Painting: Lessen the mess

I wanted the baby to experience painting...but how?
I wanted to do it for a low cost and a small mess factor.

Faux Easel 

Age: If they can stand, they can paint.

Supplies: 
Foam board
Scissors (or a knife)
Ribbon/ scrap fabric/ string

Painters tape
Old t-shirt or smock
Tempera paint
Brushes
Paper
Paper plate (scrap of cardboard- it's just to put the paint on)

Benefits: You might be raising the next Picasso.

Activity: 

Making the easel

• Poke a hole in the foam board
• String a piece of fabric through it
• Tie it to something in the lawn- a chair/ a play set

Painting

• I bought her an over sized T-shirt at the craft store for like $3 (3T size)
• Took off her shoes and socks
• Tape a piece of paper to the easel with painters tape (it won't rip the paper when you take it off)
• Put some paint on a paper plate
• Hand them the brush and let them go to town. 
• You could add a water cup for them to rinse their brush between colors