We recently created this "My First Campfire" Sensory Activity for a Camping First Birthday Party, and oh my goodness, is it cute! It's basically fingerpainting without the mess, and it's makes for great sensory play for little ones! It's super simple to put together using the overlay in our Camping Party Printables Pack, and it is absolutely perfect for a first birthday camping theme. Take a peek below for the super easy instructions on how to recreate these for your own party.
Begin by downloading the "My First Campfire" overlay from our Camping Party Printables Pack. Print one overlay on White Cardstock for each child that will be at your party. Use a pair of scissors to cut out the flame, creating a hole for the "fire."
Open a quart-sized plastic storage bag and turn it so the opening is facing either to your left or right. Slide the tip of the Red Washable Paint bottle into the bag and squirt some paint along the bottom edge of the bag that is facing you. Repeat with Orange Washable Paint, squirting above the red paint. Do this once more with Yellow Washable Paint, squirting above the orange paint. Push the paint to the edges of the bag so that the entire bag is covered, then seal the bag. Use masking tape to seal the bag completely closed.
Next, center the bag of paint onto a blank sheet of white cardstock. Secure the bag to the paper using masking tape. During this process, it's a good idea to position the printed overlay on top of the bag occasionally to make sure that no tape is able to be seen through the flame opening. If you can see tape through the hole, reposition the bag.
Unroll some Fabulous Foam Double-Sided Tape and use it to line the entire edge of the white cardstock. It's okay if the double-sided tape overlaps the masking tape a bit. Once all four sides have the foam tape on them, peel away the top layer of paper to reveal the sticky tape.
Position the "My First Campfire" overlay on top of the taped cardstock. Be careful to have the overlay exactly where you want it before you adhere it. The foam tape is very sticky and doesn't really allow for repositioning. Repeat this entire process for each "campfire" that you'd like to make.
Now you're ready to provide the kids with some sensory fun! At party time, set up the activity at a table and let the kids "fingerpaint" the fire and watch the colors change. They will love it! Just be sure to keep the "campfires" all lay flat before the party so that the colors don't run. We want the kids to be the ones to blend the colors!
See the complete ONE Happy Camper First Birthday Party, how you can make Fingerprint Firefly Jars and get the Camping Birthday Party Printable Pack.