Kids Craft #3: Fingerpainted Tumblers

I had a ton of mason jars around my house and wanted to find a creative way to use them.  I decided to hand paint tumblers... But when I say "hand paint," I really mean finger paint because who didn't enjoy finger painting as a child?  This craft is extremely simple for the children's portion as all they need to do is finger paint a design on the glass.  I chose polka dots for simplicity but other designs may be used as well.

Regardless of the design, be sure to cover over your workspace!  Acrylics can be difficult to remove.

I plan to use my tumbler as a drinking glass when I go back to school (it is perfectly safe after the final step!), however they can also be used when eating outdoors to put place settings in, as a gift jar for mother's/father's day or a teachers (filled with candy), or even to organize your child's desk.


Materials:
  - table cover/newspaper over your workspace
  - acrylic paints
  - paint dish or disposable plate
  - mason jar or other clear glass jar (from the dollar store or a home goods store)




Steps:
1.)  Remove all labels completely.  Completely clean and dry the jar.
2.)  Pour paints onto dish/plate - try not to mis the colors until they go onto the glass.
3.)  Dip the tips of fingers into the paint and paint onto the jar.  TIP: if you plan to decorate the bottom of the glass turn the glass upside-down before you begin to paint OR put your hand into the glass to paint.  Use caution removing the glass from your hand if you choose to paint it this way.
4.)  Allow to dry completely.
5.)  ADULTS ONLY:  Place the dry jar into a cool oven, close the oven and bake at 300°F for 30 minutes.  This wil make the tumbler safe to use as a drinking glass as well.  IMPORTANT: allow the  oven and the jar to cool completely before you remove the jar fromo the oven.  Sudden exposure to a much cooler temperature will cause the glass to crack.