Make some fun paper roll scribblers in this experimental process art activity for kids. This would be perfect for a rainy day and is so easy to do at a moments notice using materials most people would have on hand.

When I was a kid I clearly remember holding a bunch of textas together in one hand and experimenting with what patterns, words and other designs I could create with it. This activity could keep me busy for ages, and I wanted to share the idea and expand on it with my own kids. We’ve taken the concept one step further by using duct tape and a paper roll to create what we’ve decided to call paper roll scribblers. My girls spent a good part of an afternoon scribbling and experimenting with these on a large sheet of butchers paper. You can make one at home in about 5 minutes, they are as simple as they look!

How to make Paper Roll Scribblers

You will need:

• Textas in assorted colours – approximately 8 per scribbler
• A toilet roll or paper towel roll cut in half
• Duct tape
• Paper for drawing on – the larger the sheet the better!

How To:

First you need to completely cover your toilet roll in duct tape. Once you’ve done that lay a second long piece of duct tape down on the table with the sticky side up. Evenly place your textas along the duct tape in a line so that the tops of the lids line up exactly, a ruler or something with a straight edge can help with this job. Wrap this piece around the toilet roll with the tops of the textas poking over the edge. You may need to add or remove one texta to get it to fit properly, depending on how much space you’ve put between each one. It doesn’t need to be perfect but it’s important for the tops to line up so that they can all draw on the paper at the same time.

Remove the lids and experiment away!

Our action shots are taken indoors on a dark day with my iphone, so they aren’t the best quality but you can see how much fun the kids had with these things.

And that’s all there is to it, but why not try a few variations?

Variations:

• Experiment with different colour combinations, like all cool colours or all warm colours (or even your favourite football team’s colours!)
• Try sticking the textas to a paper cup for a wider circle, or use a different number of textas per scribbler and see how that changes the effect
• Instead of textas try using crayons, pencils or chalk on the pavement and see what difference it makes

Do you know a kid who loves to experiment with art? Why not make some paper roll scribblers with them.

More art ideas you might like to try

• Use nature outdoors to create earth art
• Use food as an art medium and make yummy healthy artworks you can eat
• Soak chalk in water and use it to draw on coloured or black paper
• Create art boards wrapped in shiny foil and draw on them with sharpies
• Allow the kids to experiment with different surfaces by painting on canvas instead of paper
• Set out some coloured pasta and glue and let the kids use it to create 3D art

Our Art ideas board on Pinterest has a huge catalogue of ideas for kids art too, why not check it out.

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