
  • Washable tempera paint

What we did

The set up for this was incredibly simple.  We grabbed campfire colors (red, orange, and yellow) from the preschool workroom.  The paints went into small plastic cups to make it easier for the kids.

Getting ready for painting with marshmallows

Related: Marshmallow Name Activity

We had some huge marshmallows leftover from a camping treat we’d make earlier, along with lollipop sticks.  The lollipop sticks went into the marshmallows, and paper was set out on the table.  Then it was time to let the children create.

Putting the sticks into the marshmallows really helped with this art activity.  Not only did it involve less cleanup afterwards, but it gave the kiddos more control over their painting.

I had fun watching as the children used the marshmallows to paint!   Some stamped the marshmallows all over the paper, some stamped them all in a line.  The most popular “technique”, though, was swirling the marshmallows around the construction paper.

Having fun painting with marshmallows

Related: Make Your Own Pet Rocks

The end results were mostly swirls of yellow, orange, and red paint mixed together.  When looked at, it didn’t seem like much. However, this is called process art for a reason!  The children got a ton of enjoyment, and learning, out of of this painting activity.  It wasn’t at all about the end result, and I am completely fine with that!  🙂

Have you ever tried painting with marshmallows or other “unusual” painting tools?  I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below.

More Marshmallow Fun

Here are a few more marshmallow-themed activities the kids might enjoy!

Exploring marshmallows with the five senses

Engineering challenge with marshmallows

Marshmallow sensory bin

Edible marshmallow slime

Marshmallow science experiment

Printable Preschool Camping Theme Lesson Plans

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for classroom teachers and home preschool so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

Preschool Camping Theme Lesson Plan Set

Get your preschool lesson plans here – Preschool Classroom Plans | Home Preschool Plans

You can also find them on Teachers Pay Teachers

Painting with marshmallows during a preschool camping theme

Filed Under: Preschool Arts and Crafts Tagged With: Camping, Process Art

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Comments

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  1. jackie says

    May 27, 2013 at 12:56 pm

    Ok, this is just brilliant! I LOVE it, and you know what? I had a WHOLE BAG of those jumbo marshies, and I threw them in the composter because they’d gone stale! Rats!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 27, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      So glad you liked it, Jackie!! Simple, but soooo much fun to be had with this activity. Aw, don’t you just hate it when you throw away something like that? Honestly, I’ve taken to keeping stale food for sensory activities and random craft projects. That sounds weird, but it works for me! Let me know if you and the hooligans try out marshmallow painting. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest says

    May 27, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    Oh this looks like so much fun! I love giving the kids new painting “tools” but never in a million years would I have thought to use marshmallows! We will definitely have to try this.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 27, 2013 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks, Ann! When Mary Poppins and I were planning for camping week, we knew we wanted to try something different for art. I think it was the bag of huge marshmallows on our back counter that prompted the idea! Thank goodness Mary Poppins is used to my random suggestions (like, “hey, let’s paint with marshmallows!”) Plus, she and I knew the kids would love it. Let me know if you try it out!

      Reply
  3. Shaunna @ Fantastic Fun and Learning says

    May 27, 2013 at 8:32 pm

    I think a camping theme sounds like so much fun! When we did our M is for Marshmallow theme we painted with the small marshmallows and the kids only did the stamping technique. I love the idea of using big marshmallows, and I wonder if it would encourage mine to try out the swirling that your kids enjoyed so much.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 27, 2013 at 11:47 pm

      The camping theme was definitely a lot of fun, Shaunna! 🙂 I’ll have to share bits and pieces from the rest of the theme soon. Yes, for some reason the larger marshmallows made the kids want to swirl the paint around. Let me know how it goes if you try out the larger marshmallows for painting! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Mum of One says

    May 28, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    I do love this. My little one hates fingerpainting so we tried this recently too with great success. He also loved painting with pom poms gripped by clothes pegs!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 28, 2013 at 2:37 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by! Yes, I think having the sticks definitely help kiddos who don’t enjoy getting their hands messy when painting. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Amy says

    May 29, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Love this! My daughter adores marshmallows, so we’ll have to try this out before our next s’more session!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 29, 2013 at 5:12 pm

      Yay! So glad to hear that. Be sure to let me know how it goes when you try it with your daughter. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Jessica says

    May 30, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    I love this idea! Certainly something we will do this Summer. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:18 pm

      Thanks, Jessica! Let me know how it goes if you paint with marshmallows! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Melinda@LookWhatMomFound...andDadtoo says

    May 31, 2013 at 10:24 pm

    my kids would totally eat them before they’d ever touch the paint LOL

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 31, 2013 at 11:30 pm

      Hahahaha! Yeah, we’d fed the kiddos a special camping treat prior to the art project. I think that’s the only reason the kiddos didn’t try. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Blayne says

    May 31, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    This is absolutely amazing!! What a phenomenal idea MC!! I will definitely be doing this! Just shared to Facebook also. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 31, 2013 at 11:39 pm

      Awww, thanks so much, Blayne!! 🙂 I appreciate the comment and the share. And you better let me know how it goes when K tries it. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Cathy says

    June 1, 2013 at 1:42 am

    Love your blog! New follower!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      June 3, 2013 at 9:15 pm

      Thanks so much Cathy!

      Reply
  10. Shaunna @ Fantastic Fun and Learning says

    August 16, 2013 at 6:27 am

    Love the idea of using giant marshmallows for this activity! I bet your kids LOVE coming to class. Thanks for sharing at Discover and Explore. I’m featuring this post today.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      August 16, 2013 at 7:13 am

      Thanks Shaunna! Yes, the kids really enjoyed painting with those giant marshmallows! Surprisingly, none of them were taste-tested prior to painting! 🙂 I am so excited — thank you for featuring this!

      Reply
  11. Teresa wilhelm says

    May 27, 2014 at 9:30 am

    Just found your site, I love all that I have seen so far. During R week, we paint with matchbox or the like racecars. The kids love the tire tracks. It is a really fun activity!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      May 27, 2014 at 6:13 pm

      Thanks so much for your kind words, Teresa! 🙂 Painting with cars is a ton of fun, too — I love seeing the different items kiddos can use to paint and create with.

      Reply
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My name is Mary Catherine, and I love to share meaningful {and fun} learning activities for kiddos! Feel free to browse and stay awhile!

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